Dear Saratoga County neighbors and Saratoga Springs City Council,

I am writing to Saratoga Today to express my dismay with Dillon Moran, Commissioner of Accounts, Minita Sanghvi, Comm. of Finance and Jason Golub, Public Works Commissioner.

On 8/2/2022 The Aggressive Panhandling Ordinance was voted down 3 –2. The above 3 named voting against it. Mayor Ron Kim and James Montagnino, Commissioner of Public Safety, voting in favor. The aggressive panhandling ordinance was a measure that prohibits panhandling near an ATM, touching, and following people while asking for money. This ordinance, if passed, would increase the feeling of safety for our residents and visitors. As a recent victim of a non-violent crime, I do not understand how this could be voted down. Is the City Council trying to appease panhandlers? Is City Council trying to welcome even more crime onto our beautiful streets of downtown Saratoga and Broadway? 

I especially have an issue with Jason Golub’s statement “You’re going to have a rich white lady who says that and a homeless person, so who are you going to believe?” This statement is offensive on so many levels. Where to begin…

As I previously stated, I have recently been a victim of a non-violent crime that took place in Saratoga Springs. I am a “white lady” that lives, works, and is raising my family. Is Mr. Golub suggesting that I, or that any “white lady” should not be believed when reporting a crime to the SSPD? Or is he suggesting that a “white lady” would exaggerate claims when victimized? Does he think that most white ladies are rich?

Secondly, this statement is racist. What does being white have to do with the validity of reporting a crime? According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2021, Saratoga County’s white population was 92.7%. Is Jason Golub suggesting that 92.7% of his constituents he represents are liars?

Thirdly, this statement is insinuating that the SSPD would not follow correct police procedures when a crime is reported by a “white, rich lady”.  And that the SSPD is biased towards a person’s gender, race and financial status.  

I believe that there is absolutely no room for racist and sexist comments from the SS City Council representatives and therefore Mr. Golub should apologize for his unfortunate remarks. As a taxpaying resident of Saratoga Springs I would also like to see the Aggressive Panhandling Ordinance vote revisited.

Respectfully, Adele Mazzotti

The December 17 edition of Saratoga Today included an interview with in-coming Commissioner of Public Safety James Montagnino. I congratulate Mr. Montagnino on his victory but I feel compelled to comment on some of his responses in the interview.

When asked why he ran for that office, he responded that the one thing that motivated him was the Darryl Mount Case and how it was treated, “How nobody in authority did anything that you would have hoped.” When asked if he would advocate for an investigation, either internal or external, at this point, he stated that ‘had there been an Internal Investigation done in a timely fashion where a report and the evidence upon which it was based were released to the public, depending on its thoroughness, I might say: We’re done. But, with all that’s happened, I can understand how many people have drawn the conclusion that there must be something to hide.”

As the person who in August 2013 was in authority at the time of Darryl Mount’s tragic injury, I feel that it is important to point out that, immediately after the incident, a thorough investigation took place. Saratoga Springs Police Department investigators dealt with the criminal investigation of the domestic violence which initiated the pursuit of Darryl Mount. Due to the irresponsible rhetoric of a local blogger who had no direct knowledge of the incident but insinuated on his blog that police officers caused Darryl’s injury in an alley, the investigators also focused on finding any evidence or inconsistency that might support the blogger’s contention. Many interviews were conducted. There were pages of documents and views from surveillance cameras which were produced but there has been no evidence of wrongdoing on the part of those officers that night. In fact, after the less than six-minute chase, when Darryl was found at the base of construction scaffolding, the officers assessed his injuries and immediately summoned the fire/EMS department to initiate emergency care. 

Darryl sadly passed away in the Spring of 2014. The information from the criminal investigation was then released in June, 2014 when the Public Safety department held a press conference. There, all the evidence was released, with the exception of video of the act of physical domestic violence. Documents and videos from that June 20 press conference were subsequently made available on the City website. There was full transparency regarding the Darryl Mount incident. Nothing has been hidden.

