BALLSTON SPA — Saratoga County officials have announced the completion of an energy efficiency LED lighting upgrades that will save approximately $46,500 a year in energy costs. A total of 1,929 florescent fixtures were replaced with LEDs at the County Department of Public Works garage and office space, Correctional Facility, and Animal Shelter, reducing energy consumption at these facilities by 300,700 kilowatt hours a year. 

The upgrade provides for energy and cost savings as well as improved lighting throughout the buildings, as LED lights are more energy efficient, shine brighter, and last longer than traditional lighting. 

The County took advantage of a utility incentive of $31,019 offered by National Grid for this $277,586 project, which is expected to pay for itself in energy savings and efficiencies in approximately six years. Following an RFP process, the County contracted with Centrica Business Solutions to perform energy and lighting assessments and installation of the fixture replacements to LEDs.  

Saratoga County — Democrat Congressman Paul Tonko (NY-20), and Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (NY-21), each voted on Dec. 8 to send the Respect for Marriage Act to President Biden’s desk. 

The landmark legislation takes several key steps to defend marriage equality, including upholding couples’ right to equal protection under federal law and requiring states to recognize valid out-of-state marriages.

The Respect for Marriage Act will take several steps to protect the inviolability of same-sex and interracial marriages, according to a statement released by Tonko. This includes: repealing the “Defense of Marriage Act; Enshrining Marriage Equality into Federal Law – which upholds married couples’ right to equal protection in all areas covered under federal law, such as Social Security, tax filings and veterans’ benefits, and barring discrimination by state officials – effectively prohibiting state officials from denying recognition of an out-of-state marriage on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity or national origin.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Springs residents over the age of 18 are able to cast a ballot to fund city projects through Sunday, Dec. 11.  

Named “Participatory Budgeting,” the Participatory Budgeting process encourages local community members to participate in the City’s budget process by voting on how to spend a portion, 0.25%, of the City’s total budget – approximately $100,000. 

There are nine total projects on the ballot for potential funding. 

Project proposals were submitted by individuals and organizations from across the Saratoga Springs community. The Committee received a total of 20 submissions for cycle one with proposed projects ranging from smaller-scale community events to larger infrastructure projects throughout the City. 

For more information, go to: www.saratogasprings.org/2682/Participatory-Budgeting. The ballot may be found at: pbstanford.org/2022-saratoga-ny.

BALLSTON SPA — The Saratoga County Employment and Training Office provides comprehensive training and employment services to residents through its Career Center and works with local businesses to attract and retain the local workforce. The Saratoga County Career Center in conjunction with the Greater Capital Region Career Centers will hold the following free virtual career workshops in December:

Dec. 14 at 10 a.m.: Goal Setting. This workshop explores how goal setting works and provides helpful resources to get you started.  Facilitated by Washington and Albany.

Dec. 13 at 10:30 a.m.: Interview Preparation. Learn how to articulate your strengths, what questions to expect, how to address difficult topics, and ace the interviewing process. Facilitated by Schenectady.

Dec. 15 at 11 a.m.: Job Applications. Statistics show approximately 50% of mid-sized companies and almost all large corporations use an applicant tracking system to screen candidates for job opportunities. Learn how to prepare your online application to get the most visibility from hiring managers. Facilitated by Warren and Washington.

Dec. 22 at 1:30 p.m.: Social Media. Learn how to use social media to your advantage in searching for a job and marketing yourself to land the job you’ve always wanted. Facilitated by Schenectady.

Dec. 27 at 11 a.m.: Overcoming Barriers. Join an informal discussion about how to overcome potential stumbling blocks to finding a job. Whether you’re facing transportation needs, childcare needs, prior justice system involvement, inexperience, health concerns or more, this workshop will provide you with resources and strategies to help you meet your goals. Facilitated by Saratoga and Fulton-Montgomery-Schoharie.

Registration is required for all workshops. Visit thejoblink.org/calendar/ to register or call the Saratoga County Career Center at 518-884-4170 for more information.  The workshops are offered as part of the Saratoga County Career Center’s WorkPays! workforce education campaign. 

50 Years Later: Local Man Shot with RFK Reflects

Paul Schrade stood atop the platform in the ballroom of the Ambassador Hotel. A few feet away, Bobby Kennedy delivered his speech.

