Saranac Lake - Going Downhill

You can always tell when it's election time in the Village of Saranac Lake. You tend to hear, even more, how Saranac Lake is going downhill or becoming a ghost town. This, primarily from the Republican candidates and their supporters. True to the Republican party, the two Republican candidates running for Village trustee positions are all about cutting taxes. That's fine, the Village taxes are high. But you also need to cut spending, and like most spending of this sort, that usually means cutting jobs. You won't hear anything about cutting jobs during the election season. The Saranac Lake Republican party also seems to be the party of Wal-Mart. Unlimited development of our part of the Adirondack Park seems to be the best way to go in their view. Afterall, Wal-Mart provides good jobs. Oddly, one of the Republican candidates even seems to think the proposed Community Store is unfair to downtown businesses. It's too much for current businesses to compete with. It's not clear why a 5000 sq. ft. community store is a danger to downtown businesses but a 120,000 sq. ft. Wal-Mart is ok.

The Democratic party is supporting a candidate that believes Saranac Lake has something to offer to people and to businesses. He believes that certain businesses would thrive in Saranac Lake. One only has to look at Trudeau Institute, Inc. to see that this is true. Trudeau Institute provides many of the best paying jobs in the area. Unfortunately, attracting high tech, clean businesses means new people (outsiders) would move to the area. People with "disposable income" and opinions! This is not what many in Saranac Lake care to see happen. Don't believe me? Read the letters to the editor in the Adirondack Daily Enterprise, the comments on the ADE poll questions and listen to "talk of the town". You will soon realize that most problems in Saranac Lake derive from "outsiders" with "disposable income" and opinions. Scaring away newcomers to our community is not a way to prevent Saranac Lake from becoming a ghost town.

Property prices in the Adirondacks have been growing in leaps and bounds. Why is this? Because people (outsiders) realize that the Adirondack Park is a gem. The largest tract of undeveloped (mostly) land in the Northeast USA, yet convenient to large cities like Montreal and New York City. People prize the Adirondacks because it is different from everywhere else in the northeast. There are no big box stores. You can still go to a pharmacy where the pharmacist knows your name. You can be involved in community and political affairs. And, your children can be educated in good, safe schools.

The Village of Saranac Lake needs to continue moving forward with a vision to attract sound, careful growth of clean, high tech businesses. Cutting Village taxes today only to increase them tomorrow, when the tax cuts get you in trouble (sort of like the Federal Government right now), is no answer to our problems.