Context is important. Family members and the local blogger insisted that there should be an outside investigation of the Darryl Mount incident. While I felt that the very thorough investigation conducted by our department was more than adequate, both Police Chief Veitch and I insisted that there would be full cooperation should an outside agency decide to conduct their own investigation. The family never asked for a formal Internal Investigation by our department. That term is reserved for situations where there is evidence of or charges by actual witnesses of wrongdoing on the part of the police. While I created some confusion when I unfortunately used the term ‘internal’ loosely when being pressed by Saratogian reporter Catilyn Morris about why I was not calling for an outside investigation, it was never anyone’s intention to misinform the public or the press about a formal ‘Internal Investigation’. 

Saratogians in general and Commissioner-elect Montagnino in particular need to know that the Saratoga Springs Police Department and the Department of Public Safety acted responsibly regarding the Darryl Mount tragedy. Despite the terrible rhetoric that I have recently heard, residents and visitors should understand that we continue to have a great police department serving our City.

– Christian E Mathiesen (former Commissioner of Public Safety)

It has taken a few days but I wanted to think through how I might best respond to my third loss as a candidate for office in Saratoga Springs.

I received more votes than in any of my previous runs and I am extremely grateful to everyone who supported and voted for me. I also wish the best to both Matt and Tara as they continue to represent this unique city in the county. I also congratulate Shawn Wiggins on running a solid upbeat campaign. 

In some ways I am grateful to BLM whose protests fueled such strong reactions from many citizens but at the same time I observed at their “rock the vote” event that they may have changed their tactics from violence and confrontation to voting as the true power of a representative democracy. I see this as a good thing and hope they continue to pursue a peaceful, positive and truly American way of addressing grievances. 

I remain deeply committed to moderation and practicality in politics and do not believe that the government should be engaged in cultural ideologies from either the church or from political correctness. Politics, in my view, is not about social and cultural activism but about what everyday people need in their everyday pursuit of life, liberty and happiness.

The American experiment continues, and the question remains open. Can citizens effectively run their own government? For me, it starts and ends here in Saratoga Springs NY and in every town and city and village where people of every stripe and color find ways to address their differences in positive and constructive ways.

– John Safford

We salute and honor all the Veterans, Active Military and those that gave their life in the service of our country, to keep the United States of America a free nation. Every Veteran and active military was and is very important no matter what they did in the service. Our military in all services are the best and most powerful in the world and has to be kept this way in order to keep the peace for our country. We must continue to keep our military strong and to let the world know this in a good way. We live in strange times. We also live in unsettled times worldwide. God Bless our Veterans, Active Military and God bless the United States of America. 

– Sid Gordon, WWII Veteran

As of Midnight 10/31/2021…

After 55 years of serving the public, we have temporally ceased operations in Saratoga Springs.

The City of Saratoga Springs will not listen to our need for temporary relief from the burdensome INSURANCE MANDATES imposed. Simple, temporary relief, that’s all we are asking.

Saratoga mandates $300,000 insurance, NYS requires $50,000. (Wilton, Gansevoort, Ballston Spa, Clifton Park, Glens Falls, as well as all rural NYS require $50,000.)

What’s up Saratoga? The cost of $300,000 in coverage is prohibitive. 

Saratoga Taxi successfully operated for over 40 years with NYS Insurance, so what’s the reasoning? – unknown

Our staff and drivers worked every day 24 hours during the pandemic serving the citizens of Saratoga Springs, without concerns for themselves, rather their service to their community. 

We survived Covid but we can’t survive the city. 

If you wish to call the city and demand that your taxi service be reinstated, call 518-587-3550, extension 2523. 

Voice your opinion. Demand that your taxi service return.

We wish all our customers the very best. Hopefully we will be back very soon. Please support local businesses, it’s very important.

