Victory Goes To Bob O’Brien

HARTWICK – Bob O’Brien, the father of triplets, is used to surprises.

Still, when Hartwick’s surprise-rich election year ended Tuesday, Nov. 10, you can understand why the Hartwick town supervisor-elect declared, “Thank God it’s over.”

O’Brien learned that day that, 233 to 229, he had defeated two-term incumbent (and longtime Town Board member) David Butler after months of campaigning, legal challenges and political infighting to claim the top office in Otsego County’s fastest-growing town. A third candidate, Hartwick Town Board member Juli Sharratt, tallied 151.

O’Brien’s whole enterprise was a handful of votes away from disaster at every step.

It began over the summer, when O’Brien, the Hartwick hamlet fire chief for the past five years, won the endorsement from the Republican Town Committee over incumbent Butler.

That led to a Republican primary on Sept. 10, where he inched past Butler, 50 votes to 49, too close to call.

The outcome was in doubt for a week, and when the absentee ballots were counted Sept. 17, O’Brien and Butler were tied, 53-53. O’Brien had cross-filed as a Democrat, and also found himself tied with Sharratt, 34-34.

The Republican contest then bounced back to the GOP Town Committee for a decision, and it again picked O’Brien over Butler. But the state Conservative Party’s executive committee, meeting

Sept. 29 in New York City, gave its endorsement to Butler, who also filed on the independent Hartwick Pride line.

Meanwhile, the GOP County Committee successfully sued to knock Sharratt off the Democrat ballot line, arguing one of her petitions lacked a proper address.

However, Sharratt had also filed as an independent. So going into the Tuesday, Nov. 3, general elections, all three candidates’ names appeared on the Hartwick ballot.

So after all the voting and challenges, O’Brien, Butler and Sharratt were still on the ballot on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, but the uncertainty continued.

When those ballots were counted, O’Brien led Butler, 222-216, but – again – sufficient absentee ballots were uncounted to move the election one way or the other. (Sharratt tallied only 139).

So O’Brien’s relief on Nov. 10 was understandable. “It was an experience,” he said. “It was not a process that I enjoyed at all. But it’s over and we’re going to move ahead.”

A graduate of New Hartford Central School and a Navy veteran, he served on the town’s emergency squad as well as fire chief, where he helped develop Hartwick Field Days.

He and wife Beth have two daughters, Abigail, 6, and Hannah, 3. In September 2014, the family was joined by triplet sons, Noah, Hunter and Lucas.