To the editor:

I am supporting the candidacy of Fred Balzac for the village board. More importantly, I’m urging readers to do the same and to get down to the town hall basement Wednesday between noon and 9 p.m. to do something about it: VOTE.

All the years I’ve lived here, government has been an unwavering advocate for business in the village. The village needs business in order to maintain the services to area residents, provide goods without having to drive to Plattsburgh for them, and to provide employment to many local folks. However, it seems that decisions are now being made solely on the basis of who can make a buck, even when it’s in conflict with the quality of life for village residents, and that’s contrary to the job of government.

The monstrosity on the corner of Lake Flower Avenue and River Street is a great case in point. Not only is the entire character of the area changed, but we now face a major overhaul of an intersection that was already a disaster, with a consulting firm proposing a number of possibilities such as a traffic circle. If you haven’t yet lived with the realities of a state-designed traffic circle, you’re in for a real treat. Was this for the benefit of the folks across the street, whose view of the lake was not going to be ruined? Was it for the benefit of the people across the street who need to get in and out of traffic to access their homes? Perhaps it was for the benefit of patrons of NBT who already have to play bumper cars to get in and out of their bank? Or the folks a little up the road who have to cross the traffic to reach their docks and boats?

How about the folks who own property on Moody Pond? They pay a premium for their location based on property values, and Lord help those with actual waterfront. Did anyone give a darn about them when the “6ers” was initiated, turning the far end of the pond into a three-ring circus? Cars are jammed on both sides of the street, in front of homes and occasionally driveways, well overflowing the capacity of that little corner to provide parking? How would you enjoy your front yard becoming a poorly regulated parking lot? No thought to the people who live there was given. The only consideration was how can we attract a few more visitors and squeeze another buck out of them.

From traffic rerouting on Winter Carnival parade day to the farmers market jamming the biggest, busiest intersection in town every Sunday morning, to supporting the modifications to the riverbed itself to create a kayaking tourist attraction under the dam, this village board has proven that the peace and enjoyment of the village and natural resources around it are up for sale, and to hell with the residents. WHY? Because they don’t complain loud enough, and more importantly, they don’t vote! You better believe every business owner in town will be in that basement Wednesday night, casting a ballot for the people who protect their interests. Maybe you’d better do the same. Fred Balzac may not be the solution to it all, but he’s certainly a start, and a dissenting voice on the board is a step in the right direction.

Dave Campbell

Saranac Lake