Jimmy Williams casts his ballot in the village election with one hand on Tuesday while holding his daughter Frankie, almost 2. Williams won the election and will be sworn in as the village's new mayor next month. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Cerbone)

SARANAC LAKE — Village voters elected Jimmy Williams as their new mayor on Tuesday. Trustee Kelly Brunette also earned reelection for her first full term on the board and Matt Scollin became the newest member of the village board.

The two other mayoral candidates, Melinda Little and Jeremy Evans, congratulated Williams and said though they were disappointed they didn’t win the election, they’ve still got a lot of work to do in the community.

The final counts, including absentee ballots, were 599 votes for Williams, who ran on the Republican and “Independent SL” party lines; 415 for Little, who ran on the Democratic and “Common Sense” party lines; and 207 for Evans, who ran on the “Stronger SL” party line.

Voters could cast votes for two trustee candidates. Brunette, who ran on the Democratic and Stronger SL party lines got 982 votes; Scollin, who ran on the Stronger SL party line, earned 679; and Waters, who ran on the Democratic and “Common Sense” party lines, garnered 522.

Independent lines got a lot of votes in this election. Williams got the Republican Party’s endorsement in the election, but it was the votes on the “Independent SL” party line that won him the election. Around half of Brunette’s votes came on the “Stronger SL” party line and Scollin won solely running on that same party line.

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Williams

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Williams said taking on the role as head of the village is a “huge responsibility” and he takes it seriously.

“I think the most important part right now is that I prove to everyone that voted for me that they made the right choice,” Williams said. “Follow through. … Every single Saranac Laker matters and I want to make sure they feel respected. We’ve been missing a little bit of that for a while.”

He’ll be sworn in on April 4 but he said the work starts now — attending all the upcoming budget meetings, meeting with department heads and picking the brains of the current board.

Williams ran on a campaign of mending relationships that have soured with the village. He said he’ll have to do this through face-to-face conversations.

He wants to put together a good team to handle day-to-day operations and maintenance, but he said those hard conversations need a personal touch.

“We can turn the tides here into a positive,” Williams said. “I’m very excited.”

He said he was glad to have the campaign over and done.

“I’d much rather just put my head down and work,” he said.

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Brunette and Scollin

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Brunette, who joined the board last year in an uncontested election to fill a vacant seat, said she was unsure what the results would be during this entire election cycle and was elated to see such strong voter support for her staying on the board.

Though she ran on a party line with Evans, she said she has “no complaints” about Williams being elected and she’s excited to work with everyone new to the village board.

Brunette said their very first step will be adopting the new budget in their very first meeting after being sworn in. She’s currently working on that budget with the board.

“I’m excited for Saranac Lake,” Scollin said. “If things had turned out differently tonight, I’d still be excited for Saranac Lake because we’re about to write a new chapter in our village’s history.”

He’s glad to be part of that chapter.

“It’s been a hell of an experience and I am extremely appreciative to the voters of the village of Saranac Lake for believing in me and giving me a chance to represent them on the board of trustees,” he wrote in a statement.

Scollin thanked his running mates for making their community stronger and making the process of running fun.

“Jimmy Williams ran an enthusiastic and honorable campaign and expanded the electorate,” he wrote.

He also thanked Waters for her campaign in the race. Scollin said it was good to see everyone running “issues-based campaigns” and that the national problems that turn people off to politics were not a problem here.

What happens immediately now that he’s elected?

“I don’t know,” Scollin said. “I’ve never done this. … But I’ll find out.”

“Tomorrow, we wake up and get back to work,” he wrote. “I know the voters will hold me accountable in the years to come, and I expect nothing less.”