Editing Bethlehem, New York (section)

== Politics ==
{{More citations needed section|date=September 2023}}
[[Image:BethlehemTownHall.jpg|thumb|right|Bethlehem Town Hall]]
Town government had been dominated for over 120 years by the Republican Party.  That changed in 2003 with the election of [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] Theresa Egan as town supervisor. On the town board, Democrat Dan Plummer, along with Independence Party member Tim Gordon, created a new working Democratic majority for the first time in recollection.  The Democrats further solidified their majority in 2005. On April 11, 2007, Supervisor Egan resigned her position in favor of a high-level appointment to the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, and Jack Cunningham was appointed supervisor by the board. Cunningham was elected to the position in the fall of 2007, then ran for reelection in November 2009, when he was defeated by council member Sam Messina.  Messina, a member of the Independence Party (and former member of the Democratic Party), ran on the Republican line.

When the Republican Party chose to endorse Democratic town board member Kyle Kotary for town supervisor in May 2011, then-Supervisor Messina announced he would not seek reelection. John Clarkson defeated Kotary in the Democratic primary for the supervisor position in September 2011, and Clarkson subsequently defeated Kotary, running on the Republican line, in the general election in November 2011.  Clarkson was sworn in as Bethlehem's supervisor on January 2, 2012. He served 3 terms and was succeeded by Democrat David VanLuven, who was first elected in November 2017. He ran unopposed for reelection in 2019.

Following the 2019 elections, Democrats were reelected to the town supervisor position, the town clerk position, the receiver of taxes position, both town justices and three of four seats on the town board. Additionally, a Democrat, Marc Dorsey, was elected superintendent of highways.<ref>{{cite web |title=Election Results General Election: November 5, 2019 |url=https://apps.albanycounty.com/boe/electionresults/default.asp?type=2019g |website=AlbanyCounty.com |publisher=Albany County BOARD of ELECTIONS |access-date=September 17, 2023}}</ref>

In the 2021 election, Democrats won all town offices: supervisor, clerk, town justice, superintendent of highways, and two town board seats. Following this election, Democrats control every local elected position in the town.<ref>{{cite web |title=Election Results General Election: November 2021 |url=https://apps.albanycounty.com/boe/electionresults/default.asp?type=2021g |website=AlbanyCounty.com |publisher=Albany County Board of Elections |access-date=September 17, 2023}}</ref>