To the editor:

It’s wonderful to have five folks putting their hats in the ring for this year’s village trustee election. All of them seem engaged, they care a lot about Saranac Lake, and are eager to serve, but one stands out for me: Paul Van Cott. I believe Paul will bring much needed and invaluable experience to the board both as a former legislator and as an attorney who works with municipalities and organizations across the North Country.

In my job running Point Positive, the region’s Angel Investor Group, I work with a wide variety of promising business ventures across the region to help them grow and create good paying jobs. One of the key factors that I, and the investor/members of Point Positive, look for when we evaluate the potential of each venture, is the quality of the management team. We know that it’s critical to the success of the business that the founders have identified the skill sets needed to lead the company forward and recruited individuals that have those skills.

The current board is unseasoned and although it’s great to bring on new faces, with new ideas and energy, experience does count and should be factored into the skill set mix when we all go to the polls on March 19. Given the important projects in the works, particularly the decisions leading up to and execution of a new public safety facility (or facilities), having Paul’s expertise and understanding of the processes involved will greatly enhance that and other project’s successful execution and completion.

I urge you to join me in voting for Paul Van Cott on March 19.

Melinda Little

Saranac Lake