The following letter was published online at the Lake Placid News website on November 2, 2023 and be found there at https://www.lakeplacidnews.com/opinion/letters/2023/11/02/vote-fred-balzac-for-town-council/:
Vote Fred Balzac for town council
To the editor:
A couple months ago, I was on an organizing call about local short-term rental regulation. At the end of the call, a man who I had never met before asked me, “Is Fred Balzac involved with this group?”
He told me that Fred would be a great person to have on our side, and that Fred’s efforts helped save the Jay Covered Bridge.
It dawned on me that Fred’s local activism has impacted many over the years.
In the time I’ve known Fred, I’ve seen him take public, principled stands on issues others deemed too controversial.
Fred was not afraid to publicly speak out against the opening of the first crisis pregnancy center in the Adirondack Park, an issue that has become even more important since the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Fred consistently pushed for more transparency in the Village of Saranac Lake. In my view, his efforts paid significant dividends. Two of the three candidates elected in 2022 made government transparency a major policy plank, and several changes have been made that make the Saranac Lake village government more transparent and accessible.
Fred has been a consistent champion for housing rights and affordable housing. Importantly, he has made sure to advocate on behalf of tenants, a group that is often under-represented in discussions and on task forces related to affordable housing.
The North Country faces many challenges: climate change, a lack of affordable housing, a local economy too dependent on tourism and events. I applaud the efforts the North Elba Town Council has made in addressing these issues, but there is still much work to be done.
At all levels of government, we need leaders who will fight for what they believe in, even when it’s hard or not politically advantageous.
I’m confident that as a town council member, Fred will continue to work hard for the people of North Elba, and provide much-needed representation for Saranac Lake village residents in North Elba.
I encourage you to vote for him on Nov. 7.
David Lynch
Saranac Lake
The following letter was published in the November 3, 2023 edition of the Lake Placid News and can be found online at https://www.lakeplacidnews.com/opinion/letters/2023/11/02/supporting-balzac/:
Supporting Balzac
To the editor:
I am writing to support Fred Balzac for North Elba Town Council. He is passionate about serving the local full-time residents and will work tirelessly to improve our community. Over many years, Fred has been active in standing up against special interests. He will work diligently to increase affordable housing options for local workers, to diversify our local economy to make us less reliant on tourism and to address problems that develop due to climate change. Fred is an independent thinker who will always be evaluating each issue as it comes up and striving to improve the lives of local residents and works. In local elections, I believe party affiliation is far less important than personal character, devotion to the community and a willingness to confront difficult situations. I urge everyone to vote for Fred!
Mary Liz Alexander
Lake Placid
The following letter was published in the November 3, 2023 edition of the Lake Placid News and can be found online athttps://www.lakeplacidnews.com/opinion/letters/2023/11/02/balzac-for-councilor/:
Balzac for Councilor
To the editor:
Good neighbors are an asset in any community, no less so than in one as diverse as North Elba, encompassing Saranac Lake, Ray Brook and Lake Placid. These municipalities sometimes require conflicting considerations in forming policies affecting all of us. Fred Balzac is dedicated to being a lively presence at municipal board meetings looking out for his neighbors’ interests. While a resident of Jay, Fred stood up to New York state agencies to preserve the Jay Rapids and the Jay Historic Covered Bridge. This may not have been a priority in Albany, but it was a significant win for Fred’s neighbors in Jay. Likewise, special interests draw Fred’s scrutiny whether in the public or private sector. He has been involved in the debate of constructing short-term rental housing in Saranac Lake as well as keeping a 36,000-gallon propane storage tank from a neighborhood in Lake Placid.
Since moving to Saranac Lake in 2018 from Jay with his family Fred has continued his involvement in the arts and arts organizations. His additional efforts in the area of protecting families, his neighbors and monitoring state and local policies which affect us as fellow citizens are welcome, indeed. A vote for Fred Balzac for North Elba Town Council will be a vote for us all.
Barbara Friend
Saranac Lake
The following letter was published in the October 27, 2023 edition of the Lake Placid News and can be found online at https://www.lakeplacidnews.com/opinion/letters/2023/10/26/fred-will-fight/:
Fred will fight
To the editor:
I am writing to express my support for Fred Balzac for North Elba Town Council. I am a native of Ray Brook, having grown up in a family resort business and am a long-time homeowner in Saranac Lake.
