To the editor:

The atmosphere at village board meetings reflects the quality of leadership guiding them.

When leadership unites, collaboration emerges. When it divides, momentum collapses.

Think about pushing a child on a swing. To add energy, you must be in sync with the swing’s frequency. When the timing is right, your push is additive and forward momentum grows. When the timing is off, momentum collapses and the existing energy is absorbed.

In sync, energy is additive. Out of sync, energy is subtractive. The same physics apply to leadership.

Curiosity and discovery move us forward. Defense and dismissal do not. One expands possibility; the other contracts it. I have watched and participated in our town board meetings, and the atmosphere has often been unpleasant enough to discourage engagement. Culture does not arise by accident. It is shaped by how a group is led.

Managing and leading are different skillsets. Management maintains systems. Leadership creates the conditions for people to think, collaborate and solve problems together. In times of complexity, we need leaders who can identify the challenges we face and invite the community into transparent, constructive problem-solving.

We need leadership that values: curiosity over accusation, clarity over false certainty, invitation over condemnation.

These qualities create an environment where people operate in the zone of optimal performance and where collective intelligence can emerge.

Our community faces real challenges: a shrinking population, housing access for young families and long-term sustainability. Solving these problems will require unity, trust and shared purpose.

Who will step forward to lead in a way that brings people together and restores forward momentum? Whomever it is, tell us how you will do that.

William N. Martin

Saranac Lake