Also, Supervisor Derek Doty (Democratic and Common Sense), Town Clerk/Tax Collector Laurie Dudley (Republican) and Highway Superintendent Kenneth Porter (Republican) are running unopposed for reelection.

The Lake Placid News sent questionnaires to candidates running in the contested race. Below is the response from Fred Balzac.

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Fred Balzac

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Age: 64

Occupation: Arts grant coordinator

Position sought: Town councilor

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Q: Why are you running for this position?

A: To represent and give voice to year-round homeowners and tenants in our town, rather than cater to the demands of special interests (which I define as any entities that seek consideration from government that’s NOT in the public interest). My No. 1 goal if elected is to prioritize the needs of ALL our neighbors — putting people before profits.

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Q: What are your qualifications?

A: My No. 1 qualification is that I have a proven record of fighting FOR people against the special interests.

As a full-time resident of Jay (1993-2018), I led a successful 15-year struggle to preserve the historic Jay Covered Bridge and protect the Jay rapids, swimming hole and upstream scenic-recreational river corridor from the proposed construction of a concrete-and-steel bridge. This victory required standing up to such special interests as the state Department of Transportation and Essex County Board of Supervisors — and to win it, my neighbors and I never backed down.

Since my wife and I purchased our home on the North Elba side of Saranac Lake in 2018, I’ve continued standing up for — and, in some cases, helping organize — ordinary people against special interests, including: Concerned Citizens to Protect Lake Placid, who fought the proposed placement of a 36,000-gallon propane storage tank on a lot adjacent to the Balsams neighborhood and the United Hebrew Community of Lake Placid Cemetery; residents of Duprey Street in Saranac Lake, whose neighborhood’s single-family-home residential character was threatened by townhouse/short-term rental construction projects being built by then-village Mayor Clyde Rabideau; and Residents for a Sustainable Community in Lake Placid, who banded together to advocate for strict regulation of hundreds of STRs.

For additional qualifications, I urge North Elba voters to visit my website, YourStruggleIsOurFight.com.

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Q: What are your main goals?

A: 1. Putting the needs of year-round residents — working people, families with school-age children, seniors, renters, property owners, the economically disadvantaged and small-business owners — FIRST;

2. Ensuring honest, open and transparent local government;

3. Maximizing municipal services while keeping taxes down and ensuring fair and equitable assessments;

4. Pushing for ecologically sustaining development and getting North Elba to “Go Green”;

5. Working to see that more and better affordable housing is built for middle- and low-income residents;

6. Treating ALL residents of North Elba fairly regardless of whether they live in Lake Placid, Ray Brook or Saranac Lake; and

7. Diversifying our local economy away from an over-reliance on tourism and ill-advised, oversized events (e.g., the World University Games) toward such things as green jobs, local food production and the arts as sustainable economic drivers.

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Q: What do you think are the three biggest problems in the town, and how do you propose solving them?

A: Problems:

1. A declining quality of life due to the prioritization of demands of special interests (e.g., those pushing for STRs, big sporting events, $29 million for the APA’s proposed move to Saranac Lake) over the needs of year-round residents;

2. Inability by local government to deal with the effects of climate change and the coming climate catastrophe; and

3. Tendency by local government to focus solely on “nuts and bolts” while losing sight of the BIG picture — e.g., what is the point of having all these big tourist events when we don’t have enough workers for them or affordable housing for the workers to live in?

Solutions:

1. Actively “lobby” year-round residents to attend and speak out at our town board meetings; expand the scope of committees comprised only of town board members to include residents; implement standing citizen advisory boards like we have in the village of Saranac Lake; require the town board to vote on “year-round-resident-quality-of-life impact-statement determinations” on every significant proposal that comes before the board; and diversify our local economy (see 7 above);

2. Solar panels/renewable energy for town hall and all other town facilities; require solar/renewable energy for all new commercial and high-end home construction; local adoption of the Green New Deal; actively lobby state and federal government to help North Elba residents/businesses go green and create green jobs; preserve/expand open space; support local farmers; and require the town board to make environmental impact statement determinations before every significant vote it takes;

3. Diversify our local economy, including a buy-local campaign and community development fund in which residents can invest in North Elba and obtain microloans for residential/commercial projects; on housing, do a comprehensive townwide inventory, ensure current codes are strictly enforced, protect the rights of tenants while being fair to landlords, raise the percentage of units developers must set aside for affordable housing from 10% while lowering the affordability formula to benefit middle- and low-income residents and lobby state and federal government to fund public housing like they have in Europe, where people of all income levels live together.

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Q: Other comments to voters?

A: Given the Great Recession of 2008, election of would-be dictator Donald Trump, rise of authoritarianism worldwide and threats to American democracy at home, COVID-19 pandemic, current price of food and gas and coming climate catastrophe, the life we live today likely won’t resemble the one our children and their peers will live in the future. We must think globally and act locally — especially in local government. Having a community development director and creating a new economic development director position are good first steps, but they are not solutions. They are like having a plan to make a plan. We need action; new, big-picture ideas; and creative, outside-the-box thinking. I believe I can bring all that if elected to the town board this year.

As someone who has been actively monitoring and involved in local government since moving to Essex County full-time 30 years ago, I am a truly independent Democrat and a small “d” — a democracy-loving one. Because I have no ties to such powerful entities as ROOST or ORDA, no longer work in tourism, nor benefit from area real estate sales, I will have one boss if elected: the people of North Elba. I’ll have your back and hope you’ll have mine. Thank you!