Adam Boudreau, John Gillis and Owen Littlefield

TUPPER LAKE — Voters here have one contested local race to decide at the ballot box this year. Three candidates: Adam Boudreau, John Gillis and Owen Littlefield are squaring off for two open seats on the town board.

Gillis, the incumbent, is seeking reelection as he completes his first term on the board, having been elected in 2021. The other seat is currently held by Rick Donah, who opted not to seek reelection. Boudreau and Littlefield are running on the Republican and Conservative party lines. Gillis is running on the Democratic party line.

Voters can select up to two candidates for the town board race on the ballot.

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Boudreau

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Tupper Lake has been home for Boudreau since he moved here from Ontario when he was in eighth grade. He graduated from Tupper Lake High School and attended SUNY Geneseo, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in international relations and business. In 2015, he and his cousin, Jason Merrihew, purchased Kentile Excavating from Bill Kentile, their uncle. The duo had worked for the company during the summers when they were in high school, and have grown it since they took the reins a decade ago.

Boudreau, who is married and has two daughters, ages 6 and 8, said his primary reason for seeking election is forward-looking.

“I want the same opportunity my parents and my grandparents had,” he said. “Which is to give my two daughters at least the choice to live here and get to watch my eventual grandchildren grow up.”

Boudreau said the key to this is making sure Tupper Lake continues to attract business development and investment. He said the recent completion of the Adirondack Rail Trail, Adirondack Scenic Railroad and revitalized train station are all signs in the right direction. He said it’s important to keep the momentum rolling, and not give in to cynicism that says the best days are in the rear view mirror.

“I feel like occasionally in Tupper, we can get a chip on our shoulder and think that something has passed us by, whether it be state investment or something else,” he said. “We need to get away from the complaints and really show that we’re ready for investment, we’re prepared, we have all of our village and town departments on board.”

Part of getting “on board,” Boudreau said, is for the local governments to improve and maintain infrastructure — roads, water and sewer lines — something he said his career experience lends itself well to when overseeing these town projects. Boudreau added that this isn’t work Kentile is looking for, and he would be scrupulous in avoiding any conflicts there with town business.

“I really think that we’re on the cusp of some real improvement,” he said. “Let’s make sure we’re ready for it. Let’s make sure the infrastructure is in place and that everyone’s on the same page and that we have a really clear, concise message from the town, village and the school district so that the region knows where we stand and that we’re looking to grow as a community, but really as a regional partner as well.”

Boudreau said that he wanted to foster a collaborative relationship between the town and school governments, calling the school district one of the most important assets in the community, and obviously critical to keeping Tupper Lake as a feasible community for future families to call home.

“That’s an absolute mainstay in our community,” he said. “We need to be working together — the town, village and school district — to make sure that we are growing and not going backwards.”

Running for one seat on a five-member board, Boudreau said it’s critical to hear out all ideas when there’s a disagreement and handle that productively. It’s something he does routinely while running Kentile Excavating.

“There can be multiple good ideas,” he said. “What you don’t want to do is scream and yell and publicly air out an argument when, really, a lot of listening and discussion can go a long way. Sure, you’re never going to see eye to eye with everybody, but I can honestly say, everyone does want to see the best for Tupper Lake. We know that. It’s just figuring out the details now and listening to each other and working hard at that.”

Boudreau and Littlefield are running alongside each other. Their names share yard signs and both encourage voters to use their two selection opportunities on the ballot to vote for each other. Boudreau said this stems not only from policy agreements, but they are also similar in age, have similar professional responsibilities in managing businesses and are at similar points in raising young families.

“We feel like it’s our turn,” Boudreau said. “The previous generations have done a great job, but we’re really trying to use this to get our generation now to really stand up and do our civic duty.”

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Gillis

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The last four years on the town board have been impactful and enjoyable for Gillis. He’s taken on a busy workload and has been able to accomplish a lot — and he’s asking voters to give him another four years to continue what he’s started.

“I think there’s a lot going on in Tupper, a lot on our horizon that I feel I’m in a good position to be a benefit to the community, to a seat at the table,” he said. “I want to follow up on what I’ve been doing, which is investigating things that could potentially be problems.

“Who knew there were 40 miles of underground water and sewer that is owned by the various districts in the town?” he added. “That’s not obvious to everybody and it’s one of those things where if you aren’t proactive, you’re going to have to be reactive — and reactive costs a lot of money.”

Gillis, a skilled woodworker who owns a local cabinetry business, also serves on several housing solutions boards, including the Franklin County Land Bank. He said it’s helpful to serve as the liaison and a conduit for the cooperation that is often needed for those projects, or even just keeping one of the groups in the loop with what the other is up to.

“Housing is one of the biggest things that I spend my time working on,” he said. “To me, it’s all about the community service that I’ve enjoyed for three decades now. I’ve enjoyed serving the community as a volunteer, and I’ve enjoyed being on the council.”

He said increasing the affordable housing stock is crucial to attracting families who often work jobs, such as teachers and police officers, that are the foundations of a vibrant community.

Gillis said serving on the council isn’t always easy — but it’s not meant to be. He sometimes has a different perspective from the other four board members, but by taking the other side of an issue, he said a richer discussion and more careful deliberation transpire.

“To understand things better, you have to challenge your perceptions,” he said.

One of the first things Gillis spearheaded was passing a local law allowing electric bicycles in the town. He’s also proud of the cybersecurity enhancements he helped to initiate for the town website, emails and electronic recordkeeping. He said the town clerk is also the registrar of vital statistics, and it’s critical to make sure there are stringent protections in place for those in an increasingly digital world.

