ALBANY — Kevin Tully celebrated his 16th birthday on Jan. 15 by flying over the Capital Region and in the process of doing so, was for the day, America’s youngest pilot.  

Tully has been flying glider planes out of the Saratoga County Airport since he was 12 years old, thanks to the Adirondack Soaring Club – which has a low-cost pilot training program for kids under the age of 18 years old. 

At 14, Tully was issued his FAA student pilots license and has piloted a glider plane as high as 10,000 feet over Saratoga County by himself; a year later he was flying a powered plane alongside an instructor – accomplishing the tasks necessary to fly a plane without an instructor upon reaching the FAA minimum age of 16. 

On his 16th birthday, last Sunday, Tully took to the skies in a Piper Cherokee airplane – from the Capital District Pilots Association, to fly from Albany Airport over Niskayuna High School where he is a sophomore, and north to Saratoga County Airport, before returning to Albany International Airport.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Following a lengthy discussion which pushed this week’s City Council meeting close to the midnight hour, officials approved a measure moving forward that directs the city attorney petition the N.Y. State Liquor Authority to prohibit the sale of alcohol after 2 a.m. for any new city establishment seeking to secure a liquor license, or for any currently existing business seeking a license renewal.

Citing public safety reasons as its inspiration to roll back bar closing times from 4 a.m. to 2 a.m., the resolution passed by a 3-2 vote. Mayor Ron Kim, and Commissioners Jim Montagnino and Minita Sanghvi voted to approve the measure; Commissioners Jason Golub and Dillon Moran voted against.   

The adopted resolution specifically directs the City Attorney to petition the SLA when “an establishment, individual or entity of any kind seeks a liquor license, seeks renewal of a liquor license, or seeks modification or amendment of a liquor license,” to prohibit the sale of alcohol by that entity beyond 2 a.m. as a condition of the granting of a license.  

“The State Liquor Authority not only has the discretion to issue conditions on the granting of licenses, but (the SLA) is responsive to community requests regarding those conditions,” said Public Safety Commissioner Jim Montagnino, who authored the city measure.  

The city process under the resolution seems clear regarding new businesses seeking licenses for the first time, however, appears a bit murkier when related to existing businesses seeking license renewal.   

“It’s my understanding that new applications are treated somewhat differently than renewals by the SLA – new applications are given more scrutiny,” Montagnino said. On-premises wine and liquor licenses are issued for two years, according to the SLA.

“With regard to the renewals, generally, unless there are problems with the application or the applicant, the renewals are granted. I would note that in the event of a renewal application for premises that have had problems in the past…I think the SLA would take a little harder look and maybe exercise their discretion,” Montagnino said. “In a situation where there were previous problems, the SLA may be more receptive…in the case of a renewal we would review the history of that establishment from the time of its last renewal and may add information in our letter to the SLA for them to use in exercising their discretion.” 

Several attempts made by the current, as well as previous councils to alter bar closing hours have been unsuccessful. One clear path to altering the time of a “last call” requires the approval of the county Board of Supervisors for the change be implemented countywide, and to subsequently forward that request to the State Liquor Authority to ultimately rule on the matter. The city resolution presented this week documents the county’s reluctance to do so, noting: “the County has, to this time, not acceded to the City’s request.” 

The term of license depends on the type of license you have. If you have a retail license to sell only beer for on-premises or off-premises consumption, your license lasts for three years. Off-premises liquor and wine licenses (liquor and wine stores) are also issued for three years. If you have a seasonal license, it must be renewed every year.

In response to an inquiry of general practices, the State Liquor Authority responded via email with the following statement:  

“About our licensing processes: Each and every on premises businesses – including those currently operating in Saratoga – is required at the time of application to provide notice of at least 30 days to the municipality in which it intends to operate.  This allows the municipality time to provide the SLA with any desired input into the business’ operation.  A municipality’s choice not to provide input generally signifies agreement with the business and business model proposed in the municipal notice.  If however the municipality provides input opposing the proposed business or their method of operation, the SLA will place the new business’ application on a Board agenda, so that the positions of the business and the municipality may be heard by the SLA Full Board.  

“The Full Board reviews each application on a case-by-case basis, weighing the merits of the individual application while placing due weight on the recommendations of local law enforcement, municipal officials, and members of the community.”  

