To the editor:

Melinda Little is part of the bedrock of Saranac Lake. She is the quiet, mostly behind the scenes, leader that our village needs. I have worked with her for four years as a fellow village trustee. She listens to people. Melinda works to build consensus. She always strives to find the best solutions to problems. She is not a PR person that is all icing and no cake. Melinda Little doesn’t just say yes, she gets things done.

Melinda, as deputy mayor, was the head of the Housing Work Group and the village’s Police Reform Committee. This required bringing people together, and that is a rare leadership skill. Melinda excels in that skill set. She gets the varied groups in our village to work toward common goals.

Melinda is the founder and president of the Village Mercantile (Community Store), manager of Point Positive (investor group that helps to establish businesses in the Adirondack area), former president and current treasurer of Tri-Lakes Humane Society, former board member of Pendragon and the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism, board member of Historic Saranac Lake, etc.

Melinda is the best choice for Mayor of Saranac Lake. Melinda understands that the solutions to our real problems are not found by posting fancy web sites or Facebook pages. Melinda encourages everyone to move forward to solutions.

Please join me in supporting and voting for Melinda Little at the village Democratic caucus on Tuesday, Jan. 25.

Rich Shapiro

Saranac Lake