Heidi Owen West ~ I am not writing this letter as a political person, but I am writing it as I know and love the character of Heidi!  I have been blessed by Heidi coming into my life through the loss of her mother, and my best friend.  I had known Heidi before her mother’s illness, and quite loved her kindness and joy for life and sincere interest in all that crossed her path.  I had not come to know the depth of Heidi’s goodness and grace at that point.  I watched Heidi’s unconditional love and care with awe.  She was by her mother’s side, advocating, researching, tenderly caring for all of her physical and emotional needs daily.  Such love in action is what made me fall in love with Heidi, a beautiful gift her mother had once more given to me.

Since Heidi’s Mom passing, I have continued to be blessed by Heidi and her love for me and my family.  She is such a beautiful part of our lives and I am so grateful that I know the Heidi West that cares constantly about other’s needs.  She gives and gives and gives, all the while trying to never let anyone know it is her behind the thoughtful deeds.  She loves from a pure heart, never from selfish conceit.  My sister suddenly passed away in New Orleans a few years ago.  Heidi never asked what I needed, Heidi quietly flew there to be with me and quietly waited with arms open wide for everyone to fall in to be loved compassionately.  I don’t think people see the kindness she shows the needy on the street, she calls them by name and listens to them without judgement.   She tirelessly shares her talents, her resources, her mind and body and her heart to make a better place for us to live.

I feel so proud and happy to say Heidi is now a beautiful member of our family, loved and adored by each one of us, and I am so grateful for the joy she has added to our lives.  i wish everyone knew the Heidi I know and how  I thank you Heidi Owen West, for interrupting your life to make ours better!!! I dearly love you!!!

– XO, Ninki Carroll

Hi Saratogians!

I’m Minita Sanghvi’s neighbor and I’m voting for her as the next Commissioner of Finance. 

We met Minita and her wife Megan when they moved onto our street in 2014. Welcoming and friendly, we enjoyed discussing gardening and landscaping, domestic and international politics, and occasionally the stock market. But mostly the conversations revolved around their son and family. 

Like most immigrant citizens I know, Minita is proud of her U.S. citizenship. And as she has noted, it’s not where you’re from that’s important, but it’s where you settle and choose to live. Her commitment to give back to her Saratoga Springs community is evidenced in her high level of engagement in local organizations and politics, including as finance director of our public library board.

As Minita would be the first to say, Saratoga Springs needs to do more and better in the drive to become a carbon neutral city, we need more year-around tourism, we need real focus and effort on bike lanes/paths circling the city center with access particularly from the west side, we need smart and sustainable investment to rebuild the City’s post-pandemic finances, we need to not only build, but also fund the staffing of the East Side fire station/public safety facility. And maybe most importantly, we need City leaders who are committed to open dialogue with all constituents, while implementing a strategy to increase diversity that will foster growth for the forseeable future.

While Minita’s education, experience and skill set make her qualified to execute the duties of the position, it’s her enthusiasm, energy, heart, and commitment that motivated me to write this endorsement of Minita Sanghvi for Commissioner of Finance. Please vote on Nov. 2.

– Bruce Klion

I was 15 when John Kennedy said, “ask not what your country can do for you but ask what you can do for your country.” I was 18 when he died. I knew nothing about politics in HS and College except that a Catholic had been elected President. His words were what I thought it meant to be a good citizen and I very much wanted to serve my country. Vietnam changed all that.

Through the ROTC program at Canisius College, I signed up for the infantry and after graduating and attending Infantry Officer training at Fort Benning, GA, I was assigned to a then top-secret intelligence course at Fort Devens, MA, followed by a special TS+C course at Fort Holabird, MD. My job was to become the commander of a first line of defense field operation detecting and identifying nuclear detonations anywhere in the world but, for my command, specifically in Russia and China. This, together with the death of a number of my fellow officers and friends in Vietnam and the popular firestorm in the USA denigrating them and all of us who were serving, was my introduction to real politics.

I grew up (age 15 to 25) in the 1960’s. By the time I left active service in 1970 I had absolutely no interest in anything to do with government or service or even country. I was in bad shape for about six months until I decided to learn about this new thing called a computer and I trained to program them at a school in Syracuse, NY. I have done okay since then, but the purpose of this introduction is to try to explain to you and myself why I decided to run for elected office at the age of 69, how I found out that I was a conservative and why I haven’t given up trying to win an election. In a nutshell, I believed what John Kennedy said and I still do. 