WILTON — A proposal that would see the development of nearly 400 apartments and townhouses alongside the Wilton Mall continues to move through the town’s approval process. 

The project, proposed by the Macerich Corporation and Paramount Development, includes 382 new “luxury, market-rate rental residences,” including both apartments and townhomes, and will feature “premium resident amenities with a sophisticated design,” according to the companies. 

In November, the town Planning Board entertained an application to establish a Planned Unit Development District (PUDD) for a development with mixed-use, consisting of 680,000 square feet of commercial use and 382 residential units – comprised of 296 apartments and 86 townhomes. The town board is reportedly charged with making the ultimate decision regarding the PUDD, and there has been some public opposition expressed regarding the project. 

A phone message seeking comment left for Town Supervisor John Lant was not returned.       

Mike Shaffer, Property Manager at Wilton Mall, said this week that a project update will be provided to the Wilton Town Board during its meeting at 7 p.m. on Jan. 5.  The Saratoga County Planning Board is also anticipated to provide an advisory opinion to the Wilton Town Board next month.

Considering these forthcoming recommendations of the Wilton and Saratoga County Planning Boards – as well as the anticipated Negative Declaration on SEQRA – developers are currently anticipating a Feb. 2 Public Hearing with the Wilton Town Board – the municipal entity which will decide whether the Wilton Mall Mixed-Use PUDD is ultimately approved. 

Paramount Development, based in Florida, has developed 200 rental apartment communities in dozens of states. Santa Monica, California-based company Macerich has owned and operated the mall land since 2004. They own about 95 acres in all; JC Penney – owns just over two acres, and LBW Saratoga – occupied by BJ’s, owns just under four acres. 

“What we see in the Wilton Mall is something that’s got some momentum. We do really well around retail,” Tom Snell, a partner with Paramount Development, told Wilton town officials during a public meeting earlier this year, when Paramount announced its plans to purchase two lots totaling just over 13-1/2 acres on the northeasterly side of the mall for the $100 million-plus project. 

The potential project, which would be developed in two phases, would occur on the northeast side of the mall past Dick’s Sporting Goods, and see the removal of the former BonTon location, which closed in 2018. That was followed by the closure of Sears two years later. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Fifty-one years running and a collection of 200,000 books stand to greet those who who journey to Lyrical Ballad bookstore on Phila Street. 

Here, what begins with the first step of an innocent stroll leads to a sequence of new encounters, one room into another, deep and deeper still. Innumerable entryways sink into a labyrinth of characters and events. Things to be learned. Dreams to be launched. It is everything the mind can conjure and a few it never before imagined. 

Here is where Congressman Paul Tonko chose to visit this week during a multi-county regional tour to highlight and promote the upcoming Small Business Saturday events this weekend. 

“I think of small businesses as the economic engine of our economy,” Tonko said. 

“They have a vibrant offering and (provide) an opportunity for the community. Their economic impact is three times greater than that of our chain stores, so we have to be very sensitive to their needs and concerns,”  said the congressman while standing framed by rows of leatherbound editions boasting the writings of Henry James, Gustave Flaubert, Balzac, Chekhov, and Thackeray. 

“Many small businesses struggled through COVID, and so I also want to hear if they participated in any of the COVID programming, how that worked. We came through a once-in-a-century public health crisis and economic crisis, (which) caused a global inflation. We just want to make sure everybody is strong and steady as we move forward so that they can contribute to the whole economic picture.”

Small Business Saturday – Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022 – is promoted as a day to celebrate and support small businesses and all they do for their communities. It was initially created in 2010 by American Express on the Saturday after Thanksgiving to encourage people to Shop Small and bring more holiday shopping to small businesses. In 2011, the Senate unanimously passed a resolution in support of the day.

Lyrical Ballad bookstore was founded by John DeMarco in September 1971. He  died in 2019 and two years later DeMarco’s wife Janice sold the bookshop to Charlie Israel and Jason Zerrillo – the latter of whom worked at the shop for more than decade. 

“We bought the business because we love the business, and so we don’t want to change it too dramatically “ said Israel, who grew up across the street from Congress Park and remembers spending his allowance money at the shop when he was a kid. 

