Melanie Lekocevic is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media five candidates are vying for three open seats on the Taconic Hills Board of Education in the May 21 election. Craig Bender lives in Ghent and has resided in Columbia County for 20 years. His daughter attended Taconic Hills middle school for two years in the early 2000s. He is employed by IBM. Communications specialist Lynn Brandt is a graduate of the district and is the mother of four children. She has lived in the county for her entire life and currently lives in Claverack. Incumbent Joseph Costa has served on the board for nine years. He is employed by the family-owned auto business and has served as a volunteer firefighter for 20 years. Costa is a resident of Claverack and attended Taconic Hills High School. Incumbent Nadine Gazzola is a resident of Claverack and has lived in the district for 14 years. Her two children currently attend Taconic Hills. Gazzola and her husband run a family business in Ghent. She is also a member of the Questar III BOCES board and the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York for one year. Freelance writer and editor Linda Lee moved to the Taconic Hills school district part-time in 1992, and moved to the area full-time a little more than a year ago. She lives in Hollowville and has one son. Lee said her son inspired her educational philosophy, which she calls "All Kinds of Minds." Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.