Adam Fontaine, 49, is a Stevens High School graduate and United States Air Force veteran, with a career background in law enforcement and computer operations. He has lived in Claremont around 20 years in total and is a member of the American Legion Post 29.
Fontaine has not previously served on any Claremont boards or committees.
The following questions aim to gain a better understanding of why each candidate wishes to be an at-large councilor at this particular time.
Why do you want to be a councilor? What attribute would you bring to city government?
I feel there is a need for an individual on the council who wishes only to do good by Claremont and has the foresight to see issues with plans being made. In my positions in the Air Force, I was required to identify problems as well as the solutions to those problems for the good of the Air Force in a limited amount of time.
What are the top three most pressing concerns you would like to target?
I believe the top three pressing concerns to Claremont are taxes, roads, and commerce. I would like to spend my time working towards a beneficial fix to these issues.
How will you involve residents in your decision-making process?
I will be available to the citizens of Claremont to hear their opinions and desires both through email and in person. Being retired I can make myself available at almost any time it is needed.
The following questions aim to gain a better understanding of where each candidate stands on a range of issues that have either been previously discussed by the council or may potentially be discussed in the future.
What are some ways the city can attract visitors and keep young residents here?
Holding different events such as races, Brewfest, and fairs are great to bring in visitors and guests if properly advertised through the different media available in a timely manner. Some very important items to commerce that are being ignored are the industries and larger businesses. Commerce should not be restricted to the center of town for small businesses and bigger businesses to Washington Street. Unless we intend a more robust public transportation system that travels to places like the Manor, Sugar River Mills, and other large populations without transportation there needs to be businesses such as grocery stores within a reasonable walking distance. In order to encourage the younger residents to want to stay in Claremont there needs to be a better job market which entails careers that are not in retail such as businesses like Red River.
How do you feel about the ongoing Pleasant Street revitalization project overall, how it is going, and how it plays into your vision for the city?
While the infrastructure upgrades are a necessary evil that must be done to keep the city in good repair and modern, there are many other parts of the revitalization project that were poorly planned and unnecessary. Turning Pleasant Street into a one-way road will cause multiple traffic issues both for Pleasant Street and Broad Street. There will be an unnecessary strain on Broad Street as traffic will be building up on a street the city has rated as 20 mph for a large chunk by adding a traffic light while maintaining the egresses in the median as well as the parking along the street used by students. There will also be issues with parking on Pleasant Street of people who insist on backing into spaces opening the street up to multiple accidents.
What is your view on censuring an official and, if elected to the council, how would you go about holding a fellow city official accountable?
The first thing that should be done is to take the individual behind closed doors along with the rest of the council to discuss the issue in private. If this does not resolve the issue, the next step would be to collect evidence and ensure validity of the issue to either take legal actions if appropriate or ask the individual to resign.
As your daily newspaper, we are committed to providing you with important local news coverage for Sullivan County and the surrounding areas.