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TUPPER LAKE - All the incumbents running for re-election in Tupper Lake managed to fend off their challengers Tuesday night, with only one new politician being elected to replace a town councilman who decided against running for re-election.

Political newcomer Jerry Fletcher, who ran on the Democratic and Maple Leaf party lines, was elected to replace town councilman John Button.

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Supervisor

Town Supervisor Roger Amell, Democrat and Maple Leaf, trampled village police Chief Tom Fee, Republican, by a margin of about 5-to-3, winning 1011 votes to Fee's 633.

Amell said he was pleased with the voter turnout, which reached about 1,700 in a town with a population of about 7,000 or 8,000.

"Now we can finish our job that we've got going - the mountain," Amell said, referring to the Adirondack Club and Resort development that would reopen the former Big Tupper Ski Area and develop the land around it with about 600 luxury housing units and a marina.

The old town board worked well together, and he said he hoped the new board would work well together too. He said he thought people were pleased with how the town board has been operating, since it had lowered the taxes last year and is on path to keep the tax levy increase to less than 1 percent this year.

Amell also said he appreciated Fee's candidacy.

"I'm glad Tom stuck in there and the taxpayers had a choice," Amell said.

"It was a lot of fun; I enjoyed it," Fee said. "It was a real learning experience."

Fee ran into problems when his candidacy was challenged by an anonymous complaint to the federal Office of Special Counsel on the grounds that it violated the federal Hatch Act, but was later cleared by a federal prosecutor.

He said that running as a police officer was difficult, but now he and others know that it's okay and where to go in the future if there are questions.

"Hey, there's always next year," Fee said.

Mayor

Village Mayor Mickey Desmarais, Republican and Pine Tree, defeated challenger Dan Carmichael, Democrat and Maple Leaf, with 632 to Carmichael's 415.

Desmarais said he believed voters chose him because they are pleased with his performance thus far.

"I think if you work hard and show people you're producing, they'll support you," Desmarais said.

Carmichael said that while he wanted to win, the loss won't crush him.

"Win or lose, it's been a very enriching experience, and it opened my eyes to a lot of stuff," Carmichael said. "Apparently the village is happy with Mickey Desmarais."

He said he will try to help add jobs to the community even though he was not elected. He also noted that he will keep himself open to running for office again in the future.

"Even though I lost, it hasn't turned me off from politics," Carmichael said.

"I hope he runs again, because I think he has a lot to offer to the community," said town Councilman Kathy Lefebvre, noting that Carmichael does a lot of work behind the scenes that people don't necessarily know about.

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Village trustees

Incumbent village trustees Leon LeBlanc Sr., Republican-Maple Leaf and Democrat, and Marty Hughes, Republican and Pine Tree, retained their seats for another two years, receiving 797 and 586 votes, respectively. Challenger Tracy Luton, Democrat and Maple Leaf, gained 494 votes.

Desmarais, LeBlanc and Hughes all said they were looking forward to continuing the work they had started on the board and were pleased that the board will remain the same for the next two years.

Hughes said it was nice to see someone new trying to get involved and run for a seat, because he believes that not enough people are involved in local government.

He said he appreciated that locals voted for him.

"It will give me a change to finish up what we're doing," Hughes said. "I'll do my best, as I always do."

LeBlanc said he looked forward to continuing on with the same board and mayor and thanked his supporters.

"I will give them 100 percent of my support and do everything I can to keep taxes low for taxpayers," LeBlanc said.

After his recent retirement, LeBlanc said he will now have more time to put towards being a village trustee.

Town council

In the town council race, 1,079 people voted for Fletcher, while incumbent Lefebvre, Democrat and Maple Leaf, retained her seat for another four years with 949 votes. The two beat out village Water and Sewer Superintendent Bob Fuller, Republican, who got 818 votes.

Both Amell and Lefebvre said they were pleased to get the voters' support and looked forward to start working with Fletcher.

"I think Jerry's going to work well with everyone," Lefebvre said.

Lefebvre said she plans to be able to devote more time to her town council position, by looking for grants and making contacts with possible businesses that could open in the area, since she is retiring from her teaching job at the end of this school year.

Lefebvre also said that while the town board has been trying to move forward, the village board has been stubborn and holding it back.

"I hope we can get the village to kind of start moving ahead on the (Adirondack Club and Resort)," Lefebvre said. "Instead of just saying they support it, actually doing something to support it."

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Proposition 1

During the vote tally, Republicans expressed disdain for the 167 people in Tupper Lake who voted No on Proposition 1, a statewide referendum that allowed the land swap which will make legal the new power line to Tupper Lake.

All vote counts are unofficial, and were obtained from both the local Republican party, which got numbers from the six district polling sites, and the Franklin County Board of Elections Web site.

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Contact Jessica Collier at (518) 891-2600 ext. 25 or jcollier@adirondackdailyenterprise.com.