I had the pleasure of meeting Fred when he reached out to myself and neighbors on Duprey Street to offer his help with our opposition to two projects being proposed by the then village mayor and his construction company, both of which had numerous questionable and very negative facets to them. But with his considerable communications skills, Fred helped us organize an in-depth, well-researched, fact-based strategic effort to address our concerns and to be heard.
In another instance, Fred stood up for and spoke out often at village board meetings when two women came forward to say that the same then mayor had verbally abused them at two separate construction sites that each live and/or owned property next to. And he accompanied one of the women and me to the police to support her while filing the complaint.
In addition, Fred co-founded Neighbors for Good Government Tri-Lakes with several Saranac Lakers and myself, and he was one of only a few of us to organize a successful and fair-balanced public forum in March 2022 for mayoral candidates.
Still another occasion, he stood up at a joint meeting of village of Saranac Lake trustees and the Harrietstown town board and denounced a trustee and Franklin County legislator for using their offices to falsely malign two residents, both with young families, one of which it directly resulted in him losing a job he had just been hired for. Fred is open-minded and dedicated and would work tirelessly with his counterparts for what is best for North Elba, and the people in it. I have met very few whom have his level of character and integrity and his passion for standing up to do the right thing.
Margot Kampf
Saranac Lake
The following letter was published in the October 27, 2023 edition of the Lake Placid News and can be found online at https://www.lakeplacidnews.com/opinion/letters/2023/10/26/why-not-fred/:
Why not Fred? [II]
To the editor:
Fred Balzac moved to Essex County full-time 30 years ago. Ever since, he’s been active in local government as a truly independent Democrat (AND, for a time, a Green). Community issues are Fred’s passion. He is dogged in creative problem solving and eager to challenge the status quo if it isn’t inclusive of all the residents. He stands up to special interests and holds elected officials to account. He is not one to back down until he gets a job done.
Fred Balzac is running for Town Council in North Elba—Lake Placid, Ray Brook and Saranac Lake—where affordable housing for middle- and low-income residents is not only lacking, it too often isn’t up to code. Fred will tirelessly attend and speak out at our town board meetings to expand the inclusivity of committees to protect the rights of tenants while being fair to landlords. He will lobby state and federal government to fund innovative public housing projects where people of all income levels live together. As a North Elba homeowner, he’s invested in maximizing municipal services to keep taxes down and assessments fair and equitable.
Fred is a team player who will put people in our town before profits and year-round residents before special interests. He is mindful of the coming climate challenges and will push hard for ecologically sustainable development, like getting Lake Placid to embrace solar/renewable energy solutions for town, commercial, and private properties. He is dedicated to diversifying our local economy and is actively engaged in the arts as an economic driver for the area through his role as the grant coordinator for the New York State Council on the Arts-funded arts grants. His whole family is invested in the cultural vibrancy of our region. We consider Fred Balzac an exciting prospect for Town Council.
Ren Davidson Seward
Peter Seward
Saranac Lake
The following letter was published in the October 27, 2023 edition of the Lake Placid News with the headline “Fred: Selfless Maverick” and the October 24, 2023 edition of the Adirondack Daily Enterprise with the headline “Why not Fred?” and can be found online at https://www.lakeplacidnews.com/opinion/letters/2023/10/26/fred-selfless-maverick/ and https://www.adirondackdailyenterprise.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/2023/10/why-not-fred/:
Fred: selfless maverick / Why not Fred? [I]
To the editor:
Throughout the area signs are popping up that state simply: “Why Not Fred?” That is a question that residents are encouraged to thoughtfully consider before voting in the upcoming North Elba Town Council elections on Nov. 7. Our communities are in need of politicians that will stand up for year-round residents, show up and ask the tough questions, speak up against powerful interest groups, and spend time listening to and working for those of us trying to make a living, raise our children, and run our businesses. If North Elba elects Fred Balzac, that is who they will receive.
