ONE Tupper Lake

09/20/2026

ONE TOWN - ONE REALLY LARGE TROLL

What Patrick Sapling Can Teach Us About Leadership

Something remarkable has taken root here in Tupper Lake.
His name is Patrick Sapling.

And at first glance, he is an extraordinary piece of art — a giant troll made from pieces of wood that might otherwise have been discarded, sitting among the rocks of the Adirondacks and holding a young maple tree toward the sky.

But if you look a little closer, Patrick is telling us something. And perhaps, at this particular moment in Tupper Lake, we should listen.

Patrick is enormous, yet he isn’t standing over anyone, he is kneeling. There is a lesson in that for anyone entrusted with leadership.

Real leadership isn’t about being the biggest person in the room.
It isn’t about winning every argument. It isn’t about having the loudest voice, protecting your pride or proving that somebody else is wrong. Leadership begins with enough humility to kneel and to listen. To recognize that the office you occupy is never more important than the people you were elected to serve.

Look at Patrick’s hands, he isn’t clutching something for himself, he is lifting a young tree, something that will hopefully live long after he does. That may be the greatest lesson Patrick Sapling can teach our elected leaders. The purpose of public service isn’t to build ourselves up, it is to lift our community up. It means asking ourselves whether the decisions we make today will leave something stronger for the people who come after us.

Will our children inherit a stronger school?

Will families be able to afford to remain here?

Will our critical infrastructure sustain us?

Will taxpayers believe their money is being spent fairly?

Will residents trust their government?

Will businesses want to invest here?

Will the next generation look back and say; they thought about us.

The sapling in Patrick’s hands isn’t really about a tree, it’s about the future, and the future is fragile. You don’t help a sapling grow by pulling on it. You don’t strengthen it by fighting over who gets credit for planting it. You don’t protect it by surrounding it with anger. You give it good soil. You give it light. You give it water. You protect it. And then you have enough patience to let it grow.

Government isn’t much different. Trust grows slowly. Cooperation follows slowly. Community embraces slowly; all three can be damaged very quickly.

Tupper Lake has experienced disagreements, we’ve had accusations, we’ve had arguments. We’ve had questions about transparency, government spending, assessments, conflicts, public safety, workplace conduct and the direction of our community.

People have chosen sides, tempers have flared and sometimes the argument itself has become more important than the issue we were originally arguing about. Patrick Sapling offers us another path.

Patrick himself was built from reclaimed material, pieces that could have been thrown away became something extraordinary. Think about that. things that were separated were brought together. Things that looked like scraps became something valuable. Pieces of different shapes, different sizes and different origins became stronger because somebody figured out how to fit them together.

That sounds an awful lot like Tupper Lake, we don’t all agree and truthfully, we aren’t supposed to. We come from different backgrounds, neighborhoods, political beliefs, businesses and families. We have different ideas about what the town should become but disagreement does not have to mean destruction. The question is whether we can take those differences and build something from them.

Patrick was built with the help of volunteers and local businesses; no single person built him alone. Neither will anyone rebuild Tupper Lake alone. Not the Town Supervisor and the Town Board.
Not the Village Mayor and the Village Board. Not one business.
Not a political group. Not the loudest person on social media. And certainly not any one individual who believes he or she has all the answers. Tupper Lake’s future will be built together, or it will not be built at all, at least not the Tupper Lake we want.

And that requires something from our leaders. Transparency when questions are uncomfortable. Patience when criticism feels unfair.
Accountability when mistakes are made. Respect when people disagree. The willingness to explain decisions instead of dismissing questions. And perhaps most important, the maturity to remember that someone who disagrees with you today may be exactly the person you need beside you tomorrow.

Look again at Patrick, his eyes are closed; more lessons.

Before responding — listen.

Before becoming angry — reflect.

Before assuming someone’s motives — ask!

Before dividing the community into friends and enemies, remember that tomorrow morning we are all still going to wake up in the same little Adirondack town. Our kids will still attend school together. We will still stand in line together at the grocery store. We will still see one another at restaurants, hockey games, funerals, weddings and community events. We are neighbors long after the political argument ends.

