For more than a decade, I have had the great fun and satisfaction of shopping at Spoken, on Church Street, while it was owned by the indefatigable Pam Worth. I learned to turn to her for advice about what to wear, respect her honesty about what looked good and what didn’t work, and look forward to her exuberance, sense of humor, professionalism, and insights. Also, her friendship, which has meant more to me than the garment guru will ever know. So my heart sank when she called me to say she had sold Spoken – until she told me the sale was made to Tina Powell, the indomitable, personable, hilarious fashionista who had been working at Spoken full time as a sales associate and was ready to take on the challenge. I was immediately thrilled for both of them: Pam, for making the difficult decision to put on the brakes, and Tina, for taking up the torch. How fortunate the women who shop at Spoken are to have this cozy, convenient, creative corner shop just steps off Broadway, and how deeply gratifying it is to know there will be continuity in the style, that special je ne sais quoi, and distinctive, honest, energized dialogue shoppers and staff share. Spoken is an asset to our retail community and Pam and Tina make it happen every day. Bravo, ladies! Wishing you all the happiness and success you deserve. A giant thank you for making Spoken a shopping sanctuary and sustaining that spark during the transition. I can’t wait to add unique Spoken outfits to my wardrobe in 2023.

– Helen Edelman Walker

Dear Editor, Michelle Ostrelich seeks to represent District 44 in the NY State Senate. As Schenectady County Legislator, Michelle shows that quality education, access, support, and safety will be top of mind for Saratoga’s dedicated, talented teachers, administrators, and all the students they serve. Michelle will

• Work to reform the state budget process so every school district receives full and fair funding annually. Expand access to affordable, high-quality childcare. Implement universal pre-K, and bring full-day kindergarten to the Shenendehowa district.

• Advocate for NYSUT as they strive to improve the lives and health of their members.

• Continue to support common sense gun laws, such as higher age for assault-type rifle ownership and expanding Red Flag laws for high-risk individuals. 

Michelle really cares about her constituents and gets an A+ on these issues. Know your candidates. See why Michelle Ostrelich is right for Saratoga. www.michelleforstatesenate.com 

– Stacey Farber

Jason is dedicated to creating a new 21st century DPW that doesn’t just plow snow, pave roads, and pick up leaves, but is an active and involved agent for the community dedicated to serving the needs of all Saratoga Springs citizens.

In his role as DPW Commissioner, he has worked successfully with city, state, and federal administrators to focus on the growth and enhancement of Saratoga Springs, addressing needed services, along with having an open door to listen to the concerns of residents.

Jason has worked to protect and expand green spaces, and address issues across neighborhoods, while respecting and conserving our historical landmarks. With real world experience, vision, and the ability to implement ideas, electing Jason Golub to continue as DPW Commissioner is the way forward for Saratoga Springs.

– Sharon Neuman, Saratoga Springs

Dear Editor, Supreme Court Judge Bob Muller is someone I have known for many years and I  strongly support his re-election. Although electing judges is something we do in New York,  I find that an awful lot of  people have no clue and don’t really get what’s going on with judicial elections. I believe elections should be held to allow the people to get their say and be the ones in charge. Judge Muller is best for the job and has proven this with many thousands of decisions and orders under his belt.  He is seldom reversed by the appellate courts and rarely gets appealed to begin with. Judge Muller is someone you can trust with having the final say in the courtroom. If you are in Judge Muller’s court you can be certain he will be fair and that his decisions will be respectful to you and the law – without consideration of who you are, who your friends are, and whatever your politics may be. Re-electing Judge Muller has nothing to do with politics and it shouldn’t. Let’s re-elect Judge Muller on November 8th and keep a hardworking judge working for all of us. Thank you,

-Town of Wilton Supervisor John Lant

Dear Editor, State Supreme Court Justice Robert J. Muller deserves to be reelected. He is one of six candidates for three openings in the Fourth Judicial District. He is the only candidate who has served in the capacity of a Supreme Court Justice, and he has done so with high integrity, prompt and just decision-making, and in a fair and timely manner since 2009. As a former Judge delegate of the Republican Nominating Convention, I have seen many judicial candidates. Judge Muller is more qualified than most. In order to support Judge aMuller, I have resigned from the Warren County Republican Committee because it is more important to have a quality judge making important rulings than a candidate guided by his or her political affiliation. Judge Muller is endorsed by the Democratic and Conservative parties. Judge Muller is simply the best qualified candidate from any party. Personally, I have known, worked with and against Robert Muller for over forty years. He was my colleague and fellow trial lawyer before being elected to his current position in 2008. Since that time he has gained a reputation for excellence and has had numerous significant published decisions and regularly participates in lectures and presentations to the practicing bar. The Fourth Judicial District needs his commitment and expertise. Please join with me in voting for Judge Robert Muller on election day. 

-Malcolm O’Hara, Esq. Queensbury

Three reasons to vote for Anthony Scirocco, Jr. on November 8th. 

First – Anthony has over twenty years experience in the Saratoga County public works department performing and now supervising road construction, paving, and snow removal. 

Second – this city needs to have a diversified city council as opposed to the one party rule and control that now exists. 

Third – Scirocco is a fair-minded reasonable citizen- one who will not make offensive racist and sexist statements about “rich white ladies” like the comment that the present incumbent made during a recent city council meeting. 

Please vote for Scirocco on November 8th. You will be voting for experience, competence, and integrity. 

-Mark and Amy Cacozza

I urge you to vote for Karen Heggen to keep her as our Saratoga County District Attorney. Karen has 29 years of experience prosecuting cases in Saratoga County. Karen has been an assistant District Attorney (1993 to 1997), Chief Trial Assistant District Attorney (1998-2010), First Assistant District Attorney (2010-September 2014) and District Attorney (September, 2014 to present). Since elected in 2014, Karen has achieved a 95% felony conviction rate in County Court.

I have known Karen for over 30 years, and I can personally attest to her high moral standard as well as her impeccable integrity and outstanding administrative ability. 

I ask that you vote for Karen Heggen to keep her as our Saratoga County District Attorney.

– John H. Ciulla, Jr., Esq.  (Retired Mechanicville City Court Judge and retired Saratoga County Public Defender for 24 years.)

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