The people of North Elba deserve a public servant that will show up and ask tough questions. Noticeably missing from the Oct. 16 candidate forum sponsored by the Adirondack Daily Enterprise and Lake Placid News was an incumbent that Fred is challenging. Fred has a history of relentlessly showing up for community members and enacting change. In 2022, Fred spent days speaking to a group of neighbors who felt powerless and voiceless to take on a development that the former mayor of Saranac Lake was attempting to push through the mayor’s self-appointed Development Board. Fred organized the neighbors to call out the clear conflict of interest, publicly question ethics, and ultimately the grassroots neighborhood succeeded in making sure the rule of law was followed.
The people of North Elba deserve a disruptive leader that will speak up against powerful interest groups, shine a light on conflicts of interest, and publicly question the ethics of people regardless of party. A little over a year ago, Fred and a group of citizens showed up at a Democratic insider rally to protest the perceived ethics violations and politically retaliatory actions of a local politician – not a popular thing for anyone to do in Saranac Lake but in Fred’s mind, the right thing to do. Fred also isn’t afraid to publicly question the actions and ethics of interest groups like the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism and the many other organizations that, for years, have been brushing aside the negative impacts of over-tourism, including the rapid expansion of short-term rentals (a percentage of occupancy taxes from every rental going to ROOST), and the resulting lack of housing have had on our communities and businesses. It is voices like Fred’s that have pushed ROOST and local governments to finally acknowledge and then begin to do something about the housing problem that they played a part in causing.
The people of North Elba deserve a selfless maverick who will speak up, especially when speaking up isn’t popular. Fred shows up to meetings and events and routinely brings up community members’ issues long before they make it in the paper.
I may not agree with every stance Fred takes, but his passion for doing the right thing for the people of our communities and speaking up regardless of the political winds is something no other local politician can match.
It is time to elect someone that doesn’t represent the status quo. So why not Fred?
Jacob Vennie-Vollrath
Saranac Lake, NY
VOTE on the Democratic Line, Row A, Col. 5 ☼ Fred Balzac for Town Council: Because your struggle is OUR fight!
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Check Out Coverage of & Letters of Support for My Candidacy!
● North Elba town-council candidate questionnaire responses, Oct. 26-27, 2023:
https://www.lakeplacidnews.com/news/local-news/2023/10/26/north-elba-candidate-fred-balzac/
● “Why Not Fred?” [II, letter of support, Oct. 26:
https://www.lakeplacidnews.com/opinion/letters/2023/10/26/why-not-fred/
● “Fred Will Fight,” letter of support, Oct. 26:
https://www.lakeplacidnews.com/opinion/letters/2023/10/26/fred-will-fight/
● “Fred: Selfless Maverick” & “Why Not Fred?” [I] letters of support, Oct. 26 & 24:
https://www.lakeplacidnews.com/opinion/letters/2023/10/26/fred-selfless-maverick/
https://www.adirondackdailyenterprise.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/2023/10/why-not-fred/
● “Town Council candidates share visions for North Elba,” Oct. 19, & “Candidates share visions for North Elba: Town council candidates speak on housing, local identity and Lake Placid’s future,” Oct. 18:
https://www.lakeplacidnews.com/search/Candidates+share+visions+for+North+Elba
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How You Can Help
While I am 100% self-funding my campaign and will not accept any donations if received, there are a few ways that you can help me get elected to represent and be a voice for YOU:
● Return to this campaign, YourStruggleIsOurFight.com, to continue to learn more about my campaign via updates and new posts while also considering subscribing to the site
● Forward this post to friends, family members and neighbors and ask them to contact me by phone/text (518-588-7275), email (FredforNorthElba@gmail.com) or via this website, as listed above, to learn more about my campaign
● Put up my yard sign (email me at FredforNorthElba@gmail.com)
● Visit & like my Facebook page, Fred Balzac for North Elba (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551128725260), which is in development
● For help obtaining a ride to an election site, please contact me
● Please VOTE for me early, today, Sun., Nov. 5, until 5 pm, at the Lake Placid Beach House, 31 Parkside Drive. (next to Mirror Lake), or on Election Day, Tue., Nov. 7, from 6 am-9 pm, at the Town House, 193 River St./NYS Route 86 in Saranac Lake (next to Guideboat Realty) for District 2 voters or the Shipman Youth Center, 61 Cummings Road, Lake Placid, for voters in Districts 1 & 3-6
Your Struggle Is OUR Fight 