Patrick also sits among Adirondack stone.

Strong. Permanent. Rooted.

Those rocks were here before any of today’s elected officials took office, and they’ll probably be here long after every one of us is gone. That’s worth remembering too. Public office is temporary.
Your reputation or how you used it is not. Someday someone else will sit in those chairs. Someone else will hold the titles. Someone else will make the motions and cast the votes.

The question every public official should ask is:

What did I plant while I was here?

Did I plant division? Did I plant suspicion? Did I plant resentment?

Or

Did I plant trust? Did I plant cooperation? Did I plant opportunity?
Did I leave something growing?

Ultimately what I believe Patrick Sapling represents is legacy.
The responsibility one generation has to the next and, what an appropriate symbol that is for Tupper Lake. A town built by people who worked in mills, forests, railroads, businesses, schools, hospitals, prisons, garages, restaurants and public service. People who didn’t have the luxury of believing everything was somebody else’s responsibility.

They built.

They volunteered.

They fought.

They disagreed.

But ultimately, they understood that this place belonged to all of them and now it belongs to us and someday it will belong to people who aren’t even born yet. Our responsibility is to hand it to them stronger.

Patrick Sapling shouldn’t simply become Tupper Lake’s newest tourist attraction; he can be much more symbolic. He can become a reminder that strength and humility can exist together. A reminder that leadership means lifting something other than yourself. A reminder that discarded pieces can still create something beautiful. A reminder that communities grow when people work together.

A reminder that the smallest sapling deserves protection because someday it may become the biggest tree in the forest. A reminder that the decisions we make today aren’t really about the next meeting or the next election. They’re about the next generation.

It is time all of us — especially those entrusted with leading Tupper Lake — remember the important lessons:

Kneel with humility.

Listen before reacting.

Lift others instead of yourself.

Plant something worth leaving behind.

And then make sure that whatever we plant together has every opportunity to reach the light.

That is leadership. That is stewardship.

I believe that is the Tupper Lake we are capable of becoming.

Respectfully ,
Ronald Lascala

09/18/2026

ONE TOWN - ONE LARGE TRACT OF LAND SOLD!

Finally, after many years of watching and waiting for resolution, the last of the land encumbered by the failed project once referred to as the Adirondack Club and Resort has a new owner.

What next? Will Tupper Lake get another chance at transformation? Will the backdrop of the former Big Tupper Ski Resort become something more than a photo op? Do Town of Tupper Lake officials have any insight into what is planned for 5800 acres of pristine wilderness that may well hold the greatest opportunity for growth and development since the birth of the town.

Transformation is coming, in one form or another, yet most everything in our town that is required to support growth is ailing; quality water, sewer capacity, law enforcement, code enforcement, the school district and a fair system of property taxation. If you are concerned about the future of ONE Tupper Lake, it is time to show up at local government meetings, ask questions, demand answers and let our elected officials know what you desire for the future of your town.

Respectfully,
Stephen Jellie

Investor tied to property is the official owner of 5,800 acres in Tupper Lake formerly slated for the Adirondack Club and Resort project.

09/17/2026

ONE TOWN - TOO MANY SHADOWS

You can't listen to national or state level news for more than a few minutes without hearing stories of the "deep state" or "shadow governments", both referring to entities that allegedly run the government from behind the scenes or far outside the transparent view of public scrutiny. Many times, these stories are written off as conspiracy theories, fictional nonsense or information with no real purpose other than to stir the pot. There are times when the accounts are full of fact, actual events that occurred, that most people cannot bring themselves to believe because it would mean admitting that individuals they voted for, worked with or have known for many years are committing acts that violate public trust, in some cases treason, just to enrich themselves with money or some other tangible personal benefit.

