To the editor:

I so appreciate Laura Hooker’s endorsement of Tim Follos! (“Follos is the right choice for Wilmington supervisor,” Lake Placid News, July 3, 2025.) The current supervisor won his seat by a mere 21 votes in an election with a huge turnout. He campaigned as a leader who would unite a divided community. I attend Wilmington town board meetings and can’t square the supervisor’s campaign promises with what I see at the meetings, where new ideas and solutions are regularly voted down, 3-2. I am constantly struck by the board’s unwillingness to compromise.

It is very disheartening for those of us who consistently show up for these meetings to see the level of disrespect shown to both Follos and Hooker — two board members we elected by landslide margins.

After the last town election we hoped that a new town board would result in a more positive and productive atmosphere at the meetings, and around town. But nothing has changed.

There is still no affordable housing for young families. Clear-cutting and deforestation continue to change Wilmington at a pace so many of us do not want. Property tax assessments continue to explode. There is still no attempt to respect the property tax cap by cutting spending or finding alternate funding sources.

Where is the effort to address any of these issues?

I enjoy reading in the Jay Community News about all that Jay has accomplished and is working on. I remember Roy Holzer’s weekly updates about the things going on in Wilmington. Now things in Wilmington just seem stagnant, drifting from one tourist event to the next.

There have been a lot of disappointments in Wilmington since the last town election. To me, one of the most disappointing things is the way that we lost our summer youth program this year.

The current supervisor has had an opportunity to show us what he can do for our town. The supervisors of communities around are getting grants, making improvements, distributing surveys and addressing the concerns of their constituents.

None of that has happened in Wilmington.

I think new leadership is what we need.

Tim is campaigning hard. If you would like to hear from him directly, I hope you will attend the town hall event at the North Pole on Aug. 2, at 6 p.m. Tim will be there to answer your questions and hear your concerns, along with other local officeholders and candidates and guest speaker Erik Bottcher, who grew up in Wilmington and is on New York’s City Council.

Tim has shown us over and over again that he will work hard once elected. As Laura Hooker wrote in her endorsement: “Tim has shown he is motivated, Tim has shown his follow-through and tenacity, and above all Tim has shown his gumption and his devotion to his hometown.”

Let’s vote for tenacity, motivation and dedication. If we do, we will be voting for a better future for Wilmington.

Pat Winch

Wilmington