Lorraine Pecylak, Councilwoman, Westerlo

Richard and Betty Filkins, Westerlo

Lisa DeGroff, Westerlo

Albany County Legislator Chris Smith, a Conservative who represents Berne, Westerlo, Rensselaerville, and part of New Scotland in the 39th District, is defending his seat against Democrat Hébert Joseph, who’s running on the Working Families and Hilltowns First lines.

Joel Willsey, East Berne

After Rensselaerville’s Palmer House Café closed, despite an effort to save it, a local couple are hoping to bring back, in yet another form; the business that has been an anchor in the community for over a century.

Expenses outpaced revenues in each of the four Hilltowns, resulting in proposed budgets that show modest tax increases. Knox, Westerlo, and Rensselaerville are each expected to stay below the 2-percent tax cap set by the state, while Berne, which had an anomalously low tax rate to begin with, is seeking to go beyond it. 

Supervisor Russ Pokorny, a Democrat, is facing a challenge from the Republican-backed Jamie Berenger. Meanwhile, Republican-backed board members June Springer and Dennis Cyr are uncontested in their runs for re-election. 

Incumbent Rensselaerville justice Gregory E. Bischoff, a Democrat backed by his own party, is defending his seat from Richard Tollner, who is endorsed by the Republican and Conservative parties.

Incumbent Albert Thiem was first appointed to the Berne Town Board in 2022 to fill a vacancy, while Joseph Martin is making his first run during a stint as planning board chairman. Both are uncontested, as is justice candidate Jeffrey Harvey.