To the editor:

How about doing something great for the towns of Harrietstown and Franklin. Elect Jeff Branch to the Franklin County Board of Legislators. His service there will make you all proud.

Talk about a real background of community service — Saranac Lake School Board, Saranac Lake Village Trustee, president and coach of the Saranac Lake Youth Baseball Association and more. But here is the kicker — Jeff has been chairman and president of the historically important Saranac Lake Winter Carnival Committee. It must have been tough to keep that event going through the pandemic, but he did it. It would have been easy to say, “Ah, can’t do it this year, too many problems.” But Jeff and his board made it work. They built the Ice Palace, staged a parade and brought the Rotary Dancers and carnival royalty to our beautiful town hall.

Jeff and his wife Jamal, a teacher in the Saranac Lake school system, have happily watched their two sons graduate from Saranac Lake High School. Jeff’s parents were friends of mine; his dad Gerry, taught in the Lake Placid School system and his Mom, JoAnn, was a teacher and coach at North Country Community College.

I knew his grandfather, Harland Branch, St. Armand town justice and owner and operator of the Branch Farm on the Trudeau Road end of St. Armand. Talk about roots, ahem, no pun intended.

Please be careful and don’t waste your vote — Lindy Ellis and Leigh Wenske are listed on the ballot but have dropped out of the race. Leigh served many years as a Saranac Lake police officer, last as acting chief and dropped out to support Jeff.

Vote for Jeff by going to the lower, right side of the ballot. You will never regret electing Jeff as Franklin County legislator.

Howard Riley

Harrietstown