“I don’t want to change this place. It’s part of what makes Saratoga special. You know, I talk to people who are in their 60s now who tell us they used to come here when they went to Skidmore,” he said. 

“It’s been a part of the community for a long time and was an anchor when it took a little bit of vision to invest in downtown Saratoga. John (DeMarco) and a few other visionary business people took that on, and that brought Saratoga back from the brink, and I’m eternally grateful to him for that,” said Israel, adding that the notion of the electronic age displacing physical media such as books, has been exaggerated. 

“The question hanging in the air is: how is the digital age affecting businesses such as ours? And the answer is: Not as much as you’d think,” Israel said. “We’ve been here 50 years we fully intend to be here for another 50.”

“I like the personalized impact that small business brings. You know, you walk in and you see Charles, or you see Jay – there’s a relationship that develops. And those relationships are important. It builds community,” said Tonko, who couldn’t see his way out of the bookshop without making a handful of purchases – a two-volume set about the Civil War and a book about horse racing, among them. 

“We want to bring an awareness of the importance of small businesses and learn what we can do to further sustain them, and enable them to grow,” he said. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — An early Sunday morning altercation turned into an exchange of gunfire that spilled onto Broadway and ultimately resulted in approximately 20 shots being fired. 

The 3 a.m. incident believed to have begun as a verbal dispute at a bar on Caroline Street between an off-duty Sheriff’s Deputy from Vermont and “a group of individuals from the Utica area,” Public Safety Commissioner Jim Montagnino said, accelerated as the altercation moved west to Broadway with approximately 8 shots being fired. City police officers responding to the incident fired approximately 11 shots after the off-duty deputy allegedly ignored calls to drop his weapon. The incident marks the first discharge of a weapon in the line of duty by a Saratoga Springs officer in more than a quarter-century. 

During the initial dispute, the Vermont deputy was physically attacked by at least three people, Montagnino said, during a press conference staged at City Hall Sunday, less than 12 hours after the incident had occurred.  

The Vermont man gathered himself at some point during the attack and by “apparently by moving his jacket back, showed the other individuals that he was armed. One of the other individuals then draws a handgun, points it in the direction of the deputy and then apparently begins to fire,” Montagnino said. 

Officers responded to the scene. 

“What they see is the Vermont sheriff’s deputy, standing on the sidewalk, his gun leveled and moving from side-to-side pointing the gun,” the commissioner said.  “The officers repeatedly, loudly direct the deputy, “Drop the gun, get on the ground,’ again, again and again. By my count there are at least eight separate clear unequivocal demands to put the gun down and get on the ground. They are all ignored.” 

Three city officers fired a total of approximately 11 shots.  The Vermont man suffered a number of wounds. A woman believed to be the Vermont man’s girlfriend was “nicked by one of the bullets in her upper arm.”  The man is reportedly in stable condition at Albany Med. 

The Vermont man, Vito Caselnova IV, is a Rutland County deputy who has been on the force since April 2019, first reported by WNYT NewsChannel 13.  A native of Glens Falls, he graduated from Glens Falls High School in 2016 and school at The College of Saint Rose.

“None of our officers were harmed.  That’s something we can all certainly be happy about,” said Mayor Ron Kim. 

State police are conducting an investigation into the incident and Broadway was closed from Lake Avenue to Division Street for the majority of the day on Sunday. 

“This is the first time in 26 years a (city) officer has discharged a firearm in the line of duty,” Montagnino said. There have been no immediate arrests made in connection with the incident.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Despite a changing electorate, an increase in population, and a redrawing of district boundaries, Saratoga voters this week elected to largely maintain the present state of affairs when choosing their political leaders. 

Congressman Paul Tonko, Assemblypersons Mary Beth Walsh and Carrie Woerner, and county district attorney Karen Heggen were each reelected to new terms, and when it came to selecting a state senator for the new all-encompassing county district, it was the familiar name of James Tedisco which Saratoga voters chose.      

There were, however, major diversions in some key races among Saratoga County voters when compared to the selections of the majority in the rest of the state. 