Gillis said he has a strong working relationship with village Mayor Mary Fontana, stemming from when they served on the town board together. He said it’s a good time to reevaluate consolidation efforts.

“Tupper Lake has the best of both worlds,” he said. “We’ve got the train coming in, and we’ve got the trail. I know it’s going to be a game-changer for this town. I’ve been working on it. I will continue to work on it.”

The town is in the process of acquiring the train station from the state. Gillis said it’s important to take a prudent approach here, and give it some time to see how the train station will be used before going out for grants and other funding sources — a measure twice, cut once approach.

Gillis said the town doesn’t have a big budget at the end of the day, and it’s critical to make sure each dollar spent goes as far as it can toward serving the taxpayer and the community.

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Littlefield

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Littlefield was born and raised in Tupper Lake. The son of former town Supervisor Patti Littlefield, Owen wasn’t far from the levers of local government. He was frequently called on to assist with various town projects. Littlefield said, however, that he really started to appreciate the gravity of local government when he became a business owner.

“It made me quite a bit more invested than I was before, looking from the outside in,” he said.

Littlefield is a surveyor. He earned his degree from Paul Smith’s College and has been the co-owner of Leifheit and Littlefield, with offices in Tupper Lake and Jay, for the last three-and-a-half years. He’s married to L.P. Quinn Elementary School Principal Elizabeth Littlefield, and they have two young daughters.

Littlefield is currently involved in several municipal recreational volunteer positions. He serves on the Tupper Lake Golf Club’s Board of Directors. He said the golf course, Little Wolf Beach and ski trails are major assets for attracting people to Tupper Lake, and if elected to the board, he would make sure they continue to receive good stewardship.

“Those are a big draw for people,” he said. “Both locals and visitors to town alike.”

Littlefield said he wants to see responsible growth in Tupper Lake, is mindful about not spending money the town doesn’t have and wants to address infrastructure upgrades around town.

“There’s definitely some aging things that need to be prioritized,” he said.

He also wants to bring a fresh perspective to the board. He said it’s important for younger people to take a stake in their community, and despite a busy life between raising a family and running a business, he feels compelled to serve in local government. Littlefield said he hopes to increase collaboration between the town and village governments.

“I think, at times, it’s a little rocky right now,” he said. “If we can bring some cohesion to the boards and try to work together and maybe look into the idea of consolidation. I know it’s been brought up many times before, but I think it’s always good to keep that in the back of our minds.”

Littlefield said there could be incremental efforts to consolidate certain jobs or departments over time, potentially identifying areas that are currently a duplication of efforts, where money could be saved. At the same time, he said he didn’t want people to be laid off or lose a job as a result.

Littlefield said that working as a land surveyor has taught him a lot of people skills. His work often addresses property line disputes between residents or businesses, for instance. He hopes to bring this calm presence and objectively driven focus to the board.

“Just given the nature of my career, I’m always working with people,” he said. “Whether it’s different contractors or municipalities, as it is already, we do a lot of work all over the state.”

Though the bulk of his jobs take place in the North Country, it’s not uncommon for his work to take him across the state. This has been helpful for him to see how other local governments work and manage their jurisdictions. This base of knowledge and relationships is another badge that Littlefield said will serve him well if elected.

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Elsewhere on the ballot

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The only other contested race is for the 115th state Assembly District. That race is between Michael Cashman, who is running on the Democratic and Working Families party lines, and Brent Davison, who is running on the Republican and Conservative party lines.

It’s a special election to fill the remainder of former Assemblyman Billy Jones’ term. Jones, D-Chateaugay, resigned in September to take a position at Clinton Community College. The 115th district includes all of Franklin and Clinton counties, along with the Essex County towns of Keene, North Elba, St. Armand and Wilmington.

The other local and county races are all uncontested.

Town Supervisor Rickey Dattola is running for reelection on the Republican and Conservative party lines. Village Mayor Mary Fontana is running for reelection on the Republican and Conservative party lines. Brasen LaVassaur and David Plummer are both running on the Republican party line for trustee positions on the village board.

Town board members Crystal Boucher and Timmy Larkin are not up for election this cycle, nor are village trustees Rick Pickering and Eric Shaheen, who is also the deputy mayor.

Current Town Justice Leonard Young is running on the Republican and Conservative Party lines to fill the remainder of village Justice Chris Delair’s term. Delair retired before the term expired. The village board voted to abolish its court and fold the responsibilities over to the town court. Legally, this can’t happen until the end of the term, so Young agreed to fill the remainder of the term, serving as justice for both courts if elected to the village position, after receiving approval from the state Board of Elections, given the circumstances.

County Legislator Nedd Sparks is running for reelection on the Republican and Conservative Party lines. County Coroner Richard Azar is running for reelection on the Democratic line. Voters can make up to two selections for coroner, though Azar is the only named candidate on the ballot in that race. County Clerk Kip Cassavaw is running for reelection on the Democratic and Conservative party lines. County Treasurer Fran Perry is running for reelection on the Democratic party line.

Chris Obstarczk and Kris Singh are both running on the Republican and Conservative party lines for state Supreme Court justice. Voters can make up to two selections in that race.

On the back side of the ballot, voters can vote for or against Proposition 1. More information on that is available at tinyurl.com/3afwt63w.

Early voting in Franklin County continues through Sunday at the Franklin County Court House, 355 West Main Street, Suite 161, Malone. Election day voting in Tupper Lake — for both in- and out-of-village residents — will take place at the Holy Ghost Parish, 40 Marion St, from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.