To the editor:

I am endorsing my dad Fred Balzac and write-in candidate Trevor Sussey for village trustees of Saranac Lake.

I’ve always admired my dad for his strong ideals and far-sighted political positions. He was talking about Bernie Sanders long before it was cool. He’s been educating me on the Green Party platform since high school, an ambitious sweep of pro-labor, universal health care and sustainable energy policy. He is a presence at local public meetings and quickly educates himself and gets involved. He’s a dedicated activist, evidenced by the 15-year-battle he and my mom spearheaded to save the covered bridge in Jay, where I grew up.

My dad introduced me to the newly created High Peaks Democratic Socialists of America (HPDSA), the Adirondack chapter of the national organization that supports grassroots candidates like Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. That’s where I met Trevor Sussey. Trevor, who grew up in Saranac Lake, is an empathetic and thoughtful individual. He has strong convictions about how the village can best serve its residents and doesn’t hesitate to speak out when he sees injustice.

These two candidates pose a unique opportunity for Saranac Lake. One is a seasoned political activist who has spent 25 years training himself on how local governments succeed or fail. The other is a young person who grew up in Saranac Lake who is dedicated to his community and to advocating for the working class.

This ticket couldn’t come soon enough. The village and the world are dealing with problems resulting from long-ignored systemic oppression and an increasingly volatile climate. At the board meetings I have attended and in the personal interactions I’ve had, it has become clear that the current village government is unprepared for the conversations and reforms that need to happen. Officials privately profess to be against the incoming crisis pregnancy center, an offshoot of a nationwide anti-choice campaign that misinforms women about their options relating to pregnancy, yet refuse to speak out. Amid the Black Lives Matter movement, the village has chosen to hire Lexipol to write their police policy, a company that focuses on limiting the liability of officers and reportedly contracted with Kenosha, Wisconsin, last spring. Lip service is given to sustainability, yet a time-sensitive renewable energy plan is not yet in place and the Climate Smart committee goes unfunded. Village officials continue to occupy their time by pushing forward an agenda of destination tourism while they wait for others to lead on crucial issues like affordable housing.

Village voters have a choice. They have the option of two candidates who are ready to stand up for community values, diversifying the local economy and preparing the village for the problems of the coming decade. They care deeply about working people and intelligently revitalizing an area with a shrinking downtown and a struggling mid-pandemic economy. They stand for racial justice and a community-involved process for rethinking law enforcement and community health.

Saranac Lake deserves insightful public servants who are up to the task of making real change in the village.

Sam Balzac

Saranac Lake