Emilia Teasdale reports in The Columbia Paper that Philip Bickerton and Matthew Nelson are running for the Kinderhook town board seat left open by the Town Board after the death of board member Deborah Simonsmeier earlier this year. Bickerton is currently a trustee on the Valatie Village Board, running on the Republican, Conservative, and Independence Party lines. He is a self-employed carpenter and volunteers with the Valatie Fire Department, the Valatie Santa Claus Club, Valatie Community Watch, and the Valatie Community Theatre. “More communication between local governments, their boards and civic organizations through workshops and informal meetings is necessary," Bickerton said. "This would be simple and useful without reinventing the wheel. Shared knowledge, shared goals, and shared services can make us more efficient and help keep taxes low." Nelson is a member of the Ichabod Crane Board of Education, running on the Democratic line. He is the vice president of the Small Balance Loan Program at the Community Preservation Corporation, and serves on the town Board of Assessment Review. Nelson is also on the steering committee for Connect Columbia, a community group trying to bring affordable broadband access to all parts of the county, and is the founder/organizer of KNV-CAN–the Kinderhook Niverville Valatie Community Action Network. “I will put my experience in government and the private sector to work to help the town grow and prosper, while maintaining its unique character and charm," Nelson said. "I am driven by ideas and issues, not politics. I am a pragmatic and practical individual who will look at all sides of an issue and work with others to produce the best results possible. I humbly ask for your support on November 8.” Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.