But this is Tupper Lake, the crossroads of the Adirondack Park, surely, we don't have any of that sinister plotting going on here. We have (4) levels of local government watching out for us, why would there be a need for unofficial groups of people to be steering our future from the shadows (or the backroom, basements, and barstools) far from the view of the public and even further from anything that depicts democracy. And if it does exist, why do we allow people that we know, perhaps some we may call family, to conduct themselves in such a manner that defies every philosophy, law and rule of good governance ever created to ensure government functions in a manner that is best for all of us.

Since beginning this public information page, it has become clear to me that at least a couple shadow groups exist in some form within the Tupper Lake community. I certainly do not believe they carry the sophistication of "the deep state", but their actions locally are every bit as damaging to good governance, transparency and above-board dealings. Now, having a clearer picture of who some of the individuals are that lead, host and facilitate these groups, I believe good intent and progress is a core principle that drives their efforts, but it is my opinion that the expense of eroding public trust and confidence is not worth any gain obtained, under any circumstances.

"The Business Group"; a group recently attempting to re-brand themselves the "Economic Development Group". Who are the leaders and members of this group, when do they meet, where do they meet? Do you have to own a business to attend, or do you have to be invited to attend by current members of the group? Does this group meet with local elected officials, contribute to political campaigns, or strategically place donated funds in the right place, at the right time in order to maintain membership or status? The Town Supervisor admitted to hosting and attending "a lot" of meetings with the Business Group at a regular town board meeting earlier this year when he was being questioned about his potentially conflicted relationships with employees of the town and his personally owned corporations, so there is no doubt about the existence of the group.

Then there is the "Alliance for Accountability in the Tupper Lake School District" (or something to that effect). What is the progressive, forward-thinking mission of this group and who exactly comprises their alliance? I am told a private, by invitation only, page exists for this group, but I could not locate it. And if it does exist, why is it private and what could they possibly hope to achieve by functioning in the dark.

Last, we have the so-called political caucus groups, that always appear to be led by one or more active politicians. What is the official composition of any of these groups and what are the laws and rules they are governed by? Best I can tell from researching just the past decade, the Town Supervisor has been a member of all of them at one point, whichever one was willing to serve his agenda at any particular time. If you lose a bid to be one caucuses nominee, you can still attempt to be the nominee of another caucus for the same election? Is in-person caucus voting really serving the Tupper Lake community sufficiently, or is it exclusively serving the needs of those with a specific agenda?

I started this forum, ONE Tupper Lake, with the original intent of increasing public awareness and knowledge that we have too much local government and it is beyond time that the Village of Tupper Lake be dissolved. There is no doubt that we do not need (2) levels of local government, both calling themselves Tupper Lake to manage our local government affairs, however I very quickly learned that behind the scenes, there exists at least one small group of people committed to making sure that never occurs, for reasons I do not know or understand. There are a few good intentioned, however ill informed, people that continue to publicly believe there might actually be some reason to continue this dysfunctional, financially doomed organization called the Village of Tupper Lake, but there is no factual evidence to support that, absolutely none and no one has presented anything to the contrary. So why no action other than to waste valuable taxpayer funds at the Village and the Town level to "study" it? Why not just appoint a task force to advise the Village Board and Town Board how to just "do it" and get it over with?

To answer the above questions, I think it is high time that everyone attempting to influence, manipulate or control this topic, and many other local matters, comes out of the shadows. Summons the courage to speak in public, state your views on this page, open up the secret pages, present your argument in full view in public forum, but stop the cowardly hiding and acting like your too smart to be bothered engaging with the public that you know better than. Step up and lead from the front of the room, or the back, but let's get it out of shadows, and the backrooms, basements and barstools where just a tiny portion of the community can hear you.

ONE Town - One Tax - ONE TUPPER LAKE - No shadows, No Hidden Agendas, No Secret Mailings and No Exclusion of the Public in ANY local government decision making.