– Larry Kupper, Saratoga Taxi

In this year’s election, the current Saratoga Springs Commissioner of Public Safety is the best choice for Mayor of Saratoga Springs. The other candidates have lots of promises, but Commissioner Dalton has lots of accomplishments. After taking office in 2020, Commissioner Dalton immediately took charge of the City’s successful effort to protect Saratogians from the COVID-19 pandemic. She searched every day for vaccine supplies and then secured appointments for residents to be among the first to receive life-saving vaccinations. Then she led the City’s response to the nationwide wave of demonstrations against racial injustice, calmly assuring that the right to protest was respected and that protesters and the rest of the community were protected from violence. Under her leadership during the worst financial crisis in the City’s history, not even a single police officer or firefighter was laid off, and despite claims to the contrary, Saratoga Springs continues to be one of the safest small cities in the United States. After more than twenty years of discussion, debate, and delay, she became the first Public Safety Commissioner to win City Council funding and approval of the long-needed third emergency services station on the City’s east side, and then implementing the approval by awarding on September 7, 2021, a contract for construction management which will allow for a start of construction by Spring 2022. To continue Robin Dalton’s successful leadership, vote for her as Mayor on November 2nd on ballot line F, the Saratoga Stronger Together line.                     

– Bill Murray

At its fundamental core, politics is local and this election Saratogians have a clear choice to elect a local slate of candidates that are focused on local issues that will move Saratoga Springs forward in a positive direction. The Republican endorsed slate is the most dynamic, diverse and qualified slate of candidates this city has ever seen and includes an unprecedented four incredible women running for city council. We have a small business owner and political independent for Mayor, a certified public accountant for Finance, a Domestic Violence Advocate for Accounts, a no-nonsense name we can trust for Public Safety, a proven, well-regarded Commissioner of Public Works and compassionate and proven taxpayer watchdogs for County Supervisor. The overwhelming issue facing Saratoga Springs is safety and the notion of our city being a safe place to live and raise a family has been called into question as of late. If you value a safe and vibrant Saratoga, back our police and are tired of protesters blocking our streets and harassing patrons at restaurants, the team on Row B are your candidates. When casting your vote this election cycle, whether it be by absentee, early voting or on Election Day on November 2nd, Heidi Owen West for Mayor, JoAnne Kiernan for Finance, Samantha Guerra for Accounts, Tracey LaBelle for Public Safety, Skip Scirocco for Public Works and Matt Veitch and John Safford for County Supervisor (Vote for 2) are the candidates that have Saratogians’ best interests and safety at hand and will get the job done with integrity and civility.        

– Chris Obstarczyk, Chairman, Saratoga Springs Republican Committee 

As a lifelong Democrat and former chair of the Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee, I am dismayed by the tactics being used by Democrats in this year’s city elections. In mailings and lawn signs Democratic candidates are suggesting falsely that democracy in Saratoga will be threatened if Republicans win city council seats. This tactic is offensive and divisive. Nearly half the registered voters in Saratoga Springs are Republicans. They are our neighbors and our friends. Many of the candidates have lived in Saratoga all their lives and have served the city in many capacities including elected office. The Democratic candidates should address the local issues where they may legitimately disagree with the Republicans. A commitment to democracy is not one of those.

– Jane Weihe, Saratoga Springs 

Let’s remember the real Ron Kim. When he was Commissioner of Public Safety, Ron Kim proposed spending millions to build a 30,000-square foot palace for the police.  Plus, he petulantly stomped out of an ongoing City Council meeting after our other city leaders refused to follow him down this needless and expensive hole. I know this is true: I was in the city hall conference room attending this meeting when this happened.We need someone who will actually provide steady leadership and can solve problems. We need Heidi West for Mayor.

– Bonnie Sellers, Saratoga Springs 

I’d like to introduce you to Toni Sturm, a candidate running for the Town Board in Wilton. 

I have had the pleasure of knowing Toni and her family since moving to Wilton in 1974. The Sturm’s have been our neighbors since then.

There are many things that set Toni apart from the other candidates running for the same position. Toni is determined to see multi-use paths finally become a reality in Wilton, is passionate about preserving Open Space from over development and would also like to explore having a dog park in Wilton. Toni favors more transparency and citizen inclusion in town government through a Citizens Advisory Board and, of course, favors NO TOWN TAX. 

There is no diversity in Wilton government having long been served by only one party. Without fresh ideas from a different perspective nothing new will be accomplished.  Toni comes with creativity and the vision it takes to get things done. Coming from a medical background, her decisions are evidence based. Please take the time to read her qualifications on Facebook @ Strum4Wilton and get out and cast your vote. Find her on the Public Servants and the Democratic lines on your ballot.

Thank you,  

– Joanne Klepetar