Albany County voters approve replacing coroners with medical examiner

Albany County voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved replacing the county’s four elected, part-time coroners with a single appointed medical examiner, with more than 60% support according to unofficial results from the Albany County Board of Elections, WAMC reported.

The change dismantles what proponents called an antiquated system and installs a full-time office led by a licensed physician with expertise in forensic pathology. County Executive Dan McCoy, a backer of the initiative, pointed to concrete failures in the old system during the COVID-19 pandemic and the opioid crisis as the driving force behind the vote.

“They weren’t tracking it. There’s just statistics that they should have, [they’re] not getting back to people,” McCoy said in an interview last month. “And there’s professionals — I’m not taking away from the coroners; they did a good job. But it’s the administrative side of the house, right? And it’s the 21st century. We got to change the approach.”

The Office Takes Shape

Under the new structure, the Medical Examiner’s Office will absorb the coroners’ responsibility for investigating unattended, questionable, and accidental deaths. The chief medical examiner will serve a six-year term, appointed by the county executive and confirmed by the Albany County Legislature. That chief will have the authority to hire a full-time chief deputy medical examiner and additional staff, including death investigators.

County officials told legislators at a budget hearing last month that Albany County is in talks to share medical examiner resources with a neighboring county to cut costs. That agreement could be approved as soon as next month.

Albany County officials push to replace coroner's office with medical examiner

The Price of Modernization

Cost remains the sharpest point of contention. The County Executive’s Office originally estimated the switch would cost an additional $935,000 per year, though officials noted the increase could drop to roughly $600,000 if the resource-sharing agreement with the neighboring county goes through.

Some legislators worry even those numbers are low.

Legislator Mark Grimm said in an email in September that he was concerned the cost of the new office would be more than the administration thinks. He stated the office does try to modernize things and that it was a close call for him on the vote.

A Second Vote on Accountability

Voters also approved a separate ballot proposal Tuesday by roughly 79%, creating a formal process to expel Albany County legislators from office. The measure requires a two-thirds vote of the 39-member County Legislature — 26 members — to remove a legislator for failing to live in their district, knowingly filing a materially false financial statement, or being convicted of a felony while in office. The legislature could then appoint a replacement until the next general election.

The proposal grew out of an investigation into whether County Legislator Beroro Efekoro, a Democrat who voted against putting the measure on the ballot, actually resides in his district. As originally reported by the Albany Times-Union in 2025, Democrats began investigating whether Efekoro lives in a different home he owns in another part of Albany after a tip that he listed that second property as his primary residence on a mortgage form. A county investigator reportedly followed Efekoro for two weeks.

“All of the controversy came out about him, then we looked, and we said, ‘You know what? There’s more than just him involved,'” said County Legislature Deputy Chairwoman Wanda Willingham, a Democrat who backed the initiative. “So it wasn’t fair to make people think that he was the one that was being targeted when it was really about addressing the issue. We looked at it and realized we have nothing in place.”

What Hasn’t Been Answered

WAMC reached out to the Coroner’s Office for comment on the transition. A coroner declined to comment but said he would reach out to other coroners. No one ever responded.

Whether the neighboring county sharing deal materializes next month, and whether the final cost lands closer to $600,000 or $935,000, remains the open question.