To the Editor:

I, Lynn A. Hall, am running for a seat on the Town of Potsdam Board. I am committed to the goals of the Town Comprehensive Plan. I value preparing our communities for climate resilience, improving the safety and durability of our roads, streets and sidewalks, stronger bandwidth for our businesses, schools, colleges, and residences, and mindful business development for agriculture, the arts, and recreation. I believe that transparency and citizen engagement is needed for the Town to reach its goals. Implementing the Comprehensive Plan will require input from all communities within the Town as well creative planning and fiscal responsibility, to include new revenue sources rather than raising taxes for residents.

I am ready to apply my experience of serving in leadership positions as a department chair, member of faculty governance, union steward and delegate, grant writer and facilitator, educator, and Potsdam Coop Board Member. I grew up in the military and on a farm in the Finger Lakes region of New York state. After years of working in museum and public education, I attended graduate school, and am now a professor in education at SUNY Potsdam. My husband and I have lived in Potsdam for twenty-one years and raised our daughter here. We love this area for its wild beauty, agricultural, educational, and cultural resources, and quality of life. A concern for the harm on our community resources from climate change and the local impact on families and communities from decades of cutting taxes for the wealthy inspired me to run for public office. I am ready to serve the community that I have loved and lived in for so long.

I ask you to please vote in this fall election by voting early or on Election Day. If you support my candidacy, look for my name on the independent “Sensible People Party” line. There, you will also find Allyssa Theobald Hardiman, who is running for another seat on the Town of Potsdam Board. We are endorsed by #1099SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, Eleanor’s Legacy, the St. Lawrence County Democrat Party, and the Town of Potsdam Democrat Party. We are ready to apply our combined experiences to build a strong future for our communities and would appreciate your vote.

Lynn A. Hall
Potsdam