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November 14, 2009
A Denton Publication
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Bridge work
In office
Appointment
Lake Champlain bridge in Crown Point is to be demolished.
Joyce Morency will remain as supervisor of St. Armand.
ANCA of Lake Placid has named Kate Fish as Executive Director.
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Supporters District Attorney race remains too close to call Unofficial results show laud land Sprague with narrow lead swap approval By Matt Bosley matt@denpubs.com TUPPER LAKE — Supporters of an amendment to the State Constitution legalizing a set of power lines built on State Forest Preserve are celebrating its recent passage. Voters across New York State approved the measure by a margin of 863,898 to 427,043 Nov. 3, much to the delight of Elected representatives and environmental groups, both of whom supported it. The amendment authorizes the transfer of six acres of Forest Preserve along Route 56 in the town of Colton to accommodate a new stretch of power lines to Tupper Lake. National Grid, the company that owns and operates the lines, will give 43 acres of land along the Grasse River in exchange. “I am very thankful for the voter support we received on Election Day for this important constitutional amendment,” said State Sen. Elizabeth Little, who sponsored the initiative and helped guide it through the Senate and Assembly. The Adirondack Council was also a major proponent of the project, educating voters on how construction of the lines across the two-mile stretch amounted to the least environmental impact. “This landslide approval shows that voters took the time to understand the issue and trusted our advice about the environmental benefits,” said Brian Houseal, executive director for the Adirondack Council. “We are gratified and humbled by the overwhelmingly positive response.” The amendment allows National Grid to legally connect Tupper Lake to a back-up power supply. The community had suffered numerous power outages over the past decade because it was at the end of a single power supply line that starts in Malone. Recognizing an immediate need for another line, National Grid, the New York State Power Authority and the state Department of Environmental Conservation signed an agreement authorizing construction in early 2008. “It’s impossible to build a sustainable, modern economy in a village that can’t keep the lights on,” Houseal said, “Dysfunctional villages only encourage more development in the back woods where it doesn’t belong.” Houseal said the Adirondack Council supported the amendment because the alternative was to run the lines on a six-mile detour around the Forest Preserve. “We really didn’t like the detour,” said Houseal, noting how it would have cut through old-growth boreal forest that is known to contain rare plants and wildlife, such as spruce grouse. “We told them, ‘This may sound crazy, but we want you to build this on the Forest Preserve. It will save you money and it will prevent ecological damage by confining the power line to an already-developed area,’” Houseal said. “They looked at us strangely at first, but then agreed.” The majority of the lines run across private property or remain on the state Route 56 highway easement; all except a two-mile stretch between Stark Falls and Sevey Corners. They have been in use since May. With the amendment approved, the state legislature must now pass yet another bill spelling out the specifics of the land swap and completing the transfers. “Passage couldn't come at a better time as winter quickly approaches and demand for power will increase in Tupper Lake and the Tri-Lakes region,” Little said. “This is a smart solution and the result of effective teamwork by the business community, environmental advocates and local and state officials.”
Kristy Sprague By Matt Bosley matt@denpubs.com ELIZABETHTOWN — The race between the candidates for Essex County District Attorney is still too close to call after Election Day. Unofficial results reported after polls closed Nov. 3 show Republican-backed candidate Kristy Sprague with a 75-vote lead over incumbent Julie Garcia in the county-wide race. The margin remained close as individual towns reported their counts throughout the evening. With only Minerva and North Elba left to report, the count showed Garcia with a 110-vote lead. Final tallies gave Sprague a tentative win, however, claiming victory by a margin of 6053 votes to Garcia’s 5978. “It was a close race,” said Sprague, “but I won, and I’m very pleased with the re-
sult.” Sprague, an Assistant District Attorney in Clinton County, received the endorsement of Essex County Republicans and went on to a narrow victory over fellow Republican Garcia in the party primary, but not before Garcia had secured the endorsement of county Democrats. “I knew it was going to be tough,” Sprague added. “[Garcia’s] a four-year incumbent who ran on a major party line, but we won, and I’m happy with that.” The towns of Elizabethtown, Westport, Moriah, Essex, and Schroon all broke heavily in favor of Garcia, but Sprague claimed significant victories in Chesterfield, Ticonderoga, Minerva, Newcomb, North Hudson, and her new hometown of Willsboro. Sprague said the presence of the Congressional race in the 23rd district contributed heavily to the closeness of the District Attorney race. “The Democrats definitely got out the vote,” she said, surmising that many supporters of candidate Bill Owens also voted for Garcia on the Democratic line. Garcia has yet to concede, but certainly acknowledged the initial deficit in a race many had painted as a referendum on the decision of Republican party leaders not to back the candidate they had chosen four years prior. “I’m very proud of our campaign,” said Garcia. “People stood up for what they believed in.” Garcia pointed to early results in the race for Essex town supervisor as evidence that the political strength of ranking Essex County Republicans is fading. There, long-time incumbent Ronald Jackson, chair of the county Republican Committee, showed a preliminary loss to challenger Sharon Boisen by a margin of more
Julie Garcia than five percent. “When Ron Jackson takes a hit, it speaks volumes for the state of the Republican Party in Essex County,” Garcia said. “It shows the unrest in the GOP and that people aren’t just going to vote for the person the Republican Party wants them to vote for.” The candidates now await an official result following the count of absentee ballots. There have been 1,167 absentee ballots sent out, of which, at last report, 787 have been collected. The remaining 380 must have been postmarked by Nov. 2, but have until Nov. 10 to be received. Still, Sprague is confident her victory will stand. “I think that once the absentee ballots are counted, they will increase our margin further,” she said, adding that her campaign has actively targeted absentee voters.
Hommes elected easily to fourth term as sheriff By Matt Bosley matt@denpubs.com ELIZABETHTOWN — Henry Hommes has been the Essex County Sheriff for 12 years. Now, it appears he will have the chance to add four more. Unofficial election results released Nov. 3 showed Hommes with a commanding lead over his two independent challengers with nearly 55 percent of the total vote. The final tally credited Hommes with 5,280 votes. Westport town councilman Michael “Ike” Tyler came in second with 3,086, and former Wilmington town justice Robert Kirby third with 1,319. “I think it speaks for itself; that I must be doing what the people want,” said Hommes. “I’m very appreciative of the support I’ve received tonight and over the past 12 years.” The convincing victory for Hommes parallels his win over Tyler in the Republican primary. There, he claimed 54.2 percent of the vote in a two-way race. Tyler continued to run as an independent, but could not pull enough voters away from Hommes. He did put forth strong showings in Elizabethtown, Moriah, and Westport, however.
Tyler could not be reached for comment at the time of this report. Kirby, another independent, was also able to draw many of the voters who were seeking change. Though he had significant support in Wilmington and surrounding communities in Keene and Jay, it was not enough to challenge the incumbent. “Naturally, I'm disappointed,” said Kirby. “I believe that we have some serious problems at our sheriff's office, and I presented some very specific solutions to them.” Kirby said he had felt a positive response from people he met throughout the county, but admitted his self-funded campaign may not have allowed him to reach enough people. “Although the end result was not what I'd hoped for, it was still a positive experience overall and I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to run,” he added. The wide margin of victory for Hommes means he has no reason to doubt his re-election. Less than 1,200 absentee ballots have been issued county-wide. “We will continue to do the job we’ve been doing of trying to keep the burden of the tax rolls off the backs of the taxpayers,” Hommes said.
Henry Hommes