Respectfully,
Stephen Jellie

09/10/2026

Representative Cashman - It is appreciated that you are spending so much time in Tupper Lake, please don't let the Village Mayor forget to take you on a tour of the Junction Businesses. More has been done to support the "uptown" businesses by a factor of at least 10X than what has ever been done to support the "junction" businesses and that trend continues under Mary Fontana's watch. Perhaps you could help Mayor Fontana "find a little money" to clean up the ruins of a family business that burned to the ground over 2 years ago as all the Village Mayor and Town Supervisor have done is place an enormous "fine burden" on the property that likely ensures that property will be owned by the county soon. This burned-out property is in between two state funded projects - the Rail Trail and the OWD Apartment Transformation - it would seem there would be a interest in helping remove the burned out ruins prior to the next tourist season instead of doing absolutely nothing.

09/07/2026

VILLAGE OF TUPPER LAKE

IF VILLAGE TRUSTEES DON'T ACT, WHO WILL?

At this point, the most troubling issue is no longer simply the allegations involving Village Mayor Mary Fontana and her husband. It is the Village Board’s repeated response, or absolute lack thereof, to them.

At least six separate allegations of misconduct involving the Village Mayor and/or her husband have been raised, and rather than ensuring that those matters were independently and professionally reviewed, the Village Board has repeatedly taken actions that have had the effect of avoiding meaningful scrutiny. That is no longer an isolated failure to act. It is a pattern of complacency.

When one serious allegation is raised, the Village Board may reasonably need time to gather facts and consider their options. When allegation after allegation is raised, and the response continues to be delay, dismiss, inaction, closed-door discussion without independent review, or some other means of preventing a full examination of the facts, residents are entitled to question whether these matters are being deliberately swept under the rug, which almost certainly guarantees they will continue. That appearance alone should deeply concern every member of the Village Board.

The Village of Tupper Lake Board of Trustees have experience using an outside HR firm; they have previously retained Public Sector HR Consultants for human-resource consulting, employment matters, training, workplace issues and sensitive matters. Yet through at least six allegations involving the Village Mayor and her husband, the Board has apparently chosen not to place these matters before an independent HR professional for a full review. Why? Why would the Village use outside HR professionals for employee matters but repeatedly decline to use that same independent resource when allegations involve the Village Mayor or someone closely connected to her. I recall in her "conditional resignation" email, the Village Mayor wanted to insure consistency and fairness.

Why should an ordinary Village employee believe workplace rules are applied equally when allegations involving the highest levels of Village government are repeatedly handled differently?

At what point does continued inaction stop looking like caution and start looking like protection?

No one is asking the Village Board to declare anyone guilty based merely on an allegation, actually the exact opposite. We are asking for an independent investigation so the facts can be established by someone who is not politically involved, personally connected, or dependent upon the people whose conduct is being questioned.

The Village Board should immediately refer all of these allegations to Public Sector HR Consultants or another qualified independent HR professional. The investigator should be provided with every relevant complaint, email, document, policy, witness statement, meeting record, and piece of supporting evidence and report directly to the full Board, not one person or a small faction. Once the investigation is complete, the Board should require a written report identifying the findings and recommending any disciplinary, corrective, administrative, or policy action that may be warranted under Village policy, Civil Service requirements, collective bargaining agreements, and applicable law.

If the allegations are unfounded, an independent investigation can clear the individuals involved and set the record straight instead of continuing to allow the rumor mill to control the community narrative. If they are substantiated, appropriate action should follow.

After at least six allegations, continuing to avoid an independent investigation is no longer a credible approach to local governance.

Each time the Village Board chooses not to act, it further erodes the public’s trust and confidence that everyone in Village government is held to the same standard. The Board was elected to provide oversight. Oversight does not mean protecting people from uncomfortable questions. Oversight does not mean finding ways to make complaints disappear. And oversight certainly does not mean repeatedly refusing to investigate serious allegations simply because the people involved are politically powerful or personally connected.

The Tupper Lake Village Board still has an opportunity to restore some public confidence. Place the matter on the agenda. Authorize an independent HR investigation. Provide the investigator with all relevant records. Require findings and recommendations. And then act on those findings.