As a veteran, I want to honor and encourage every soldier who has or will serve. As a businessman and conservative, I want to provide the basis and incentive for every citizen to grow both personally and economically. As a considerate Christian, I want to be involved in caring for anyone in need of food or shelter.

All of these goals can be realized as your next Supervisor for Saratoga Springs. 

– John Safford

On November 2, I will be casting my ballot for Heidi Owen West for Mayor of Saratoga Springs, and I think your readers should too. My reasons for supporting Heidi are simple. First, I value private sector experience in a politician. Heidi runs three successful, mainstay, businesses on Broadway. Balancing a budget (including paying your taxes), managing payroll, and understanding the impact of government action on small business make Heidi uniquely qualified to take on the role of Mayor. Second, Heidi is not registered to a political party. In these times, this is especially rare, but Saratoga Springs has the opportunity to put politics aside and elect a natural leader into office.  Even the local democratic party sought to endorse Heidi when searching for a candidate to run on their line. Third, Heidi listens to the community. Whether through her numerous volunteer roles in the community, to her customers, neighbors, or employees, Heidi is a true advocate for our City, our residents, and our visitors. In sum, Heidi has the experience and dedication to lead our City into the future as we rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic. She has my vote, and I think she should have yours too.

– Mike Brandi

Track season is over and electioneering for seats on the Saratoga Springs City Council is in full swing. The good news is come January 1, 2022 we’ll have a new City Council.

However, some things never change. Already, we see the Republican candidate for Mayor claiming her political “independence,” while at the same time taking money, thousands of dollars, from the State Republican Party organization as well as city real-estate developers and land use attorneys doing business with City Hall.

I have witnessed firsthand the failures of both City Hall officials and developers’ disinterest in responding to a neighborhood’s complaint being totally ignored in the planning process. 

For a commitment to positive change in the way Saratoga Springs City government operates, vote for two candidates who will bring much needed balance and qualified experience to City Hall, beginning with Ron Kim for Mayor and Minita Sanghvi for Commissioner of Finance. 

– Marcy Taylor, Saratoga Springs

I am JoAnne Kiernan, candidate for Commissioner of Finance for Saratoga Springs. I have lived in Saratoga Springs for 18 years with my husband, Todd and my two sons. I have served as Treasurer of Watersedge/Woodlands HOA; Caroline Street School PTSO and, as a Board Member and race organizer for Kelly’s Angels. Recently, I finished serving nine years on the Saratoga Springs City School District Board of Education and served on the finance committee for all nine years, as well as other various committees. 

As a CPA for over 26 years, I have worked with large and small businesses creating and managing budgets as well as providing financial advice and accounting services. With my practical experience and knowledge I will be able to help Saratoga Springs recover from the pandemic stronger than ever. I will work toward establishing a plan for future unexpected emergencies. Our city must always be as properly prepared as possible. It is my commitment to the taxpayers of this beautiful city, to keep our taxes low without cutting services to residents. I will look to reduce  expenses across every department. I will advocate for the city at the county, state, and federal levels.

From my work on the school board I have learned we have more in common than differences when it comes to good governance and finances. I want to work with the citizens of Saratoga and continue to build on all that we have in common. So much can be accomplished with respectful dialogue and active listening. We must always stay focused on the issues and come together for the better of our community, instead of focusing on who is right or wrong. We must meet people where they are and work towards solutions for all residents. 

Small businesses are the cornerstone of our vibrant downtown. I will work with business owners, community leaders and all stakeholders to ensure we stay economically strong and continue to grow, while also taking steps to preserve and protect our beautiful Saratoga greenbelt. There has been great work done by the Climate Smart Task Force and I would continue to support and advance this work. 

When elected, I will be engaged, serve with integrity and work to keep the city strong, healthy, successful and safe. I am the only candidate with the qualifications, competency and experience to get our beautiful city through these difficult times. If I am fortunate enough to serve as our next Commissioner of Finance, I will always put our city’s best interests above politics. We should always have leaders who are willing to work with others. We need to accomplish much so that Saratoga Springs can continue to thrive.  We are presented with some challenging times ahead of us and we all must do what is best for Saratoga Springs. That is the truest definition of being a Public Servant—Service Before Self, and that is how I will lead as your Commissioner of Finance. Contact – joanne@joannekiernanforfinance.com

For some reason, likely because they have no voice and can’t vote, children have endured an unreasonably high percentage of the numerous COVID restrictions implemented since March of 2020.

From multi-week quarantines at home away from friends, remote schooling, eating lunches alone at desks many feet from peers to playing soccer and field hockey with masks on, outside!

