SARANAC LAKE — With the caucuses for village election starting next week, two new independent candidates — Katie Stiles and Sean Ryan — are throwing their hats in the ring. Incumbent Trustee Rich Shapiro plans to defend his seat and seek re-election. Trustee Tom Catillaz has announced he is not seeking re-election.

This means there are two trustee seats up for election and three candidates so far, making this race a competitive one.

Shapiro, a Democrat, is seeking a third term on the board to keep the village leadership in check.

Stiles is running in response to a “lack of professionalism” she sees from certain trustees.

Ryan is running because he is unhappy with the “constant bickering” on the board.

Both Ryan and Stiles are registered as independents. They have stated they are seeking both the Democratic and Republican caucus nominations.

“In small town politics, we should represent everyone in our village, regardless of their party,” Stiles said in an email.

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Stiles runs on professionalism

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Stiles, a lifelong resident of Saranac Lake, said she is running in the hopes of bringing a stronger level of cooperation to the board.

“I’m excited about the momentum I see for our village, but I’m concerned it could be jeopardized by the current board’s inability to work together,” Stiles said in an email. “Saranac Lake deserves better than the lack of professionalism demonstrated by certain trustees.”

This has been “embarrassing” and not a good look for the village, she said.

She’s been attending village meetings in recent months, and the inability to work together she’s seen from there has made her want to have a seat at the table.

Stiles is currently a member of the village’s Downtown Advisory Board, Housing Task Force and is an alternate on the Development Board. She said these roles have given her an understanding of “what it takes for our village to operate and thrive.”

She is a realtor and a small business owner.

“My profession has given me the tools to work with all sorts of people to find solutions for all types of problems,” Stiles said in an email. “In my profession on a daily basis, I work with parties of different perspectives to find common ground through communication to resolve problems so they can achieve a successful outcome.

“In my opinion, some of the key issues facing our village are the lack of affordable housing, maintaining our infrastructure, filling empty storefronts, upgrading emergency service facilities and making sure we’re taking care of both full-time residents and visitors,” Stiles added.

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Ryan runs on community service

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Sean Ryan, a lifelong Saranac Lake resident, said he is running because he is unhappy with the “constant bickering” he sees on the village board.

He said since he returned from the U.S. Marine Corps, he’s been involved in many community organizations, and it is a dream of his to help the community.

“This village has taught me values of community, acceptance and being there for my neighbor,” he said in an email.

Ryan is the dean of students at Saranac Lake Middle School and lieutenant for the Saranac Lake Volunteer Rescue Squad. He served in the Marines, where he said he worked with many people from different backgrounds, but with a common goal.

“I was tested in heart, character and aptitude, especially overseas,” Ryan said. “This is the attitude that I will bring to the village board.”

He is also a high school football coach, a longtime member of the Mountaineers Rugby Club and a regular IPW 101 volunteer.

“I’ve gotten to know the people of Saranac Lake very well. And one thing I know for sure is that we deserve better than what we’ve been getting from the current members of the village board,” Ryan said in an email. “Like many, I am unhappy with the constant bickering, the unwillingness to hear opposing viewpoints and the take-all and give-nothing attitudes. This is no way for our village to operate. Frankly, it paints our town as dysfunctional, and it sets a bad example for our children who are watching and learning from us.”

Cutting through the bickering means sticking “to the facts,” he said.

Ryan pledged to do his homework and think critically.

“I have a long history of having to make tough decisions for the greater good, even when I know it won’t please everyone,” Ryan said in an email.

He said there are “many exciting possibilities” for the village — the proposed emergency services building, housing expansion, short-term vacation rental regulation and the potential for the Adirondack Park Agency to move into the village’s 1-3 Main St. building.

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Shapiro runs as “independent voice”

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Shapiro was not planning to run for a third term but said he is not seeing fairness, consistency, transparency and honesty in village leadership, and he wants to enforce it from the board.

Shapiro has vocally been in opposition to Mayor Jimmy Williams on a variety of issues — from how the mayor runs the government, to specific policies or appointments he’s made — since Williams was elected in 2022. The two are so at odds, it is a sort of in-joke among trustees and board meeting regulars, who sometimes reference their animosity with humor.

But Shapiro sees his role of speaking up and questioning things as a serious need for the village.

“If I don’t speak up, nobody does,” he said earlier this month. “If I speak up, I get some backing. … And we need that. Otherwise it’s an authoritarian dictatorship.”

In a letter to voters, Shapiro described himself as an “independent voice” on the board for the past eight years.

“The voice of the people, your voice, asking the tough questions that needed to be asked and fighting for the answers, fighting for our right to know the facts,” he said.

In the letter, he said he’ll be competing against candidates “handpicked” by the mayor.

“Without your support, he will have total control of the board,” Shapiro said in his letter.

Asked about Shapiro’s accusation of being “handpicked,” Ryan said Williams was his first employer when he moved back to town, but denied the accusation.

“No, this is my decision,” Ryan said.

Stiles went to school with Williams and she knows him, but she said she is running because of “a desire to make a difference based on my observations at village board meetings over the past few years.”

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Catillaz: “I’ve had a great time”

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Catillaz said on Friday that he’s spent around 28 years on the village board, seven of those as mayor.

“I’ve been counting meetings down for quite a while,” he said. “It’s time for some new blood to go in there.

“I’ve got no regrets,” he added. “I’ve had a good time. I’ve had a great time. Hopefully we’ve gotten a lot of things done. Now it’s time for somebody else to take a turn at it.”

Catillaz had a bit of advice for that “new blood” from a veteran of the board.

“You’ve got to go home and look in the mirror and say ‘Did you make the right move?’ It’s as simple as that,” he said. “If you do that then you’ll always be doing the right thing. Do what you think is the best thing. Not what is expected of you from somebody else. You’ve got to do the right thing.”

Caucuses coming

A Democratic caucus is scheduled for Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at the Harrietstown Town Hall auditorium with Harrietstown Democratic Party Chair and town Supervisor Jordanna Mallach presiding over the meeting.

A Republican caucus is scheduled for Jan. 29 at 5:30 p.m. at the Harrietstown Town Hall auditorium with Harrietstown Republican Party Chair Bob Bevilacqua presiding.

At the two caucuses, only party members can vote.

Village Clerk Amanda Hopf said the deadline to file as an independent candidate is Feb. 13. Between the two caucuses this month and that February deadline, voters should know who will be on the ballot by Feb. 14.

The election is March 19.

In New York, anyone who participates in a caucus for a village office cannot also sign an independent nominating petition.

Voters signing petitions for independent candidates may only sign a petition for one candidate. If they sign a second petition for another candidate it will be invalidated.