Sean Ryan (Provided photo)

SARANAC LAKE — Five candidates are in the running for two seats on the Saranac Lake Village Board of Trustees.

Four of those candidates are on the ballot. Independents Sean Ryan and Katie Stiles are running on the Republican Party line as well as the independent “Sean Ryan for Saranac Lake” and “Integrity for Saranac Lake” party lines, respectively. Paul Van Cott and Aurora White are running a joint ticket on the Democratic and independent “Team Saranac Lake” party lines.

Fred Balzac, a Democrat, did not secure the Democratic line and did not file paperwork to get an independent line on the ballot and is instead running a write-in campaign.

Voters will choose two of these candidates to serve a four-year term. They will serve along with existing members of the village board — Mayor Jimmy Williams, Deputy Mayor Matt Scollin and Trustee Kelly Brunette.

A forum with the candidates on the ballot can be viewed on the Enterprise’s Facebook page in two parts at tinyurl.com/yk38tzk2 and tinyurl.com/4f2cc5jb.

On Election Day, March 19, polls will be open from noon to 9 p.m. in the Harrietstown Town Hall auditorium.

Each election cycle, the Enterprise issues candidates a questionnaire, which they can answer in their own words.

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Sean Ryan

Age: 31

Occupation: Dean of Students for Saranac Lake Middle School/Lieutenant of the Volunteer Rescue Squad

Position sought: Saranac Lake Village Trustee

Q: Why are you running for this position?

A: I’m running because I see an opportunity to make a positive impact on our community. I love Saranac Lake and will do anything to help our amazing village. Like so many folks, I have been frustrated with the dysfunction of the current board. I was born and raised here; I’ve decided to raise my family here; and one day I will die here. I am invested in Saranac Lake and will do anything I can to help our community grow stronger. Right now, we need trustees who are transparent, open-minded and who truly understand the people in our community. We deserve a board that works together, listens and won’t quit when times get tough. I feel that I am the candidate for the job.

Q: What are your qualifications?

A: Growing up in Saranac Lake, I was taught the values of selfless service, acceptance and being there for my neighbor. With these values in mind, I joined the U.S. Marine Corps, where I was tested in heart, character, and aptitude, especially overseas. I worked with countless people from different backgrounds, but we were able to work together because we all shared a common goal. This is the attitude that I will bring to our village board. As a coach and the dean of students at the middle school, I have personal interactions with kids and their parents everyday and see what they’re going through. I’m a lieutenant for the volunteer rescue squad, so I often go inside people’s homes alongside my incredible colleagues, and we do everything we can to help them during their most difficult moments. Through all this, I’ve gained a deep understanding of the people of Saranac Lake that I will bring to our village board to help us address the important issues. My experiences in the community have prepared me for this role. I know our community in my bones. I love this community and I’m an honest, hardworking guy who will collaborate with anyone for the betterment of Saranac Lake.

Q: What are your main goals?

A: Obviously housing is a top priority for our community and it’s a main goal of mine to find as many ways as possible to continue to address our housing challenges.

In addition to housing, one of my most personal main goals is to work with the village board and the community to finally make a decision that will update our emergency services facilities. As a community, we need to provide our departments with the tools and space they need to succeed. What I can bring to the board that nobody else can is my understanding of how and why we need to support emergency services. The fact is that our first responders are in desperate need of new facilities and they’ve been trying to solve this problem since 1971, which is unacceptable. There is no reason our police officers should need to store equipment in cells and off property. They should be able to shower after a grueling shift. We barely have room to house our fire trucks, and we should not have to worry that they might crash through the floor. Our rescue squad shouldn’t have to worry about fundraising for a leaking roof when they also need to update and buy essential equipment. Recruitment is down for all three entities of first responders, and part of that is because of the subpar working conditions we are knowingly keeping them in. There are concerns about 33 Petrova being too big, but really that provides us the opportunity to create space for our first responders that will ultimately benefit our community. There are plenty of questions that still need to be answered, and it is not a perfect plan at the moment, but it is the best option we have ever had. The reality is that there are other potential locations to help address housing but this might be the best and only location to update our emergency services departments. Whether it is at 33 Petrova or the current location, we need leadership that will make a decision soon.

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

A: Housing: It is a complicated issue with no “one size fits all” solution and we need to tackle this with multiple approaches at once. We need to explore new development opportunities and work with land banks and developers. We need to look at offering tax incentives for contractors and landlords to provide quality housing for building owners and renters alike. Code Enforcement Officer McClatchie is doing a wonderful job getting buildings up to code and single-family homes back online and we need to continue that momentum. I look forward to working with the Housing Task Force and investing time and energy into creating more quality homes however we can.

Infrastructure: We need to prioritize and update our infrastructure with long term solutions. We have too many sidewalks and roads that are falling apart. Our main street is riddled with potholes, and I am excited to learn more details about how we are attempting to fix it this spring. As a bartender and restaurant worker, I’ve often heard complaints about our roads from unimpressed visitors. We need to ensure our water is clean and safe and continue to update our water mains. I live in a part of the village where we can expect multiple water main breaks each year, leaving us unable to drink or use our water. Just this past week there was a water main break on Leona Street. As the years go by, this will only occur more often and affect more residents unless we invest in long term solutions.

Drug Abuse and Addiction: We’ve had too many overdoses and there are too many drugs on our streets. It is sickening to think that our children are one bad decision away from a potential overdose. The police department installed the first Narcan machine in New York state, which is terrific, but it is only the first step. We need to offer support for drug abusers who are interested in rehabilitation, but we also need to pursue and arrest drug dealers, like our police department did this week with their majorly successful operation. We must consult with drug program leaders and counselors to see how best we can support them. We also need to hold landlords accountable for continuously renting their apartments to known drug dealers.

Q: Other comments to voters?

A: Right now, one of the most urgent things we need to do is to create a village board that works collaboratively with each other and the community, listens to the community’s needs, and is ready to make tough decisions on behalf of everyone in Saranac Lake. Ultimately, Saranac Lake has an important choice to make: Do we want leadership who resembles the dysfunction of the past? Or do we want a new chapter for Saranac Lake that will build on the momentum of positivity and progress?