Adam Boudreau and Owen Littlefield

TUPPER LAKE — Adam Boudreau and Owen Littlefield appear to have won a three-way race for the two open seats on the Tupper Lake Town Board, according to unofficial election night vote totals. Incumbent Councilman John Gillis appears not to have won another term on the board, finishing behind the two newcomers in the unofficial tallies.

As of midnight Wednesday, Boudreau received 847 votes, or about 39.2%. Littlefield finished second overall, with 786 votes, or 36.3%. Gillis was third, with 530 votes, or 24.5%. The percentages were rounded to the nearest tenth of 1% and do not reflect any write-ins, or undervotes — ballots where voters left this race unmarked.

These figures include ballots cast during the early voting period, on Election Day and absentee ballots that have been returned by Nov. 4.

Bourdeau and Littlefield ran on the Republican Party and Conservative Party lines. Gillis ran on the Democratic Party line. It was the only contested local race in Tupper Lake. Boudreau and Littlefield ran as a ticket. Their names shared the same yard signs and each encouraged voters to support the other in the race — as voters could make up to two selections.

Reflecting on the win, Boudreau said he and Littlefield are ready to get to work.

“We’re very excited, very thankful for the community trusting us,” he said. “We’re excited for the challenge and we’re ready to go.”

Boudreau said that he’ll continue diving into the inner workings of town government between now and when he is expected to officially take office on Jan. 1, to make the transition as seamless as possible. He added that his work as president of Kentile Excavating and service on the Adirondack Community Foundation’s board of trustees help inform the perspective he’ll take into public office.

“We get to visit a lot of different towns and villages and we do get to hear a lot of different perspectives,” he said. “Both locals who live here year-round and those second-camp owners who really help prop up our economy. It gives us a good perspective on what people want here and the kind of responsible growth that we’re looking for.”

Littlefield said he was humbled by the results and the number of people who showed up to vote in a local election.

“I’m excited now,” he said. “Excited to see what we can do, learn a lot and move forward.”

Littlefield said he planned on attending town board meetings between now and January as a way to get up to speed on the current issues it faces and what work lies in front of them.

Gillis was unable to be reached on Election Night, though town Supervisor Rickey Dattola and village Mayor Mary Fontana each thanked him for his four years of service.

“I can’t say anything bad about John Gillis,” Dattola said. “I think John was a very, very good board member and he really cares about the community, he really cares about housing here. … He did a good job and he’s doing that along with the (Franklin County) Land Bank.”

“He’s done a wonderful job for the town,” said Fontana, who served on the town board for a time with Gillis before being elected village mayor. “He’s been a great advocate and representative for the townsfolk, and I hope he stays engaged. Any victor — John, Owen or Adam — it would have been a win for the town.”

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Outstanding vote

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The Enterprise has not yet been able to get a count of the number of outstanding absentee ballots in the race, though it would be unlikely to overcome the 256-vote gap between second and third place.

County boards of elections can receive absentee ballots until Nov. 12, provided that they were postmarked by Nov. 4. A recanvassing of the general election results is set for Nov. 17 statewide. This is when boards of elections meet to review the results, tabulate any outstanding absentee votes and decide on affidavit ballots — those cast by people whose voter eligibility is uncertain, then held separately for elections officials to ascertain.

Affidavit ballots, also referred to as provisional ballots, are sealed in a separate envelope apart from the voter’s information, and are only opened to tabulate the ballot selections in the event that — and after — election officials have determined that the voter is indeed eligible. If the voter is deemed ineligible, their ballot remains sealed and is discarded.

Representatives for both major parties are present during the recanvassing process, ensuring its integrity.