Two guest commentaries titled “Wilmington deserves clarity,” Part 1 and 2, written by Wilmington town board member Tim Follos, were published on Aug. 24 and Sept. 1 in the Adirondack Daily Enterprise. These commentaries continue what seems to be a coordinated anti-business campaign arguing for restricting or eliminating the STR (short-term vacation rental) business in Wilmington. This campaign consists of a series of opinion pieces published in local newspapers as well as attempts to sideline town board members who have more balanced views on Wilmington and the contribution of STRs.
These opinion pieces present an extremely narrow and misleading view of STRs’ contribution to the local economy, only addressing the amount of bed tax that is contributed to the town budget. This narrow view demonstrates a lack of understanding of Wilmington’s economy and either an ignorant or willful disregard for how…
