During political campaigns, voters are inundated with claims, talking points, and competing narratives.
This Village election is no exception.
Team ACT — Affordability, Civility, Transparency — believes facts matter.
On March 18, you will choose who represents Saranac Lake for the next four years. That decision should be grounded in documented information, not selective storytelling.
We present:
The claims that have been circulated during this campaign
The fACTs, supported by public records and documented sources
For example, public materials show that the Village’s unrestricted general fund declined from $3,107,119 to $1,143,103 — a 63% decrease. That’s not opinion. That’s financial reporting.
Fund Balance:
The Claim: The village’s general fund is only $400,000 less than it was four years ago.
The fACTs: The village general fund (aka rainy day fund) was at $3,107,119 four years ago.
As of July 1, 2025, it’s down to $1,143,103, a drop of $1,964,016 or a decrease of 63%.
Spending:
The Claim: The village earned $2.2 million in interest over the last three years, up from $423 in 2021. The village has also found new sources of income.
The fACTs: The village’s gains in interest income resulted from interest-rate rises and by moving funds to high-yield accounts. Unfortunately, those gains have not offset runaway spending. Declining revenue and increased spending resulted in an unprecedented $1.87 million deficit in the general fund last year. No amount of fees collected from electric car charging stations, paid parking, cannabis taxes, and geothermal production will make up this difference.
Personnel:
The Claim: Four years ago the Department of Public Works (DPW) was at half-staff and unable to manage any infrastructure projects. Now we're fully staffed and completing major projects in-house, saving about 90 % of cost.
The fACTs: Saranac Lake’s DPW has a long history of completing successful infrastructure projects in-house. While staffing has varied over time, the DPW has always risen to the challenge. Claiming that DPW was at half strength four years ago is misleading. Doing work in-house saves money, but it is impossible to reduce costs by 90% when labor costs are just one part of an overall project budget. The cost of materials, design and other elements must also be considered.
Water & Sewer Rates:
The Claim: Typically, water and sewer rates go up double digits each and every year. Over the last three years, both have increased by 0%.
The fACTs: Water and sewer rates did not go up “double digits every year.” The data show modest increases, a few spikes, and then three years of freezes. Holding rates at 0% while costs rise dramatically doesn’t make things cheaper; it just guarantees a bigger jump for ratepayers later.
Tax Cap:
The Claim: The current administration has not broken the tax cap and will not do so to complete the emergency services building project.
The fACTs: The village has stayed within the tax cap since the state law initiating the tax cap was passed in 2011. This is nothing new.
Emergency Services Building:
The Claim: We received a $4.5 million dollar congressional spending request for our public safety building project.
The fACTs: The $2.5 million set aside by the previous administration, the $4.5 million congressional directed spending award, and the $200,000 NYS Fire infrastructure grant is a good start, but it won’t begin to pay for a project that has been estimated to cost at least $27.5 million. Even if the village borrows $5 million (and commits to a $310,000 annual interest payment), which the board recently identified as the maximum it would consider, there is still a $16 million gap with no clear sources of additional funding.
The Claim: 33 Petrova is the only option for the Public Safety Building.
The fACTs: The record shows division and unresolved risk. The Village purchased the property without first conducting SEQR, and sixteen months later engineers identified an unremediated 2020 fuel oil spill in the building’s basement. Hazardous material removal is not included in the projected construction cost. The site sits at the head of APA-designated Class 1 wetlands, while leadership has pledged to reject any design requiring an APA permit - eliminating the feasibility study’s access plan. Although the feasibility scope required a preliminary tax impact calculation, no comprehensive, independent tax impact analysis has been presented to residents. Key votes have not had consensus reflecting ongoing disagreement on the project’s direction. And while residents were told the project would not exceed the tax cap, even debt service on a $5 million bond would cost roughly $310,000 annually - more than three times the Village’s typical tax cap capacity.
Armory:
The Claim: It will take a constitutional amendment to acquire the armory for local public use.
The fACTs: The claim that a constitutional amendment is the only way to secure the Armory for local public use is premature and unsupported. Before we accept that, we need to answer a basic question: is this property even protected as “Forever Wild” Forest Preserve land? The Armory property was originally private land, then acquired by the Town of Harrietstown and given to New York State specifically for armory and military purposes. It was never part of the Forest Preserve, is partly located within the Village (which is not Forest Preserve), and is not mapped or classified as Forest Preserve land. That legal question has never been fully resolved. If the property is not constitutionally protected Forest Preserve, then a constitutional amendment would not be required. In fact, New York State has previously transferred former armories to local communities through legislation. Our community deserves a full legal review before assuming the most difficult path for local ownership is the only option.
Housing:
The Claim: There are now 200 units of housing that were not available four years ago.
The fACTs: Trudeau Village and The Lofts are promising projects but they’re not open yet. Even when they do come online, those 167 units won’t solve a region-wide housing shortage years in the making. Housing simply isn’t solved, it will take long-term commitment and creative approaches to provide the housing Saranac Lake needs.
Ladder Truck:
The Claim: Bought the $1.3 million dollar ladder truck that they've been waiting on for 15 years.
The fACTs: Buying the ladder truck was a critical but expensive investment. The purchase wasn’t initiated by the current administration; the prior board saved for it over several years, set aside $800,000 in a reserve account and approved the purchase in 2022. Being in office when it was delivered isn’t the same as making it happen. Accuracy matters.
DRI Projects:
The Claim: Started and completed all of the village DRI projects.
The fACTs: Of the seven Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) public projects managed by the village, two have not been started — Boothe River Park and Woodruff Street — and the Ward Plumadore Park project went two and half times over budget ($277,000 estimate, over $741,000 spent). The Riverwalk Extension project by Grand Union was only possible after the prior mayor stepped in to secure the necessary easement.
Meet Our Candidates
Kelly Brunette
For Mayor
David Trudeau
for Trustee
Jeremy Evans
for Trustee