The questions were largely submitted by Wilmington residents and chosen by newspaper staff: Flynn and Adirondack Daily Enterprise Managing Editor Elizabeth Izzo, who was the videographer and time keeper for the event. Candidates did not get to see the questions ahead of time.

The forum, which was co-sponsored by the Enterprise and the Lake Placid News, was also livestreamed on Facebook. People can watch the archived forum recording on the Lake Placid News Facebook page under the “Live” tab. The LPN and ADE will also publish questionnaires answered by the candidates next week.

A different forum was originally planned for September, but Follos — along with two town board candidates, Laura Dreissigacker Hooker and Forest “Randy” Winch — dropped out of that event. All candidates were present at this forum.

Current town supervisor Roy Holzer announced on Jan. 6 that he would not run for reelection, saying that he did not intend to have the position “become a second career.” His successor will serve a two-year term.

Early voting will be held from Saturday, Oct. 28 to Sunday, Nov. 5 at the Mirror Lake Beach House, 31 Parkside Dr., Lake Placid, and the Essex County Public Safety Building, 702 Stowersville Road, Lewis. Early voting times are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 28 and 29; noon to 8 p.m. on Oct. 30; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 31; noon to 8 p.m. on Nov. 1; and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Nov. 2 to 5.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 7, and polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Wilmington Community Center, off Springfield Road.

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Candidate visions

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Flynn asked the candidates to describe their visions for Wilmington in the next five to 10 years and how their visions would serve the year-round residents of the town, not just the tourism industry.

Smith said that he would first like to begin a townwide discussion about other residents’ visions for Wilmington. He said his goal as supervisor would be to “get back into a cooperative effort among the community.” Beyond tourism, Smith said that there are not many other businesses or industries in town. If the town wishes to move away from a tourist economy, he said that the local government should first work on a master plan to explore other economic avenues.

Follos said that his vision for Wilmington was a “prosperous town growing patiently.” He proposed a return to a tighter zoning code to accommodate Wilmington’s growth, saying that the town needs to be able to reject applications that would harm local businesses and the quality of life of residents — especially as the town population increases due to residents of neighboring towns being priced out and moving to Wilmington.

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Housing crisis

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Douglas asked the candidates to share their plans to address the affordable housing crisis.

Follos said that the housing supply must increase while the “explosion of vacation rentals” must be controlled. He said that STRs should be capped at the existing 125 units — which, according to Follos, accounts for roughly 20% of the total housing units in Wilmington. He also expressed support for the affordable housing projects already underway in Wilmington, such as the Homestead Housing project, which is expected to bring at least six new houses to Route 86.

“No one can honestly say that, in Wilmington and all of its neighboring towns, when you take away –whether it’s 10% or 20% — of the houses that that does not significantly contribute to the housing shortage,” he said.

Smith said that Wilmington is already taking positive steps toward addressing the crisis. Given the infrastructure limitations of the town, he said that Wilmington’s approach to creating more affordable housing may be different than other municipalities’. He also said that an influx of homeowners from outside the region — especially during the coronavirus pandemic — is “not a question that can be addressed specifically by a town board.”

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Zoning changes

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Flynn asked the candidates to explain how necessary zoning changes are to achieving their visions for Wilmington. He also asked them to describe any specific zoning changes they consider to be most important.

Smith said that the zoning code needs to be “regularly reviewed and revised” depending on the community’s needs. In his vision, the community would be involved in this process, with their input being taken into consideration regarding zoning changes. Subdivision zoning is an aspect of the zoning code that he would review. He said that he recommended to the town’s STR committee that the zoning code should be amended to require subdivision developers to include deed restrictions prohibiting STRs.

Follos agreed that STRs should be regulated via the zoning code, commending the work of the STR committee. He said that, if elected, he would “enthusiastically” support enacting their policy recommendations. He also brought up Dollar General’s application to open a store in Wilmington, which was ultimately withdrawn. He said that the typical architecture and appearance of a Dollar General “is the exact opposite of the direction that Wilmington should be trying to go in.”

