Incumbent Ancram Supervisor Colleen Lutz won a new term on Nov. 3 and Democrat Joe Brown won a vacant Town Board seat, according to unofficial results from the Columbia County Board of Elections.
Lutz, who is not affiliated with either the Democrat or Republican party, defeated her predecessor, Republican James MacArther, by 80 votes. Unofficial Columbia County Board of Elections results show 461 votes for Lutz and 381 for MacArthur. In the Town Board race, Brown received 445 votes, against Republican Rick Dubray, who received 390 votes.
Lutz’s 2-year term will begin Jan. 1. She was elected only a year ago but her first first term was cut short after a New York Court of Appeals ruling moved certain local elections to even-numbered years. MacArthur served as supervisor for one two-year term from January 2024 through December 2025. He ran against Lutz in last year’s race and lost by 39 votes.
Brown will fill the Town Board seat that Lutz vacated last year when she was elected supervisor. His term runs through December 2027. The board interviewed six candidates for the position in February but ultimately chose not to appoint anyone, waiting instead for the Nov. 3 election.
“[I’m] very excited to get to work, and grateful for all the people who worked so hard on the campaign,” Brown told the Herald.
Lutz has lived in Ancram for 28 years and has served on several town committees including the Climate Smart Task Force and the Planning Board. She is also a board member for the Roe-Jan Watershed Alliance and works as a full-time biologist for the New York Natural Heritage Program.
Brown moved to Ancram full-time in 2019. He is a member of the Board of Assessment Review and the Climate Smart Task Force, and has helped organize town events such as the community potluck and yard sale. He grew up in New York City and worked as a journalist for 24 years before joining as head of editorial at eBay.
It was Dubray’s second loss for a seat at the Town Board. In 2025, he ran for the same position and lost by 18 votes to Jennifer Boice, a Republican, and Amy Gold, a Democrat, both of whom currently serve on the board.
Incumbent town justices Catherine Redlich and Suzan Flamm, both registered Democrats, ran unopposed and were re-elected with 541 and 502 votes respectively, according to unofficial results from the Columbia County Board of Elections
Voters also approved increasing the town’s annual contribution to the Roeliff Jansen Community Library from $29,977 to $48,850. The measure was passed by 72 votes (446-374,) unofficial results show.
At an October Meet the Candidates forum moderated by the Herald, Lutz, who served as secretary to the library board before becoming supervisor, said she supported the proposal “wholeheartedly.” MacArthur said he planned to vote “no” as it would raise taxes.
The new amount means an annual library tax of approximately $7.91 per $100,000 of property value or about $31.64 a year for a home assessed at $400,000. The library also serves Copake and Hillsdale, and both towns approved increased contributions in 2025 to address inflation and growing demand for electronic resources.
This is a developing story.
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