BY ADAM ATKINSON
North Country This Week
POTSDAM — The Democratic Party nominee for village mayor is looking to the future of the village and plans to focus on building a new comprehensive plan for the municipality.
Alexandra Jacobs Wilke, the SUNY Potsdam public relations director and village trustee, hopes to also make government more transparent, with greater community involvement.
Wilke will face write-in challenger Joseph Bowen in the fall election.
North Country This Week recently asked both candidates a few questions on the minds of some voters, and inquired about the candidates’ stance on several issues facing the electorate.
“I’m running for mayor because I care deeply about our community and its future. This is where I met my husband, where we made our home, where we had our girls, and where we have built our careers. I believe we all have a role to play in leaving our corner of the planet a little better than we found it—and this is my way of giving back,” Wilke said.
“I remember taking long walks with the stroller after the birth of our oldest daughter and wondering about ways that we could improve the village’s sidewalks, address blighted properties, or revitalize our parks. After serving on the zoning board for a time, I decided to take the leap and run for the village board. Four years later, I am honored to take the next step by running for mayor.”
Wilke said some of the obvious challenges facing the village include a small tax base, aging infrastructure, and attracting new businesses and development.
“But when you get down to it, I just think we struggle with not being able to see the forest for the trees,” she said. “It’s easy to get wrapped up in the issue of the day or to focus on the failures of the past. I’m more interested in what we can do right now, today, to make things better.”
She points to many of the village’s strengths and hopes to build on those in the future – things like two universities,…
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