The residents of Tupper Lake deserve far better than another excuse for doing nothing; they deserve elected officials that serve them and not the Village Mayor.

Respectfully,
Ron LaScala

09/05/2026

ONE TOWN - TWO LEADERS IN DELUSIONAL TURMOIL

"Maybe this will be a turning point"

If you ask Town Supervisor Ricky Dattola or Village Mayor Mary Fontana how things are going, they will both likely give a big grin, a handshake or hug and then one of their canned responses that all is well; delusional might be understating the parallel universe these two stroll along in.

The Town Supervisor blames anyone and everyone, but himself, for his hostile behavior and unjustifiable actions, just before he pivots to the advice his "legal people" gave him, "no comment". I hope he did not pay them much for that advice, with few exceptions, that has been his normal go-to response, along with actually speaking no words, for over a year in regard to any situation, of his own making, that he does not want you to know anything about. Even fellow Business Group cohort Dan McClleland could not find a way to diminish the 10X's Dattola spoke "no comment" at the last Town Board meeting in his article this week about the chaos Dattola created at the Country Club two weeks ago. I was fairly certain that Dattola would not resign over the mess that he and former Town Assessor Jessica Eggsware (aka: Jessica Kelley) made of the Town's property valuation and assessment system, or his unethical and illegal use of Town staff interchangeably for his personal and corporate business. I was, however, confident that our local Hadrian would resign after (2) separate incidents, resulting in violence in the workplace complaints being filed against him, were made public. The emerging details of the incident involving (3) of his fellow Town Board members was unfortunate and disturbing, but pretty typical of his emotional instability to being questioned or forced to address topics he thinks we have no right to ask about. I am surprised at the now known details of his clearly brutish display of authority and threats to personal livelihood made at the Country Club regarding his displeasure with something the Clubhouse Manager may or may not have said. I was sure he would resign at the overwhelming amount of disappointing feedback he has received about that incident; nope, I was wrong. The leader of the Hadrian's of Tupper Lake will remain in office until enough public support is garnered to have him removed from office by the New York State Supreme Court, although I am sure he thinks that the residents of Tupper Lake will never do that, if they know what is good for them.

Former Trustee, and retired Army Lieutenant Colonel, Dave Plummer's first-hand account of why he felt compelled to resign in his letter to the editor in this week's Tupper Lake Free Press is a stark reminder that Ricky Dattola is not the only delusional local politician carrying on as if they have done nothing wrong. Beyond the silly soup that Mary Fontana dishes up daily to the residents of Tupper Lake on the most pressing topics (bad water and bad finances), the fact that she is still defending her husband's antics, with the threat of resigning her elected office, after Mr. Plummer's first-hand account that included, "There was an incident too before the meeting when Mr. Arsenault was verbally aggressive with both me and his wife, the mayor.", is shocking to the core and is grounds for the same type of investigation that the Town Board is going to conduct on the hostile, aggressive and potentially violent the acts of the Town Supervisor. The initial accusations against the Village Mayor's husband warranted investigation and if substantiated, some sort of minimal corrective action was in order to ensure proper procedure and protocol is followed, especially by chief level officer. But the follow-on alleged acts of aggression and hostility toward (2) village officials, one his wife, demands immediate investigation and appropriate action; we are talking about the 2nd in command of the Tupper Lake Fire Department and a full-time employee of the Saranac Lake Fire Department, both positions of significant public trust and it makes no difference that one position is not compensated, absolutely none. If the Fire Chief and Village Board have not sought out professional legal advice on how to handle this matter, they are both doing an extreme disservice to the community. This is not the individuals first or second offense of this nature and his ability to remain in control of his temper and demeanor is not an optional attribute for any public safety position, no matter how long you have known him or what he has done for the community. There must be ZERO tolerance, especially from those in leadership positions, even in Tupper Lake.

Town Supervisor Ricky Dattola's final comments at the end of his remarks "Maybe this will be a turning a point" are words that he and his political partner, Mary Fontana, should embrace and support as they turn in their resignations.

