Kindel changes political colors
by DAVID F. SHERMAN Managing Editor

Amherst Town Board Member William Kindel has filed to change his political affiliation from the Republican Party to the Conservative Party.

The change will take effect Jan. 1, 2008, after his current bid for re-election to the board on the Conservative and Working Families lines.

Kindel did not seek and was not awarded the Republican endorsement in the race. He lost his bid to land a GOP line in the Sept. 18 primary.

"This is historic," Kindel said. "At least it's historic to me. Forty-one years as a committeeman is a long time."

He said he has received the Conservative Party endorsement in every race in his political career.

Kindel has championed numerous causes during his four decades in the public spotlight, most recently the fate of owners of sinking homes and the preservation of open space.

Yet he has sparred often with Town Supervisor Satish Mohan, a Republican, fueling speculation of dissent within the party that once dominated Amherst government.