A few hours earlier, the polls closed on the California Democratic presidential primary and the feeling of victory hung in the air. As Kennedy made his way off the stage to meet with the press, the ballroom filled with the exuberant chanting of his joy-filled supporters: RFK. RFK. RFK.

“As he walked off into the pantry area, heading for a press conference, Bobby said: ‘I want you with me,’” Schrade recalls. Once inside the hotel kitchen pantry area, he watched Kennedy extend his hand to greet workers. “Then I got hit,” Schrade says. “I started shaking violently. I didn’t even know that I’d been shot.”

Schrade was shot in the head and taken to Los Angeles’ Kaiser Hospital. Just over 24 hours later, at 1:44 a.m. on June 6, 1968, Kennedy was pronounced dead at Good Samaritan Hospital. After recovering from his injuries, Schrade moved out of Los Angeles and into the desert. He set aside the memories of that tragic night for a long time.

Paul Schrade grew up in Saratoga Springs where as a young man he worked nights and weekends at the family floral business, the descendant of which maintains the Schrade name and today stands on West Avenue as the Posie Peddler. “Slave labor,” he says with a laugh. He had a busy scholastic career that included writing for the school newspaper, Oratoga, and being involved in the speech club and photo club, among other organizations. He graduated from Saratoga Springs High School in 1942 and studied at Yale College, later becoming a union organizer and getting involved in the nation’s political scene.

During John F. Kennedy’s election campaign in 1960, Schrade struck up a friendship with J.F.K.’s younger brother, Bobby. “We had a lot of great experiences together,” he says.

The year 1968 was one of conflict in America. “Bob was facing a lot of crises,” explains Schrade. “The anti-war movement, rebellion on campuses, rebellion in the black community; Dr. King had been shot and killed. The country was in horrible shape at the point and Bob provided some hope during this terrible time.”

Vice President Hubert Humphrey would later emerge from a turbulent Democratic National Convention in Chicago to represent his party. Republican candidate Richard Nixon would win the presidency in the general election.

Asked whether he can imagine how the world might be different had Kennedy survived and been elected president, Schrade says, “well he was against the war in Vietnam. He would have ended the war.” One person’s life making such a big difference. “One small bullet made a difference,” he replied.  

Sirhan Sirhan was convicted in 1969 of the assassination of Kennedy and sentenced to death in the gas chamber. The sentence was commuted three years later, when California abolished the death penalty. Sirhan became eligible for parole in 1986 but has been repeatedly rejected.

During the past several years, Schrade has re-focused his attentions on the assassination. Convinced there was a second gunman, he has been pushing for a thorough investigation. “There never was an investigation. They just grabbed Sirhan without evidence or witnesses and refused to go after the second gunman.

“I’m not going to get into conspiracy theories – whether he was programmed or not. Sirhan was there and fired (the first) two shots, missing Kennedy and shooting me. The gun was two to three feet in front of Robert Kennedy according to the prosecution’s own witnesses,” Schrade says. As he was being subdued, Sirhan wildly fired off a number of more shots. In all, six people were shot. The Los Angeles County coroner determined that three bullets struck Kennedy’s body and a fourth passed harmlessly through his clothing, CNN reported in a 2012 story sub-titled, “There Was A Second Shooter,” following a 2012 interview with Nina Rhodes-Hughes, a witness to the murder. Rhodes-Hughes said she heard two guns firing during the shooting and that authorities altered her account of the crime.

“It was an eight-shot revolver and Kennedy got shot four times in the back. Sirhan didn’t have the bullets,” Schrade says. ”He was captured out of position. The gun was two to three feet in front of Kennedy and Kennedy got hit at point-blank range in the back. It couldn’t be Sirhan. It had to be a second gunman.

“The prosecution knew this, knew there was a second gunman and didn’t do anything to investigate it. They just did a quickie on Sirhan and sent him to the gas chamber. They were going to murder this guy,” Schrade says. “It was a well-planned investigation in order to convict Sirhan. They falsified the evidence right from the beginning.”

Asked for his thoughts on motivations behind the assassination, Schrade says, “we can only guess at the motivations because we never investigated the second gunman. And I don’t guess at things anymore, only facts and truth. They decided to go after Sirhan. I don’t know why. It could have been for political reasons, but ‘why’ has not been answered.

“I’m 93. The only thing I can do at this point is make a public declaration and try to get the people that have some influence involved,” Schrade says. “Hopefully it will move these organizations to do the right thing, by Kennedy, and by Sirhan.”