He proposed giving the Wilmington Planning Board more power to affect the appearance of proposed structures in town, similar to the powers granted to the Lake Placid-North Elba Planning Review Board.

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Balancing responsibilities

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Douglas asked the candidates how they plan to balance their town and county responsibilities, if elected. He also asked them to describe any goals or priorities they have for the Essex County government.

Follos said, in his first term, “there will be no balance.” His focus would be entirely on Wilmington. He explained that the votes on the Essex County Board of Supervisors are weighted. The latest weighted vote count, based on the 2020 census, gave Wilmington roughly 3.2% of the total vote, while North Elba, for example, got roughly 16.1%. He said that he has “plenty of thoughts and goals” at the county level, but that the only realistic way for him to express and achieve them is to foster connections with other town supervisors and focus on his work at the town level.

Smith agreed that it will be necessary to “overcome” the 3% weighted vote by connecting with other town supervisors. He also pointed out that Wilmington town supervisors, in the past, have managed to become the chair of the board of supervisors. He said that it’s important that Wilmington has a supervisor that communicates at the county level.

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Budget

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Flynn asked candidates to describe how they will approach the town budgeting process while preserving the same services for residents and remaining under the state’s tax cap.

Smith said that staying under the state’s tax cap is a “tall order” for Wilmington, as town costs often equal or exceed the amount of money collected in taxes. He said that he is “not in a hurry to raise taxes” and would look for places to make cuts. He also said that limiting the amount of STRs could be risky when it comes to the budget, as money collected through the occupancy tax may fluctuate and prove to be an unreliable source of income for the town. Smith said that he supported the town board’s recent vote to exceed the tax cap in order to ensure the salaries of town employees.

Follos said that town spending will likely increase next year, requiring the town to go above the tax cap. He suggested that STR fees could help “make significant progress” toward this spending, putting less of a burden on taxpayers. He also said that the town has “vastly overspent” on attorney’s fees in the past year. He also proposed using occupancy tax money for things usually covered by property taxes — such as a subsidy for the visitor’s bureau and parks department wages for events — and said that he has already put this plan into action through his work on the town board.

Both candidates rebutted each other’s answers. Follos called Smith’s claim that the STR cap will lessen bed tax revenue a “deeply flawed argument.” He said that capping the amount of STRs will benefit the current STR owners by limiting competition and also benefit the residents of Wilmington by not further limiting the housing stock.

Smith said that it was a mistake to “conflate” capping STR numbers with a trend of decreasing hotel and STR reservations. He restated that bed tax income from STRs is not a predictable source of income for the town.

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Candidate experience

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Douglas asked candidates to detail the personal qualities and strengths that would make them fit for the job.

Follos said that he has “contacts throughout the region” and in the state government. He also said that he is determined, educated and “personable enough” to be able to form relationships that will benefit the town.

Smith said that he knows “an awful lot of people” throughout the county and state. He also cited his work as an attorney, saying he has “spent 26 years being an advocate.” He said that he is comfortable with public speaking and is a good listener.

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Healing division

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Flynn asked the candidates how they plan to bring the community together following the divisive election.

Smith said that the town board should be a “cooperative extension” of the community.

“It isn’t about my particular viewpoint, or I happen to be sitting on this side,” he said. “It’s about, it’s a small community. The board itself is the legislative body.”

He pointed to the federal government in Washington, D.C. as a “bad example” for the town of Wilmington’s government.

Follos said that the tension in town is “a little overstated” and pointed to STRs as the cause.

“The plain truth is that 75% of the tension, probably somewhere around there, is related to the hot-button topic of vacation rentals,” he said. “Whenever that issue comes up at town board meetings, it gets very tense.”

Follos was then interrupted by an audience member. It is unclear what the audience member said. He concluded his answer by saying that the town needs to adopt “updated and vastly improved” STR regulations. He also said that the town board has “refused” to do so and said that current town supervisor Roy Holzer is “stubborn” on the matter.

Holzer did not respond to a request for a comment by deadline.