GUILDERLAND — The first person of color elected to office in Guilderland, Gustavo Santos, was sworn in on Thursday night.

The town justice who did the honors, Bryan Clenahan, called his election “historic” while also praising Santos’s commitment to public service.

In November’s four-way race for two town board seats, Santos came in second, with 27 percent of the vote behind Jacob Crawford with 29 percent.

In Guilderland, Democrats outnumber Republicans by nearly 2 to 1 and all of the elected officials are Democrats.

It was Santos’s first run for elective office after serving on many boards and committees in town: zoning, planning, conservation, and police reform.

Santos has a degree in political science from the University at Albany and he works as a labor leader with the Public Employees Federation.

Born in Honduras, Santos said during an Enterprise candidates’ forum, “I came to this country with 20 cents and I put myself through college without the help of my parents.” He found the Guilderland community to be welcoming, Santos said, and wanted to use his expertise to contribute.

As a labor leader, Santos said, he is able to get people from different sides to work together. As part of his Hispanic upbringing, Santos said, he has learned to be a good listener.

On Thursday night, the front row at the town hall meeting room was reserved for Santos’s family members and supporters. Adrienne Nicholson stood by his side, holding a Bible as Santos took the oath of office.

Crawford took his oath, without fanfare, administered by Supervisor Peter Barber. Barber himself was re-elected in November, without a contest, for a fifth two-year term.

Crawford was appointed to the Guilderland Town Board in August 2022 and was then elected in November, unopposed, to fill the post left vacant when Laurel Bohl resigned in July 2022.

He formerly chaired Guilderland’s Democratic committee and currently chairs Albany County’s Democratic Committee.

Crawford works for New York State United Teachers, a union representing over 600,000 teachers and school-related professionals, as an analyst. He said his work, analyzing both financial data and policy, includes skills that are useful for town board work.

Crawford, the father of three girls, said during the Enterprise forum, “Constantly, we get the feedback that this is an amazing place to live, work, and raise a family. We want to keep it that way,” he said, noting investments in parks and infrastructure and expressing his desire to “continue the phenomenal work.”

The third person to be sworn into office on Thursday night was Highway Superintendent Howard “Bob” Haver. As he walked to the front of the hall with his wife, Donna, he quipped that he was walking down the aisle again.

Haver was formerly second in command at the highway department and ran unopposed in November; he replaced Gregory Weir, who retired.

Town Clerk Lynne Buchannan also ran unopposed in November. Thursday night, she was hard at work setting up the meeting room and getting appointees to sign their oaths of office. Barber noted that the oaths have to be signed before Feb. 3.

Appointments

Among the new appointees are Jessica Montgomery, Barber’s confidential secretary, as public relations officer; Jessica Gulliksen as budget officer; Paul Pastore, a former councilman, as assistant town attorney; and Councilwoman Christine Napierski as deputy supervisor.

The former deputy supervisor, Rosemary Centi, retired as a councilwoman at the end of 2023.

Napierski had once been at odds with the town’s Democratic committee after she was chosen by the Guilderland Town Board to serve as a town justice following Richard Sherwood’s resignation and arrest in 2018.

Napierski assumed she’d have the support of the board’s four Democrats, she said at the time, but the Democratic Committee picked Bryan Clenahan instead. She then unsuccessfully challenged the caucus process in court and pushed for a change to a primary system, which the Democratic Committee ultimately adopted.

The caucus process, Napierski said at the time, had disenfranchised Guilderland Democrats while the primary process is more inclusive.

In the town’s Democratic primary, in June 2021, Napierski, who was not the committee’s choice, came in first. She and her running mate, Kevin McDonald, who was last in the four-way race, had challenged the status quo on development in Guilderland.

“The voice of the residents is drowned out by developers,” said Napierski at the time.

She went on to campaign with Amanda Beedle, one of the Democratic committee’s choices — the committee’s other candidate, Pastore, was ousted — and they both won election.

Napierski, a lawyer who was raised in Guilderland, has since worked with Barber on several issues. In November, when Barber was out sick with COVID-19, Napierski chaired the town board meeting.

Stephen Feeney, longtime chairman of the planning board, was reappointed to that post. Barber abstained from voting because he is related to Feeney.

Darrell McKnight was appointed as a planning board member to fill out the post left vacant by Santos; that term expires at the end of 2024.

Dominic Rigosu, an architect, was also appointed to the planning board with a term that expires at the end of 2030. Rigosu had chaired the Albany County Planning Board but was forced out in 2021. He currently serves on the committee updating Guilderland’s comprehensive land-use plan.

Elizabeth Lott, a lawyer, was again appointed to the town’s zoning board of appeals, with a term that expires at the end of 2028; she was also reappointed as the board’s chairwoman.

James Zieno was appointed as an alternate to the zoning board.

Caitlin Ferrante, a member of the conservation advisory council, was elevated to chairwoman as the longtime chairman, John Wemple, retired in 2023. Two new members were appointed, each for one year: James Gaughan, formerly Altamont’s mayor, and Anton Konev.

Sergeant Todd Roberts will continue to chair the town’s traffic safety committee and Mark Metro was appointed as a new member.

Shelly Johnston will continue to chair the Guilderland Industrial Development Agency and Peter McAnearney was appointed as a new member.