Jordanna Mallach (Photo provided)

SARANAC LAKE — Jordanna Mallach of Saranac Lake won the Democratic primary for Franklin County Sheriff’s office Thursday over Bruce Barney of Malone.

“Just a huge thank-you,” Mallach said in reaction to the result. “It is a Thursday, which is a strange day to vote. I’m grateful and really appreciative to everyone that came out to vote for me.”

Mallach led by 218 votes at the polls, with 1007 and 789 votes cast for Mallach and Barney respectively, according to unofficial numbers from the Franklin Board of Elections website. While Barney won in Malone, where he lives and works as a jail booking officer for the sheriff’s department, Mallach was victorious in other populated centers of Franklin County, including the towns of Harrietstown and Tupper Lake.

More than 100 absentee ballots were cast in the run-up to the Sept. 13 primary that are set to be recorded Sept. 22, but these are not enough to change the outcome of the race.

Mallach attributed her victory in part to her higher name recognition in the south of Franklin County. She is a first-term member of the Harrietstown Town Council.

“The people in Harrietstown know me. They’ve seen what I’ve accomplished on the town council,” Mallach said.

She said her plan is take a couple of days to spend with her family after the recent rush of campaigning, before getting ready to challenge the incumbent Sheriff Kevin Mulverhill, a Republican, in the Nov. 6 general election. Mulverhill has served as Franklin County’s sheriff since 2011.

“My strategy doesn’t change,” Mallach said. “I’m going to get out and meet the voters.”

Barney was not immediately available for comment.