SARANAC LAKE — At the village Democratic caucus Wednesday night — the party’s most attended caucus here in years — more than 200 party members selected retired project manager David Trudeau and town Councilman Jeremy Evans to represent their line on the ballot for the March 18 election.

Incumbent Trustee Matt Scollin, who had voiced his intent to run and seek the Democratic line last week, was not there and is currently deciding his future in the race.

Joshua King, an independent, had sought the Democratic line on Wednesday but did not get enough votes to earn that party’s endorsement. He said he will seek the Republican line at that party’s Jan. 27 caucus, and seek an independent party line.

Of the three candidates for the two possible party endorsements for the two open seats, Evans gathered 171 votes, Trudeau gathered 162 and King gathered 52.

Scollin said he will decide if he is running by Feb. 10, the deadline for independent candidates to file.

“We’re all doing our best to make difficult decisions with imperfect information,” he told the Enterprise. “I made one (on Wednesday) and I’m comfortable with it. With less than two months until the next village election, I expect I’ll need to make a few more — it kind of goes with the territory. Political engagement is a dynamic endeavor. I appreciate the expressions of support I’ve received and will continue to base my decisions on what’s best for my family, my community and my (relative) sanity.”

To read more about Trudeau’s candidacy, go to tinyurl.com/2dfnsfmn. To read more about Evans’ candidacy, go to tinyurl.com/465y3a55.

Trudeau told voters at the caucus that he can calmly listen, research and consider multiple sides of an issue — something that he said the board needs.

Evans said he wants to keep taxes in check and plan responsibly for big projects for the future. He said residents deserve to know how and why decisions are made.

The

Republicans will caucus at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 27 at the lower lobby of the town hall.

To apply to be considered for the ballot, contact party leaders Ray Scollin at 518-572-3013 or Bob Bevilacqua at 518-354-0199.

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King

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King moved to Saranac Lake in 2021 and has a wife and two kids.

He’s been on the village Downtown Advisory Board for two years. He’s currently the vice president of the Saranac Lake Area Chamber of Commerce. He’s also the director of sales at Hotel Saranac.

King said the village faces complex issues. The residents do not deserve closed minds or predetermined outcomes, he said. He added that he’s not afraid of disagreement, but that it has to be respectful.

As people were announcing their candidacies last week, King said a couple people called him and asked him to run. This came as a surprise to him. Over the weekend, he talked with his wife and other people he trusts. He said this is shaping up to be a heated election and questioned if he wanted to join it.

King said people told him they are tired of how the board has operated and that they want to see someone with a new perspective on it.

“People want a working village board,” King said. “They want nine-to-five family dinner table, not Thanksgiving dinner table.”

He said he comes to things with a “neutral” mindset. He applied this to the public safety building, the biggest and most hotly contested village project right now.

The emergency departments need new facilities, and he believes a fresh home could help with much-needed recruitment increases.

“Now, does it need to be as glamorous and in that location and all that?” King said.

He said the village needs to consider other options.

He said he takes time to make decisions and doesn’t rush into them.

One of the first times he attended a village meeting was over the summer, to talk about Can-Am Rugby. He stayed for the whole meeting and watched the heated debate.

King said he’s followed the meetings since then.

As a manager, he sees conflict all the time.

He said he approaches conflict by putting himself in other people’s shoes and trying to understand their perspective.

He said he’s not afraid to put on his “dad voice” to ensure respect is maintained on the board. He said he has worked with several people on the board and likes them all.

Progress for the village is not about personal victories, he said.

King said housing affordability has to be “first and foremost,” as it’s the only way he sees for the village to grow. He said he knows several young people at the hotel who want to buy a house, but cannot afford one because prices are “outrageous.”

He also said his position at the hotel has informed his view on the local economy.

“I see first-hand that while tourism is essential to our local economy, the long-term strength of Saranac Lake depends on supporting and attracting a broader mix of business that benefits residents year-round,” King said.

He wants to see if the village can bring in manufacturing jobs. He said there’s lots of empty buildings on Main Street right now, and that more industry is needed.

When asked about upcoming village issues, his answer was immediate.

“Water and sewer needs to be addressed,” he said.

The village water is hard and, at home, he said it sometimes smells like chlorine. He would like to look into changing the water source.

When it comes to the budget, he said he does monthly finances for work and home. King said his goal would be to make cuts where possible, and if residents think something has value, to find room for it in the budget.

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Election information

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Voting in the election will be held on March 18 in the Harrietstown Town Hall auditorium at 39 Main St. from noon to 9 p.m.

Independent candidates have been able to circulate petitions for two weeks now. These petitions need 100 signatures and must be filed with the village clerk from Feb. 3 and 10 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Voters can support up to two candidates for trustee and only one for mayor. Each candidate should either be supported at a caucus or by signing an independent petition. Voters cannot do both for the same candidate.

Voters signing petitions for independent candidates may also only sign one petition per candidate per seat.

If they attend a caucus and vote for two trustee candidates, they cannot sign any trustee petitions. If they only vote for one trustee candidate at a caucus, then they can sign one trustee petition.

If they vote for a mayoral candidate at a caucus and then sign a petition, or if they sign two mayoral petitions, it will be invalidated. If they sign three petitions for trustee candidates, it will be invalidated.

Only registered members of the Republican or Democratic parties may participate in their caucuses. Non-party members can attend, but must sit separately and cannot speak or vote.

After the caucus begins, the floor will open for nominations. Voters will then voice nominations for the seat. All nominations need to be seconded.

If there are more nominations than open seats, people will be able to vote by paper ballot for one candidate to be on the ballot for the mayoral election and up to two candidates for the trustee election.

The last day to register to vote is March 6. Registering to vote can be done at the Department of Motor Vehicles, online at tinyurl.com/bdfaj9ze or by printing a form found at tinyurl.com/5yxvhtdh, filling it out and mailing it to the county board of elections office.

More information for the Franklin County Board of Elections can be found at tinyurl.com/bdbzacv2. More information for the Essex County Board of Elections can be found at essexcountyny.gov/board-of-elections.

The last day to apply for an absentee ballot is March 10. The last day for the village clerk to mail out an absentee ballot is March 11.

At the caucus, Democrats also chose Trustee Kelly Brunette to run for mayor. Incumbent Mayor Jimmy Williams was also seeking the Democratic line. More information on this portion of the caucus can be found here.