Barb Denis, left, and Sue Fitzgerald were selected on Thursday to represent the Democratic Party in the Nov. 5 race for two village trustee seats, bringing the number of candidates for the two seats to four. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Marbone)

TUPPER LAKE — Tupper Lake Democrats chose Barbara Denis and Susan Fitzpatrick to represent their party in the Nov. 5 race for two open Tupper Lake trustee seats at a caucus on Thursday, bringing the total number of candidates to appear on the ballot to four.

Incumbent Deputy Mayor Eric Shaheen and political newcomer Rick Pickering were selected by local Republicans on July 10 to represent their party on the ballot. Denis also tried to get on the Republican Party line, but did not get enough votes at the caucus.

The deadline for independent candidates to file passed months ago, and with Thursday being the last day to hold a caucus for a local election in New York, the ballot for the village race is now set with four people running for two seats.

Around 19 registered Democrats came out on Thursday to unanimously endorse Denis and Fitzpatrick.

Caucus Chair Daniel “Boonie” Carmichael said this was the most well-attended Tupper Lake Democratic caucus he’s seen in years — by a long shot.

Sue Fitzgerald (Enterprise photo — Aaron Marbone)

Denis and Fitzpatrick are running as a team.

Denis said she’s lived in Tupper Lake for 30 years and has been attending village board meetings in the past year. She said she’s been disappointed with how things are working on the board.

“People need better representation,” Denis said.

She said she has a financial background she believes can inform the village’s struggling budget.

Her daughter — Lauren, 22 — tells her she’s not moving back home because there’s nothing in Tupper Lake for her.

Barb Denis (Enterprise photo — Aaron Marbone)

“I don’t want that. I want kids to come back and say, ‘Not only can I survive here, but I can thrive here,'” Denis said.

Denis is also contesting Shaheen’s residency in the village in an effort to remove him from the race, but Shaheen said his residency is good in the eyes of the law and that this effort is a distraction.

Fitzpatrick works for the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism informational center in town. She was also previously involved in the Tupper Lake Chamber of Commerce, which dissolved in 2022.

She said she’s focused on small business and tourism. Tourism is what she believes keeps the town afloat.

She grew up in Tupper Lake and moved back 12 years ago. She said when she returned, she asked herself, “what happened?”

“It’s just not what it was and it’s just not thriving like it should be,” Fitzpatrick said.

She thinks the local government can help small businesses more. Fitzpatrick feels the current board is not taking the village’s whole population into account when making decisions and specifically felt that the aging population is overlooked.

She didn’t plan to run for office. Denis’ husband Mike Vaillancourt, a business owner and member of the Tupper Lake Police Department, introduced her to Denis and they said they immediately liked each other. When Denis asked Fitzpatrick to run with her, Fitzpatrick agreed.

Each trustee seat holds a two-year term. The general election will be on Nov. 5.

Trustee Jason McClain is choosing to not run for a third term.