To the Editor:

My name is Eric Matott and I am running for a seat on the Potsdam Town Council. On Thursday, September 10, I would appreciate your vote in the Potsdam Democratic Primary election.

For those who do not know me I would like to tell you a bit about my life and my goals for the future of our town. I am 48 years old and I am a life-long resident of Potsdam. I love our town and the region that we all call home. I am genuinely concerned about the future of the town that I love and as a councilman, I hope to make Potsdam more sustainable in a way that focuses on economic growth.

I am married to Stephanie Matott. She is my world. We have four children and we have raised them in a blended family. Our children have moved on to new chapters in their life and doing very well. We are very close-knit family and we know how truly blessed we are to have so many true riches in life.

My wife and I are also business partners. We own a commercial cleaning company and we have been the very proud owners of the Northern Family Motel since 2003. As small business owners, we have had our share of ups and downs but we remain focused and optimistic as we move our enterprises forward.

I want to see other small business owners in Potsdam succeed as well and as your councilman I will work with my colleagues to make Potsdam more business friendly, thereby making it an even better place to live. I believe in responsible growth, in that I want to preserve the neighborhood-like heart of our villages but I want the merchant districts to expand and become even more vibrant and unique.

Traffic remains a major issue in the Town of Potsdam and it inhibits responsible growth on Main Street in the Village of Norwood, on Market Street in the Village of Potsdam and throughout many of the major roadways, especially US 11, within the township.

Traffic congestion complicates, among other things, possible zoning changes that would help our merchant districts to expand. Traffic congestion has stalled growth for decades. Business and community leaders are investigating the possibility of transforming a section of Market Street so that it resembles the Church Street district in Burlington. The idea would help alleviate some of the traffic congestion but in an odd twist of irony, existing congestion is the biggest impediment that they are facing as they try to advance the concept.

There is a proposal to construct a bypass of US 11 around Potsdam and Canton. It has the potential to not only create local jobs but it also has the potential to permanently eliminate through-traffic congestion in the Township. The project could inject as much as a Billion dollars worth of private and public investment into our immediate region. In my nearly 50 years, I have never seen that kind of an investment in Potsdam and I think that it’s long overdue.

Some people fear change and what it might bring. As a community, we need to stop fearing negative unknowns at the expense of the positive opportunities. Sure, there will be growing pains; there always is. We must work through those together; together as one Potsdam.

If we are able to reduce traffic congestion as a community, it will be much easier for us to open the doors to our Neighborhoods, our Villages and our Town to those who want to bring jobs and do business here. That will lead to an increase in sales, desperately needed sales tax revenue and improved property values.

I am proponent of using new age tools to keep our taxpayers and citizens informed. I will continue to use social media to inform the people of what’s happening in the meetings, the minutes, and what’s upcoming. I will take your responses and feedback to those meetings and advocate on your behalf.

Potsdam must come together as one community with both governments working for common vision to build a brighter collective future for our families and our children. We cannot afford to be complacent any longer. On Thursday, please vote for me, Eric Matott, so that I can advocate for that future on behalf of every one of our residents.

Eric Matott,

Potsdam town council candidate