Thursday, March 16, 2006

Thomas Michael, Christina Fontana, Susan Waters

Not being a resident of the village of Saranac Lake, I can't vote in the upcoming elections. But if I could, I'd vote for Micheal, Fontana and Waters. Why? Because of the below pledge for one and because they are smart, professional people that will consider all sides of an issue before making a decision. Also, they are not 'one issue' candidates. Moreover, it's high time that the SL Village Board improve its relations with the police department. We need some fresh faces and new blood to revitalize our village. BTW, where is the pledge from the Republican candidates? Are they taking you for granted already?

Our Pledge to Saranac Lake
In the current village election campaign, you’ve heard conflicting claims about our position on community issues. We want to clear things up by pledging to you:

Honest, Open Government:
We pledge to consider input from all groups and use executive session at Village Board meetings only when absolutely necessary.

Commercial Development:
We pledge to use our business and development expertise to encourage and welcome commercial growth including:
A department store, whether it be Wal-Mart or any nationally known, financially stable, retailer, and to work with them so their development fits our community’s needs
Downtown development to ensure the vitality of our community center
Attracting businesses that enhance our community and provide more shopping choices
We will work with all developers fairly and negotiate firmly so they pay their fair share of improvements required because of their development.

Controlling Taxes:
We pledge to reduce the cost of running our local government by:
Sharing services with neighboring communities
Expanding the commercial tax base to reduce residential taxes
Working to reduce spiraling retirement and insurance costs for village employees
Helping department heads reduce overtime expenditures
Creating more tax-paying homeowners by developing housing that average residents can buy

Employee Relations:
We pledge professional leadership for village employees by
Performing annual evaluations and outlining clear disciplinary measures
Listening to employees’ expertise and keeping them informed
Creating a Code of Conduct so all village employees are responsive to and respectful of our community residents

We ask for your vote on March 21st so our community will grow and thrive.

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