To the Editor:

A (not-so) biased letter in favor of Nicholas Fahrenkopf:

Nicholas Fahrenkopf, candidate for the Altamont Village Board, is my husband. He hasn’t the slightest idea that I am writing and sending in this letter.

Selfishly, I would love to tell you not to vote for him in the next election. With two children under 5, our time is precious and his duties as a board member and liaison to the Altamont Fire Department keep him busy.

I tend to engage in an involuntary eye roll every time he reminds me about an upcoming meeting! Nevertheless, as much as I would truly be OK with him losing the election so that we can have him to ourselves, I know he is the right person for the job.

Let me tell you a little bit about Nick: He’s never had any interest in power or popularity. In fact, Nick has never thought of himself as a politics guy and never had any aspirations of running for political office — instead he has been willing to take the helm at times when no one else has been willing to put in the work.

Through his quiet and unassuming style of leadership, he has achieved a lot without ever expecting thanks or recognition. In his current role as trustee, Nick worked diligently to help the fire department secure a grant enabling it to purchase the new truck and equipment so desperately needed in order to protect lives and property in our village.

He did it because it was the right thing to do, and he wanted to ensure the safety of the people who call Altamont home. Supporting the fire department is not a current “hot topic” in this village. It’s not something that will garner him votes in the upcoming election. Simply put, it is something he does because the volunteers who give their time deserve the tools they need to effectively and efficiently respond to crises.

Nick spends way too much of his free time thinking about ways to help people in the village. Seriously! Just a couple of nights ago, Nick created a spreadsheet formula to help people in our village estimate how much their tax bills will change given the town’s new assessments.

When I asked him why he was dedicating so much time to trying to figure it out, he just shrugged and said, “I’m a dork. And I like to help people when I can.” This is what he does after he puts our four-month-old to sleep.

Aside from his role as village trustee, he has always been a stand-up, community-focused guy. Few people realize that when Altamont Elementary School was slated to close in 2014, Nick and I (prior to having children of our own) spent hours each week working with a group of Altamont citizens in an effort to halt the closure.

Nick designed and bought a web domain jam-packed with information. He attended just about every school board meeting and respectfully addressed and presented compelling data to the board of education. In the end, I do truly believe that our group had a large impact in persuading the school district to spare Altamont Elementary School. Through our words and actions, we showed the district the true value and strength of our little community.

Nick makes the world a better place. Nobody in the village would know that he has volunteered with the Ronald McDonald House in one way or another for years, regularly maintaining and updating its website.

No one would know that Nick bent over backwards to give middle-schoolers from Albany an exclusive tour of the facility where he works. Or that in college, he led the University at Albany’s largest community-service organization — an organization that collectively completed thousands of hours of community service each year.

Here’s something else you should know about Nick: He does not take decision-making lightly. As a trustee, he spends hours poring over his notes from meetings (of course, to my dismay), considering all commentary.

Nick reads legal precedents, analyzes proposals, and has attended conferences for village and town trustees from across New York State. He loves Altamont with all his heart, but he is definitely a rational, analytical decision-maker. He thinks about the village and its entire people holistically, and he tries to determine which decisions would make Altamont a better place to live in the present and in the future.

Nick admits when he is wrong. Trust me — being married to me, he has no choice! He takes no pride in being “right.” If he finds out he made a mistake, he lets people know, and he will do everything in his power to try to make it right. I think that is a highly valuable and a rare quality to have in an elected official.

Nick’s moral compass is unwavering — sometimes to a fault! He’s the type of guy who does not bend the rules. Of course, most of us have probably engaged in some mischief in our youth. Not Nick. He always makes an effort to do what is most ethical and just.

You probably won’t see my husband come knocking ’round on doors to talk about the election, because he’s always seen it as intrusive and he hates to impose. He’s not a smooth talker. He’s not your typical “politician.” Moreover, Nick isn’t interested in winning the election. He’s interested in serving the community.

If you want to do me a favor, don’t vote for Nick on Election Day. I would rather have an extra pair of hands at home! I mean this in all honesty. I am biased because I love him, but also biased against him because I would rather have him here!

However, if you want a leader who is humble, hard-working, analytical, honest, creative, and compassionate as your trustee, I promise you that these characteristics fit Nick to a tee. Nick is willing to work to keep his position because he feels that he still has a lot to give to this community.

Katie Fahrenkopf

Altamont