The time has come for action. Apathy has brought us here. Absence of high integrity leadership is keeping us here. Accountability will restore what the community demands and expects from those it entrusts with doing what is right.

Respectfully,
Stephen Jellie

09/01/2026

Tupper Lake needs to restore local law enforcement funding and staffing; the State Police do great work but the need at the local level is significant and the State Police cannot do it all.

The current Town Supervisor and current Village Mayor led an all out effort to defund Town funding for the police department in 2023 and they have done nothing to restore that funding, or address how to restore the police department to 24/7/365 service; the community will continue to suffer until the local politicians take this topic more seriously.

Town Tupper Lake elected officials:
Ricky Dattola
Tim Larkin
Crystal Boucher
Adam Boudreau
Owen Littlefield

Village of Tupper Lake officials:
Mary Fontana
Eric Shaheen
Rick Pickering
Brasen LaVassaur
Joe Salamy

Contact any and all of the above that you know and tell them you want law and order restored in Tupper Lake. There will be no community transformation, there will be no community growth and there truly is no community with drug dealers, thugs and thieves running rampant.

ONE Tupper Lake demands better for everyone that resides in the 12986 zip code, regardless if you live in the village or town.

He now faces a total of 10 felonies. https://buff.ly/RRly3rN

08/28/2026

ONE TOWN - ACCOUNTABILITY OF THE FORMER TOWN ASSESSOR

In the spring of 2025, then Tupper Lake Town Assessor Jessica Eggsware (aka: Jessica Kelley) was charged by the Tupper Lake Police Department with second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument (a class D felony) and second-degree offering a false instrument for filing (a misdemeanor). The Town of Tupper Lake Supervisor and Town Board had no public comment in regard to the matter, then or now. The Village Police Chief, Eric Proulx, is the only local public official to make any comments in the matter, essentially stating; "the charges were unrelated to Jessica Eggsware's official municipal duties or employment as town assessor, noting the dispute involved a personal matter between her and a family member". Earlier in 2025, Eggsware was charged with falsely reporting an incident to law enforcement, a charge also presumed to not be directly related to Town affairs. The charges made against the former Town of Tupper Lake Assessor, who also served as the Town's Planner, Deputy Clerk, Grants Officer and Zoning Officer are serious, and while not directly related to her positions held with the Town, there is a direct nexus to her positions as the allegations involved filing false instruments regarding property transactions with Franklin County, a duty that directly correlates to her ability to be trusted with the entire Town's property tax valuation and assessment system, among other official functions solely at her discretion.

When Deputy Supervisor Tim Larkin was asked, by me, about the charges, his response was dismissive of the seriousness, blaming the entire matter on the accused's then husband, Curt Eggsware, and stating the entire Town Board was going to stand behind the accused as the entire matter was the fault of her "druggie husband". Mr. Larkin also went on in his response to predict the charges would all be "dropped". Considering the serious level of the charges brought against Ms. Eggsware and the stated involvement of the FBI, that statement seemed really short-sighted then, and the final disposition of the charges against her remains a mystery, or at least the facts not disclosed to the public. The Village Police Chief has provided nothing further, citing an "open investigation" as his reason for remaining silent on the matter. Then, I received a visit at my business from Town Supervisor Ricky Dattola, similar to last week's incident at the Country Club, he entered the building unannounced, found his way to my private office and immediately began admonishing me for asking questions about the matter. In a 10-minute profanity laced tirade, he made it clear that if I continued to press for information, I would find out the consequences for interfering with his business. Former Town Councilors John Gillis and Rick Donah remained silent when all this was reported, and since then Donah left the board and Gillis was defeated at election last fall.

