Saranac Lake village Mayor Jimmy Williams is officially running for reelection after being selected as the Republican nominee at a caucus on Tuesday. Williams is an independent and will also seek an independent line. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Marbone)

SARANAC LAKE — Village Republicans selected incumbent Mayor Jimmy Williams to run for election at a caucus on Tuesday, setting up a contested March 18 election after Democrats selected Trustee Kelly Brunette as their candidate last week.

No vote was needed, as Williams was the only candidate nominated.

Williams is a registered independent. He had sought the Democratic line at the caucus last week. Democrats chose Brunette over him, 152-63.

Williams said he will also be seeking an independent party line. He said he sought all parties’ support because he feels “strongly that party politics should not affect board decisions.”

To read more about the caucus, go to tinyurl.com/bddxzecd. To read more about Brunette’s candidacy, go to tinyurl.com/3d6dr8up.

At the caucus, Williams said that he ran four years ago because he saw a need for change. He said the government had lost sight of its priority of taking care of residents. He said the village is in a “much stronger position” now than it was then.

He gave the same speech to voters at the Republican caucus as he did at the Democratic caucus. To read more about that speech, go to tinyurl.com/bddxzecd.

Williams said he’s running again because the village has two big projects — the controversial public safety building project at 33 Petrova Ave. and the plan for the Adirondack Park Agency to move its headquarters to 1-3 Main St. He said that both projects “deserve continuity and a commitment to see them through.”

“A solution for our fire, rescue and police MUST be found,” he wrote in a message to the Enterprise. “This has been an issue for far too long, and is now putting every Saranac Laker’s access to volunteer services at risk.”

He said the APA headquarters project is an opportunity for a $40 million investment into town.

The public safety building project looms large over the race. Most statements from candidates for the three village seats relate to, reference or are directly about the project.

Members of the board and the public have called the plans too large and too expensive. Williams has defended the project as the only feasible option for the fire, ambulance and police departments and said he won’t let it burden the taxpayers too much.

“The public safety building boils down to cost and feasibility,” Williams wrote. “All the work and studies from the last four years strongly suggest that both are more favorable at the 33 Petrova location.”

He said the effort started when the previous administration allocated $2.5 million dollars of village savings to start the process four years ago, and that a start date on the proposed project would still be several years away.

“There is time to search for more grants and private funding,” he wrote. “At a certain point we will also have to consider where the village budget can be trimmed to accommodate some level of bonding.”

“But as I made perfectly clear,” he added, “we will not break the tax cap to start this project.”

He addressed the division on the board.

“Every board decision should be based on only one factor … What is best for Saranac Lake,” Williams wrote. “I think some people have lost sight of that and are prioritizing personal agendas and perception over doing the right thing. The world has become a divisive place and sadly I feel like it has trickled down to our home community. There is no easy fix. Each one of us needs to be as professional and respectful as possible, even in disagreement. We need to model classy behavior because Saranac Lake deserves it and, at the end of the day, it’s the right thing to do.”

Williams addressed accusations people have made that he discourages debate and intimidates residents at meetings.

He said he welcomes debate.

Williams said he initially ran for mayor because he felt Saranac Lakers did not feel heard. He increased the public comment time allowance from 2 to 5 minutes and added an additional public comment period at the end of the meeting. He said, previously, the “measly” public comment time “didn’t even allow folks to comment on the decisions or discussions that took place during the meeting.”

“The ability to speak and be heard was increased by 500% and situated to allow for comments before and after board voting/discussion,” he said.

He added that the public safety building project has been a strain on the board and public alike.

“I think both sides are doing the best they can with the information they have,” Williams wrote. “It’s been a LONG process and there is not always new information to share.”

Republican leadership change

Scollin thanked the voters for showing up. He said not everyone gets involved in the electoral process. There are 2,903 voters in Saranac Lake, he said, adding that only a portion of them vote in local elections and even fewer attend caucuses. There were nine in the registered party audience on Tuesday night.

Scollin also urged the voters gathered to prepare, as he and fellow local Republican leader Bob Bevilacqua are preparing to retire from their roles in September. He said they’re now looking for new leaders in the local Republican Party to step up. He’s personally been involved in the local GOP party leadership since 1987 and has been slowly pulling back, as he said it is “time for new leadership.”

The time for petitions to be filed to be considered for these seats is coming up soon — from Feb. 24 to April 2.

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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.

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.