There are approximately 173,500 registered voters in Saratoga County, according to the NYS Board of Elections most recent report of Nov. 1.  Approximately 36% are registered Republicans, 29.6% registered Democrats, 27.2% are independent of any party, and the remaining 7.2% are comprised of registered third-party voters. 

In these midterm elections, nearly 100,000 Saratoga voters cast their ballots countywide, representing over 56% of Saratoga County’s 173,500 active registered voters.   

NY Senate District 44 

More than 120,000 votes were counted, nearly 100,000 of them from Saratoga County in the newly redrawn 44th Senate District, which includes all of Saratoga County and part of Schenectady.    

Republican James Tedisco emerged victorious securing 56% of the vote, compared to the 42% garnered by Democrat Michelle Ostrelich. 

Ostrelich joined other party members Tuesday evening at The Inn at Saratoga on Broadway, where Democrats had gathered. Post-election, Ostrelich said she will continue to serve in her current capacity as a Schenectady County Legislator.

Tedisco meanwhile joined fellow county Republicans on Election Night at Vapor. The club is flanked by a this-century-constructed gambling facility with video lottery terminals and more than 1,000 slots, and a near century old harness racing track where sulky drivers are pulled across the half-mile dirt oval by horses eleven months of the year.   

Tedisco was first elected to represent the 49th State Senate District – which includes parts of Saratoga, in 2016, and previously served in the New York State Assembly from 1983-2016.  Tedisco, who represented the 49th district, decided to run in District 44 after the state’s redistricting process took shape earlier this year. The move drew criticism from Sen. Daphne Jordan of the 43rd district, who contended she had the rightful geographic claim to the new district, according to WAMC. Jordan subsequently announced she would not actively run.

House of Representatives

Once every decade, geographic boundaries regarding candidate representation are redrawn. Earlier this year, congressional redistricting placed all of Saratoga County into District 20, alongside Albany and Schenectady counties, and parts of Rensselaer. 

In CD 20, Democrat incumbent Paul Tonko beat Republican challenger Elizabeth Joy 54% to 45%, with a victorious district-wide margin of approximately 27,000 votes. It is a contest the two candidates had staged previously; in 2020, Tonko defeated Joy by a near 20-point margin of victory.  

Tonko was victorious among voters in Albany, Schenectady and Rensselaer. Saratoga voters favored Joy 53% to 47%, a difference of just over 6,000 votes. Republican incumbent Congresswoman Elise Stefanik had represented a portion of Saratoga in previous elections. The newly redrawn Congressional District 21 covers areas east, west and north of CD 20 where Stefanik defeated Democrat challenger Matt Castelli by a near 20-point margin of victory.  

Republican Walsh, Democrat Woerner Re-Elected to NY Assembly

Areas of Saratoga County are represented as NY Assembly District 112 and NY Assembly District 113.  Just over 45,000 voters presented their ballots in each of the contested districts in 2022.   

In Assembly District 112, Mary Beth Walsh (R, C) emerged victorious over Andrew McAdoo (D, WF) 59% to 39%. In NY Assembly District 113, Carrie Woerner (D, WF) bested David Catalfamo (R, C) 52% to 47%.

For the first time in several decades, Democrats challenged the district attorney seat long held by Republicans. County voters re-elected Republican incumbent Karen Heggen over Democratic challenger Michael Phillips 57% to 43%, with a margin of victory of about 14,000 votes.   

Saratoga County Votes in Statewide Races

Statewide, voters selected Democrats Kathy Hochul for Governor, Thomas DiNapoli for Comptroller, Letitia James for Attorney General, and Chuck Schumer as U.S. Senator. Three of those four state majority preferences came up short locally, however.    

In the governor’s race, Saratoga County voters favored Republican challenger Lee Zeldin over Kathy Hochul 55% to 45%, attorney general Republican candidate Michael Henry over Letitia James 53% to 46%, and Republican U.S. Sen. Candidate Joe Pinion over Chuck Schumer 51% to 48%. (Note, all numbers are rounded up). 

Ballot Proposal 1 – Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act of 2022, was overwhelmingly approved statewide and by Saratoga voters alike.  The “yes” vote authorizes the sale of state bonds up to $4.2 billion to fund environmental protection, natural restoration, resiliency, and clean energy projects, in addressing and combating the impact of climate change and damage to the environment.