BALLSTON SPA — Clifton Park Supervisor Phil Barrett was unanimously selected Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, and Saratoga Springs Supervisor Matt Veitch unanimously as vice-chair, during the Board’s annual Organizational Meeting, held at the county complex on Jan. 2. Each will serve in their respective positions during the 2025 calendar year and roles both Barrett and Veitch similarly served in 2024.    

The county Board will oversee a $432 million budget in 2025. 

The Board is comprised of 23 supervisors. Each of Saratoga County’s 21 municipalities have at least one elected supervisor; Saratoga Springs, and Clifton Park – the county’s most populous municipalities – each have two representatives. 

“I want to thank my esteemed colleagues for their support and confidence to serve as chairman for the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors in 2025,” Barrett said. 

“As we look to the future, meeting the challenges of the communities in the county is our responsibility,” said Barrett, adding that “following careful research we are now prepared to close on the purchase” of a $3 million, 1.4-acre parcel the county targeted as a permanent Code Blue program location on Route 50 in Saratoga Springs.   

Barrett is currently serving in his 14th term as Clifton Park Town/County Supervisor.  

“The assets and buildings owned by the county have served the residents of the county very well for many years. However, as the county population and workforce has grown in modern efficiencies and building codes have changed, we have undertaken a comprehensive facilities study to assess current conditions and the needs of the county for the next hundred years,” Barrett told supervisors on Jan. 2. “Studying and analyzing future options is in process (and) vital decisions for the future of the county will be made by this Board of Supervisors.” 

Barrett added that new short-term rental regulations in the state will be reviewed with hospitality administrators as “challenges and opportunities to improve the current system are presented.”  

In addition to his role as vice chairman of the board, Saratoga Springs Supervisor Matt Veitch will chair the county’s Law & Finance Committee, as well as serve on the Human Resources & Insurance Committee. Saratoga Springs Supervisor Michele Madigan will serve on the county Public Works Committee, and Veitch and Madigan will both serve on the Economic Development, and Trails & Open Space committees.   

Historically, the first meeting of the Board of Supervisors was held in late May, 1791 at the dwelling house of Walter Meade, according to documents charting “Saratoga County Supervisors 1779-1877,” made available by current county historian Lauren Roberts. 

Meade was an innkeeper in Stillwater, and that initial meeting included representatives of Ballston, Halfmoon, Saratoga and Stillwater. 

By 1820, the number of supervisors had grown to 19 in number, and included – for the first time – Saratoga Springs, which was represented by Ashbel Andrews. Andrews lived at the corner of Broadway and Washington streets and was elected Supervisor of the newly minted “town” of Saratoga Springs at the first town meeting – staged at Broadway’s Union Hall on March 7, 1820.  The town of Saratoga Springs would six years later be incorporated as a “village” and subsequently as a “city” in the next century.  

BALLSTON SPA – On Jan. 2, members of the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors 12 Standing Committees were announced for 2025. 

Each Standing Committee has 5 to 7 members and is where discussion relative to that committee’s focus takes place, with items later forwarded to the full Supervisor Board for potential approval. 

By rule, the Chair of each Standing Committee is selected by the chair of the Board of Supervisors. A variety of appointments were additionally assigned to numerous other advisory boards and committees. 

Thirteen members were appointed to the 250th American Revolution Commission with terms through Dec. 31, 2027.  Last August, Chairman Barrett appointed Congresswoman Elise Stefanik to the commission for a three-year term. Since that appointment, President-elect Donald Trump chose Stefanik to be his ambassador to the United Nations. The Trump appointment requires Senate confirmation. 

Stefanik’s name is not listed among the county’s 13-member 250th American Revolution Commission appointed Jan. 2, although Matthew Manda, who is married to Stefanik and a town of Saratoga resident, is included among the membership.    

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Wesley Community, a 37-acre senior living campus with more than 700 residents in Saratoga Springs, is partnering with the WSWHE BOCES Career and Technical Education (CTE) division to host two programs for high school students interested in pursuing careers in health care. 

