Author: Saratoga TODAY

I’ve long criticized Saratoga Springs’ form of government in which elected council members oversee specific aspects of City Hall, creating silos of administration. But the charter change now on the ballot would replace that shortcoming with one far worse – a ward system that would drastically reduce every city resident’s representation on the City Council and make elected officials less accountable. I’m voting no.

The claim that residents would gain better representation with wards is false and grossly misleading. 

The ward system minimizes our individual clout as voters. It eliminates council members’ accountability to all but the sixth of the city that elects them. We would get to vote for a mayor and only one of six council members, with no promise that even that one candidate – let alone the other five – would feel compelled to address the concerns of our particular neighborhood. 

I looked at a map of the election districts to see how areas were lumped together in the proposed charter (in Article XI, section C) to form six wards. Here are three examples:

Ward Three stretches from the city neighborhoods around the Caroline Street School to the sprawling estates in the Beacon Hill Drive area off Meadowbrook Road and the rural developments north of Route 29 toward Wilton.

Ward Four would combine the South Side (everything south of Lincoln Avenue, including Jefferson Terrace) with all the Saratoga Lake and Lake Lonely developments, more than three miles and a world away. 

Ward Six puts together the downtown West Side (including the Beekman Street arts district) with the more suburban housing around Buff Road.

You get the idea. 

Check out the map yourself. 

Bottom line: Every citizen should be able to vote for all of the City Council members.

There are other reasons to reject this charter change. Promised cost savings are dubious as is the timing of the ballot proposal, with people unable to assemble to discuss the pros and cons, not to mention the city budget hole caused by the pandemic. And the idea of a city manager appointed to oversee all city operations makes sense — but not accompanied by the unnecessary creation of a full-time mayor as proposed. 

I could get behind a new charter with an appointed city manager beholden to a City Council whose members answer to all Saratoga Springs voters. 

This charter change would radically reduce our voice. Vote no.

– Barbara Lombardo, Saratoga Springs

With no public discussion…not even Zoom meetings or press releases…the self-anointed charter change leaders were able to make the bad 2017 Saratoga Springs charter proposal much worse by 1. Adding Wards, and 2. Enriching the future mayor.

Wards mysteriously appeared on this year’s ballot rejecting their 2017 charter change committee which had decided against wards after discussing in a public meeting. 

And the proposed mayor’s salary was increased by another $25,000 to an excessive $65,000 for a part-time job, again ignoring 2017 committee members’ research and recommendations. 

Official committee minutes reveal: “Jeff Altamari said he had read through NYCOM data and the average salary of a Mayor with the City Manager was $19,000.” Rob Kuczynski said “that $40,000 was too high for the Mayor’s position. He reminded everyone that we will have a City Manager to do the work.” 

Since the mayor’s responsibilities are identical with 2017, ask yourself: Did someone push for this much higher salary for themselves hoping to get $65,000 for a part-time job? One candidate seems to be maneuvering already.

These two bad decisions that will make city government worse were made in a back room, rather than receiving public input. I’m voting No.

– Richard Sellers, Saratoga Springs

The answer. Since 1915 Saratoga’s residents have had direct access to the commissioners who govern our city.

This unity created the city we all enjoy today while maintaining its historicalcharm. The residents have one governing body where they bring ideas benefiting the whole city.

The proposed charter would divide the city into wards known as the “Inner East Side,” “North Side,” “Outer East Side,” “South Side,” “West Side,” and “South West Side.” Wards have their own elected council people.

These wards are known to become competitive and exist to promote their respective turfs.

Imagine, the city’s great benefactors speaking to six ward councils, in order to win over their approval for a project NOT IN THEIR WARD!

I hope anyone contemplating abolishing a system of government that has worked for over 100 years will vote down this proposed fragmented and expensive structure. It’s wrong to change what has worked so well over the many years. The present city form of government has welcomed many new residents and deserves the support of everyone. Vote No for charter change. 

– M. Thomas Porter, Saratoga Springs