However, as a parent of a 4-year in pre-school,  the recent news that 2 to 4 year old children are now required to mask-up at Pre-K centers and daycare facilities was a final gut punch to me.

Experts from Harvard Medical School have come out and indicated that ‘We lack credible evidence for benefits of masking kids aged 2 to 5’.

In spite of this information, our politicians and local health officials have pursued this strategy. My opinion is that this strategy, which is not being implemented anywhere else in the World, is being done to make the adults feel safer psychologically, and not for the benefit of the children.

Even if masks were proven to be somewhat affective in reducing COVID transmission, I don’t think we can ignore the negative consequences of masking 2 to 4 year old kids.

Covering a small child’s face can impact communication and language development, potentially cause breathing issues and affect social and emotional development. These factors should not be ignored.

The people implementing this mandate absolutely should provide evidence of a substantial benefit, which they have yet to do.

I’m recommending that all parents in a similar situation as myself contact their US Congress person, their State Assembly person, or County health official. Perhaps they will listen and provide a voice for these children and help get the face diapers removed from the children’s faces.

I know my 4-year wants the mask madness to end as he asked me today if he still had to wear it, and I’m sure there are many other kids feeling the same way, so we need the parents to stand up and end it for them.

– John Venditte

Hello fellow Saratogians. I’m running for the Board of Education on May 18 and want to take an opportunity to introduce myself.

I’ve been a resident of Saratoga Springs for over 10 years. A native of the Boston area, I’ve lived all over the country and was excited when I had the opportunity to relocate to Saratoga for work. I instantly fell in love with Saratoga’s unique combination of history, nature, and the arts and was grateful to settle here and start my family.

I’m a single mother and mompreneur. I have two young daughters who are enrolled at Caroline Street Elementary School. I’m a literacy advocate working with a children’s publisher on both a local and national level. Previously, I worked in the non-profit arts sector. I’ve been an active member of the Caroline Street PTA for three years and serve as a Girl Scout Troop Leader.

Raised by two educators, one of whom was a public school English teacher for over 30 years, I’ve always had a passion for education. However, after the past year, I feel even more committed to ensuring our community’s children have a safe and healthy environment in which to learn and that all students have equal access to educational opportunities. The events of 2020 shined a light on the importance of a healthy family unit, the unique and pivotal role our schools play in children’s lives on many levels, and the need for balanced conversations among parents, educators and administration.

Thank you for taking some time to learn more about me! I’d love to hear from you and what matters to you in regards to our school district. Please feel free to email me at ReadingMamaUBAM@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you!   

– Amanda Ellithorpe

I’m writing to you about Connie Woytowich, a brilliant woman and strong candidate for Saratoga’s Board of education. Connie is a mother of four and a NYS master teacher with over 20 years of experience. As a mother and a professional, I stand in awe of Connie’s dedication to our community. 

When my eldest began kindergarten, Connie was the PTA President. Her thoughtful leadership ensured that our first experiences in Saratoga Schools were amazing. Our school’s fun and educational STEM Expo, which Connie not only built from the ground up, but has improved on and added to each year has remained a family favorite. Connie was also the past director of Camp Invention, which our children absolutely loved. As parents, we were thrilled to have our children inspired and challenged in a fun and exciting way. 

As a neighbor, Connie will always be known for her friendliness, willingness to help and ability to bring people together. Each Labor Day, she organized a back-to-school breakfast for the families on and around her street to help get everyone in back-to-school mode. 

Connie knows that “it takes a village.” Her commitment to kids, families and community is needed now more than ever. 

– Christina Cicardi, Saratoga Springs

Like many parents across the Saratoga Springs City School District, I am looking forward to the 2021-2022 school year with a full-time, in-person educational experience for our children that fosters a healthy routine, puts learning at the center of every decision, and highlights the need for community, mental health awareness, respect for others, a safe learning environment, and a sense of love and belonging. 

In addition to being a parent and community volunteer, I am a lifelong learner with urban, rural, and suburban teaching and leadership experience at the K-12 level. My extensive network in the educational community in the Capital Region and state are a result of my selection and work as a New York State Master Teacher, former PTA President, and former Camp Invention Director.

I am running for the school board to continue my service to education and our community. The knowledge and skills that I have honed over the past 20 years make me the ideal candidate for handling the critical issues related to instruction, policy, and budget, especially in light of the pandemic. I urge you to take the time to learn more at connieforschoolboard.com and appreciate your vote on May 18. 

– Connie Woytowich, NYS Master Teacher, Saratoga Springs