Students will get hands-on experience at Wesley’s campus as they shadow staff members from the Rehabilitation and Nutrition Teams at the Wesley Health Care Center to learn about careers in senior care. 

The WSWHE BOCES CTE classes are for high school juniors and seniors seeking certification to work in health care. The programs serve 31 school districts in Washington, Saratoga, Warren, Hamilton and Essex counties. Each requires attendance at weekly classroom sessions and clinical hours on the Wesley campus engaged with trained professionals.

The WSWHE BOCES New Visions Health Careers Exploration program is a rigorous one-year course offered to eligible college-bound high school seniors who plan to major in pre-med or other health-related fields. Alternatively, the Health Occupations program is a two-year course that offers high school juniors and seniors certifications and endorsements upon completion, as well as a pathway to employment opportunities that require further education.

For more information about the Wesley Community visit www.thewesleycommunity.org.

BALLSTON SPA — Saratoga County Sheriff Michael Zurlo announced on Jan. 2 that he will “step aside and allow for new leadership to take the helm” at the conclusion of his term and not seek re-election in 2025. 

Saratoga County Board of Supervisor Chairman Phil Barrett thanked Zurlo for his service during the county’s organizational meeting Jan. 2, after which the sheriff received a standing ovation from supervisors in the room.

“For the past 11 years, I have had the honor and privilege of serving as your Sheriff in Saratoga County. Together, we have made tremendous strides in enhancing public safety and ensuring that our community remains one of the safest in New York State,” Zurlo said, in a statement announcing his decision.  

“It has been an immense privilege to serve as your Sheriff, and I will continue to dedicate myself fully to my duties throughout the remainder of my term,” Zurlo said. “In the coming months, just as I have done since day one, I will work tirelessly to keep Saratoga County a safe place to live, work, and raise a family.”

Zurlo added that he supports Undersheriff Jeff Brown to succeed him as the next Sheriff of Saratoga County. 

Zurlo, (R,C) was most recently re-elected to the four-year term in 2021 by securing more than 38,000 votes and defeating Working Families Party challenger Norman Boyea by a 84-16 margin.  

Zurlo was born and raised in Mechanicville where he began his law-enforcement career with the Mechanicville Police department before transferring to the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office, according to the NYS Sheriff’s Association.  Zurlo worked for the Saratoga County Sheriff’s office for more than 30 years as a deputy, sergeant, lieutenant and senior criminal investigator and was elected to serve Saratoga County in 2013.

SARATOGA SPRINGS —MLK Saratoga’s annual Dr. King Celebration Weekend kicks off Friday, Jan. 17 with a series of free events that will be staged through Monday, Jan. 20.  

This year’s theme is inspired by a 1967 speech Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave in Atlanta, Georgia, titled “Where Do We Go from Here?”  Quotes from the speech emphasize the importance of continuing to fight for social justice despite challenges, holding onto a strong belief in a better future.

Friday night’s Kickoff Party will take place 5:30 – (;30 p.m. at the Holiday Inn, 232 Broadway and   features a free evening of food, music and performances by Capital District artists, hosted by Emcee Bakari Grady-Willis. 

Additional events throughout the weekend include: workshops, children’s programming, a Sunday Gospel service, exploring Restorative Justice, film screening and a special tribute to Odetta by Gina Coleman and Misty Blues (4 p.m. Sunday) at Caffè Lena. 

Events on Saturday begin at the Saratoga Springs Public Library with an African Drumming Workshop (9 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.) and Dances of Trinbago (3-5 p.m.), and continue throughout the weekend at venues Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Dyer Phelps AME Zion Church, and conclude 2-4 p.m. Monday with a keynote address by author and Skidmore professor Dr. Tammy Owens, and music by Soulist Garland Nelson and vocalist and pianist Azzaam Hameed at , Saratoga Springs United Methodist Church.  

For a complete listing of events, times and venues, go to: mlksaratoga.org.