By DIANE VALDEN
COPAKE—Federal and state political races have seized voter attention this election year—big time. And while there are no local contests on the ballot in 2024, there is one seat that needs to be filled on the Town Board and one man running to fill it.
Will Morningstar, 35, a registered Democrat, has been serving on the Copake Town Board since January, when he was appointed by the Town Board to fill the vacancy left when Richard Wolf, a former councilman, won his bid for town supervisor last November. Mr. Wolf had two years remaining in his Town Board term at that time (2022-2025.)
Now, to keep his seat, Mr. Morningstar is running for the one year remaining in what would have been Mr. Wolf’s second four-year term on the board. Next year if Mr. Morningstar wants to continue to serve on the board, he will run for his own first four-year term.
This year is his first-time running for an elected political office. He is running unopposed on the Democratic line with the endorsement of the Copake Democratic Committee.
Born in Wellesley, MA, he earned his bachelor’s degree from Plymouth State University in New Hampshire. He also has a certificate in wilderness education through the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS).
Mr. Morningstar is the production manager at MX Morningstar Farm in Claverack.
He currently serves on the board of the Boston Area Gleaners, a nonprofit organization focused on food insecurity and farm surplus. He is currently the Town Board liaison to the Copake Economic Development Advisory Committee (CEDAC) and is chair of the town’s Farmland Protection Committee.
Mr. Morningstar lives on Melvin Road in Copake with his wife Steph Moran and “an adorable duo of pets, Levon, a house cat, and Darla, our dog.” He said in his candidate statement: “I am very excited to continue working for Copake and I look forward to serving the town in any capacity and learning more about the needs of its citizens.”
Election Day in-person voting for Copake residents takes place at the Copake Town Hall, 230 Mountain View Road, Tuesday, November 5, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
To contact Diane Valden email dvalden@columbiapaper.com
