X

Opinion: Candidate for Canton Town Council wants to keep Canton moving forward

Posted 10/26/21

To the Editor: After 40-plus years in journalism at the St. Lawrence Plaindealer and NCPR, I’m flipping the script. Instead of reporting on the 2021 election season, I’m running for town council …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Opinion: Candidate for Canton Town Council wants to keep Canton moving forward

Posted

To the Editor:

After 40-plus years in journalism at the St. Lawrence Plaindealer and NCPR, I’m flipping the script. Instead of reporting on the 2021 election season, I’m running for town council in Canton, the community I’ve lived in and loved since settling here in the 1970s.

When I was appointed to the town council in January, I joined a small group that’s done amazing hard work over the last four years. The board put Canton back on solid financial footing, complying step-by-step with a scorching state Comptroller’s audit of the mess left by the previous administration. That’s just the top of a long list that includes expanding and strengthening services, increasing transparency and weathering the pandemic, while raising the fund balance and keeping taxes low. The record is clear, and it’s real; I urge you check it out at www.votecantonny.com. We should all be proud of the progress it details.

In my relatively short time on the board, I’ve worked with good people from both Canton town and village on collaborative efforts to reimagine recreation and assess all Canton’s recreation assets, address the open storage of winter salt and sand, seek new state funds to re-envision and revitalize our downtown, update personnel and shared service policies, and more.

I’m asking for your vote to continue this work. I love Canton for the opportunities, friends, and neighbors I’ve found here -- for the beauty of this rural place and the quality of life. I want to be a part of making sure this town stays a great place to live, work and raise a family.

There’s so much to do to keep what we’ve got, and even more to do to keep Canton moving forward.

Early voting is underway at Clarkson, 42 Maple St Potsdam (the former Honda Dealership). Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 2.

Martha Foley Smith
Canton