SARANAC LAKE - The stage has been set for a four-way race for two village trustee seats in the March 20 election.
At their caucus Tuesday night, village Republicans endorsed incumbent Jeff Branch and newcomer Mark Gillis, who beat out veteran Trustee John McEneany for the party's nomination.
Branch and Gillis will square off against Barbara Rice and Paul Van Cott, who were endorsed unanimously Monday at the village Democratic Party caucus.
Gillis' surprising showing was the story of the GOP caucus. A former Manhattan investment banker who's originally from Massachusetts, he and his family moved to the village just six months ago. Gillis is the managing principal of Hudson Valley Capital Management, an investment banking and securities brokerage firm now located on Academy Street.
In his remarks to caucus attendees, Gillis admitted he doesn't know many of the issues but said he believes his business background would be an asset to the village.
"I believe in promoting an environment that's as pro-business as possible, and less regulation as possible," he said. "I don't know much about Saranac Lake, but what I can tell you is, any business decision brought in front of me, I know I can apply my business skills and my common sense to make the right decision going forward."
Gillis said his company puts together business plans and helps fund small companies, many of which are in the high-tech and biotech industry.
Gillis said he and his wife decided to leave Westchester County, where they lived when he was working in Manhattan, after he purchased a Midwest-based brokerage firm in 2009 and his income was no longer tied to the city. The family discovered Saranac Lake after vacationing in Lake Luzerne two years ago.
"I was trying to replicate and duplicate the small town I grew up in in Massachusetts, and I think I found that in Saranac Lake," he said.
Branch and McEneany also made their pitches to the caucus. Branch said he believes he's been an effective trustee and talked about some of what he said were the board's biggest accomplishments, including the village's move this month into the Harrietstown Town Hall, where the caucus was held.
Branch also repeated his stance on one of the biggest issues the board has dealt with in the past year, an annexation agreement between the village and the American Management Association. The board approved the deal, but Branch opposed it. He said he didn't support spending "hundreds of thousands of dollars of taxpayer money" with no guarantees that the AMA property will be annexed into the village.
"My record is pretty clear," Branch said. "People know me. I speak my mind."
In the weeks leading up to the caucus, McEneany had been undecided about whether he'd seek another term. He said he sent a letter of intent at the last minute after spending a lot of time thinking about whether to run again.
Although he's been a trustee for 10 years, McEneany only spoke about his last four years on the board. He said the first two years of his latest term, when he often clashed with the three Democrats on the board, were very difficult and "there wasn't a lot of consensus to be had."
That changed two years ago, McEneany said, when Allie Pelletieri joined the board along with two other Democrats: former Mayor Tom Catillaz and current Mayor Clyde Rabideau.
"The board that sits right now is extremely committed to the village of Saranac Lake," McEneany said. "We disagree still on issues, but when a decision is made, the board considers it to be the will of the board and those who might have disagreed get on board and make whatever the decision is happen."
When it came time for the caucus to vote, however, McEneany was only able to muster five votes among the roughly two dozen registered Republicans who cast ballots. Branch collected 21 votes, and Gillis had 19.
Asked to explain his strong showing, Gillis said he couldn't.
"I wasn't sure what to expect," he said. "I went up there and told everyone what I believed in and what I've done in the past, and that must have been enough."
Branch said he wasn't surprised.
"Mark's a good guy," he said. "He came here for the right reasons. He wants this to be a place where his kids can grow up and stay, and that's something important to a lot of people."
Asked about McEneany's poor showing, Branch said, "It's unfortunate, but, you know, some things are for the better. I don't know what to say about it."
McEneany said he couldn't identify a reason why he didn't win the GOP nomination, although he admitted his indecision about whether he'd run for re-election could have played a role.
"The committee's chosen to support Jeff and Mark, and I'll do everything I can to help them," he said.
The GOP caucus also endorsed Ken McLaughlin as its candidate for a two-year village justice term.
The village Conservative Party caucus was held after the GOP caucus. McEneany withdrew a letter of intent to seek the Conservative nod after losing the GOP nomination, so the caucus endorsed Branch, Gillis and McLaughlin.
