Sam Haselton has announced a write-in campaign for town supervisor. (Provided photo)

WILMINGTON — Long-time resident and retired businessman Sam Haselton has announced a write-in campaign for Wilmington Town Supervisor, filling a space left by current Supervisor Favor Smith, who announced his retirement earlier this month. Smith had already received the nomination to run on the Republican party line, so his name will remain on the ballot and he will not accept the position if elected.

Haselton recently retired after more than 40 years at the helm of Haselton Lumber. With this newfound freedom, he started looking around the town he grew up in and saw a lot of things he would like to help change.

“As I’m walking around town, or on my walk, or I’m riding my bike, or I’m talking to somebody at the Little Supermarket, the problems of the town arise, and I get to hear it more,” he said.

The more he listened and paid attention, the more division he started to see. When Smith stepped down, he decided to seize the opportunity.

If elected, Haselton said he plans to prioritize zoning reform, open communication and listening. He hopes to make changes that will support “responsible growth,” while keeping the budget in check, attracting businesses, increasing workforce housing and addressing the issue of short-term rentals.

In general, he thinks the zoning laws need to be more specific and tailored to the community’s needs. As to what this might look like, he said he wants to hear from residents and find a general consensus on what will work best.

Short-term rentals in particular have been a thorny issue in the Adirondacks and around the country, Haselton said.

“I don’t necessarily think that they’re evil,” he said. “But there needs to be some controls on it.”

He plans to look to other communities in the Adirondacks, including Saranac Lake and Lake Placid, as well as around the country, to evaluate the different approaches the town might take to regulating STRs.

Haselton also points to his long track record as a business owner as a qualification for this role, including familiarity with balancing budgets and working with people “from all walks of life” to address problems.

Listening is especially important to him during this time. He said the town looks a lot different from when he grew up — fewer businesses and fewer visitors at local hotels, and less community cohesion. Since he is recently retired, he said would make the role of supervisor a full-time job.

“The community is gone and there’s more division. The country is divided,” he said. “Somehow or other, I’d like to be able to listen and help get things back, somewhat, to the community I grew up in.”

As of yet, Haselton has not been endorsed by the Republican party, according to Republican County Commissioner Roy Holzer. The party is in a unique situation since Smith will still appear on the ballot on the party line.

For his part, Haselton said he is open to hearing from the Republican party, but his priority is to work with everyone. He thinks there’s too many instances in the country right now where people are not willing to listen across the aisle. He wants to break that trend.

“We’re human beings, and the town has a need,” he said.

Haselton will be running a write-in campaign to run against current town Councilman Tim Follos, who filed a petition as an independent candidate. Follos previously ran for supervisor in 2023 against Smith.

Follos told the Enterprise earlier this month he is running on a platform with a stance on three key issues: protecting against deforestation and clear-cutting, limiting increases in property taxes and bringing back the youth summer program.