The departing town supervisor, Kevin Crosier, said a ruling by the state “vindicated” the town, while former employee Scott Green maintains he was discriminated against and was wrongfully fired.

An absentee ballot count for the town of Berne left the GOP candidates holding on to the supervisor and the town council seats. But the Democratic candidate Joel Willsey is only one vote behind Republican candidate Frank Brady. Two votes that were brought in excess of the eight-ballot minimum by Democratic Party Chairman Gerald O’Malley have not been counted, and the GOP intends to file a lawsuit to keep it that way.

Though the town’s preliminary budget includes a tax cut for residents, increased costs are looming in Berne’s future that may mean consolidating departments to save, says the supervisor.

A dispute between former Berne employee Scott Green and Supervisor Kevin Crosier was noted a year later in an election letter to The Enterprise, raising the question of whether Green’s long-time partner, Timothy Lippert, could have received benefits as a dependent despite being unmarried.

A Doppler radar tower that is based in East Berne and supplies information for most of the Capital Region was out of service for over two weeks, leaving meteorologists to look to other means of predicting the weather.

A county-wide shared services plan includes an option to further study whether the to consolidate Berne’s highway department with the Albany County Department of Public Works. Many steps would follow approval of the very first one.

BERNE — The Berne Republican Committee is hosting a Music in the Park event on Wednesday, Aug. 23, from 5 to 9 p.m. as a benefit for the party.

The event, at the Berne town park, is billed as “Two Great Bands — One Great Evening: Friends, Neighbors and Fun.” The two bands are The Henchmen and Thick As thieves.

Both Republicans and Democrats nominated a full slate of candidates, including for town supervisor, highway superintendent, and two seats on the town board.