Aliya Schneider is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media registered Democrats in the town of Hillsdale will choose two out of three candidates on June 22 to represent the party in the November general election. Incumbent town board members Thomas Carty and Gillian Sims-Elster, along with newcomer Joanna Virello are looking to fill the two seats, each carrying a four-year term. Carty, 76, is completing his first four-year term on the board. He serves as co-chair of the town’s economic development committee and argues that economic development is the top issue facing Hillsdale. Carty helped raise more than $80,000 in grants for new LED street lights and installing solar panels on the highway garage. Sims-Elster is a long-time Hillsdale resident and a graduate of Taconic Hills High School. She is employed as a bank manager and has been on the town board for 11 years. Affordable housing for new members of the workforce is the town's top issue for Sims-Elster. She is a founding member of Roe Jan Park, helped oversee the growth of the youth program, relaunched the economic committee as co-chair and was an active participant in the town’s budget management, she said. Virello, 55, is a public relations and marketing professional. She has served on the Hillsdale Economic Committee for three years and wants to bring “new energy” to Hillsdale’s local government. According to Virello, the town's business and economic development are hurting because of the lack of workforce housing available. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.