The Town Board, previous and current, received multiple examples of potential severe conflict of interest actions conducted by Ms. Eggsware, most related to private land business dealings with Town Supervisor Ricky Dattola and members of his family, supported complicitly by Town Attorney Kirk Gagnier acting interchangeably as the situation demands. To date, the Town Boards have not issued any reassurance to the community that all is well, or if inappropriate acts occurred with any of the programs Ms. Eggsware was responsible for. The recent revelation that members of the Town Board are being required to FOIL for information is concerning and may indicate the difficulty they are having rooting out the facts of what she was, was not doing. Questions about why the Town Supervisor and Town Assessor allowed the fair market value of all town property to drop to 57% have all gone unanswered, with the exception of the Town Supervisor's continued assertation that the Town Board should ask no questions about assessments, which is true they should not, unless allegations of potential wrongdoing with the ex*****on of the program exists.

The forgotten side, Curt Eggsware, former husband of Jessica Eggsware. Curt has been vocal, transparent and consistent with his assertion that his name was forged, on multiple property transactions that he had no knowledge of. In addition, he insists that all of his money was taken, and he has posted and provided proof of his accusations for the public to review. He is not afraid to answer questions, even the tough ones that do not cast him in a good light, but he is beyond frustrated that his concerns remain largely unresolved, one way or the other, about how the property transactions, notarized by Joanne Kelley, mother of Jessica Eggsware, were able to be executed. Mr. Eggsware recently received communication from the NYS Department of State that an investigation into his concerns about Mrs. Kelley would be placed on "hold" until such time as she attempts to reinstate her notary license. Mr. Eggsware wants his money back, or at least some of it. On multiple occasions he has posted evidence of where he thinks his money was spent, without his knowledge or authorization. To date, he waits, and waits, for adjudication that to him appears long forgotten with each passing month, and soon to be another year.

Town Supervisor Ricky Dattola refuses to provide any information, on any topic. He occasionally reads a well-scripted statement that purports something official sounding, but each one amounts to nothing more than the latest effort by his "Business Group" allies to deflect and evade accountability for his actions by spinning his community accomplishments as the reason we should not dwell on his questionable conduct and decisions. Now, after months of inquiry, and (2) Violence in the Workplace complaints, he has totally clammed up at the advice of his "legal people", that he made clear is not Town Attorney Kirk Gagnier. Newly elected Town Councilor Adam Boudreau has taken the lead in committing to bringing these matters to the public by wisely proposing and passing resolutions requesting the Office of the New York State Comptroller and the Office of the Franklin County District Attorney engage all that has been alleged; Mr. Boudreau has the support of Town Councilors Owen Littlefield and Crystal Boucher. Deputy Town Supervisor Tim Larkin voted in favor of the NYS Comptroller inquiry, and not in favor of the Franklin County District Attorney inquiry. Town Supervisor Ricky Dattola was absent for the first, and not in favor of the second.

Jessica Eggsware and Ricky Dattola have a lot of answering to do for their actions, inactions, conflicted relationships and potential benefits or advantage they obtained as a result of those potential conflicts. Ms. Eggsware's resignation is not going to bring an end to the inquiries of her conduct while employed by the Town of Tupper Lake and the demand for accountability and transparency. Along with Town Attorney, Kirk Gagnier, she served as a top lieutenant to the Town Supervisor, and the community has a right to know what she was doing and with whom she was doing it.

What began last week's hostile and potentially violent episode at the Country Club is not entirely known, however there is reason to believe that Ricky Dattola received information that disturbed him so much, that he made his way to the Country Club immediately upon receiving it to confront the Clubhouse Manager. Who exactly contacted him with the information that set off this latest firestorm is unknown, but there is speculation circulating. Now we wait to see if the Franklin County District Attorney will acknowledge and accept the request from the Town of Tupper Lake to fully investigate all that has taken place.

It is not in the community's interest for any of this to go unresolved or simply be forgotten with time. It is actually in the community's detriment to continue to allow this type of behavior to be condoned and swept under the rug. A community's reputation is not improved or diminished by the appearance of being good or bad, it is actually the reality of the actions of being good or bad that really matter. ONE Tupper Lake needs the continued involvement of all its residents, not just a few on the Town Board, to transform this community and the local government entities to what is most needed and desired for the future.

Respectfully,
Stephen Jellie