Council Seat Filled: Hank Kuczynski Appointed on Interim Basis, But May Complete Full DPW Term

SARATOGA SPRINGS —And now they are five. 

The four currently serving members of the Saratoga Springs City Council unanimously approved the appointment of Hank Kuczynski as interim Commissioner of Public Works, during a pre-scheduled Finance Department budget workshop attended by about one dozen people at City Hall Oct. 29.

The position – which is both departmental and legislative – has been vacant for two-and-a-half months, and Kuczynski will “stay on as long as he needs to,” Mayor John Safford said. 

That service period may be as brief as 13 weeks – which would include six regular meetings of the council, which is now in its budget season – or somewhat longer. 

Earlier this month the council approved a resolution to request a “special” election be held Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025 to elect a Commissioner of Public Works/City Council member to complete the term through Dec. 31, 2025, identical to the term of the other four currently held City Council seats. 

County Board of Elections approval of that Jan. 28 date, however, has yet to move forward with Saratoga County Republican Election Commissioner Joseph Suhrada saying he had “three points of concern” related to the matter – legal, practical and financial. That first concern seems to have been satisfied this week.   

“The Attorney General sent back a letter a couple of days ago which says: seems like it is (legal),” Suhrada said on Oct. 30, “so that removes that issue.” He said his other concerns were utilizing the new incoming voting machines with “a steep learning curve” and the city of Saratoga Springs paying the costs associated with the January election, which he estimated at $40,000 to $50,000.

Saratoga Springs Accounts Commissioner and City Assessor Dillon Moran countered that given the tax revenue the city of Saratoga Springs forwards the county, the finances ought be the county’s responsibility, and that the long-standing voting machines currently in use could be used for the special election. 

At its monthly meeting on Sept. 17, the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors approved the purchase of 241 new voting machines and associated equipment from Clear Ballot Group, Inc. at a total cost of $1.76 million to replace the voting machines currently in use. The county board resolution states the new machines will be in operation for six years and cites a purchase agreement commencing Sept. 18, 2024, but does not appear to signal an implementation date associated with their use, only that “the County Board of Elections need to replace the fleet of voting machines currently in use.”  Suhrada noted that this week’s election is utilizing the long-standing equipment, and that the new machines have yet to arrive.   

Attorney Sarah Burger, founding member of the multi-practice law firm Burger Law Group, and former Saratoga Springs city attorney, is anticipated to be the Democratic Party candidate for DPW Commissioner.     

Chuck Marshall, who works as director of real estate at Stewart’s Shops and as chairman of the Saratoga Springs Planning Board, is anticipated to be the Republican Party candidate for DPW Commissioner. 

UPDATED NOV. 6: A measure to approve the Special Election Calendar was pulled, and indications are that Hank Kuczynski – originally appointed on an interim basis – may be seated for the duration of the term through 2025.    

Hank Kuczynski Approved as Interim Commissioner of Public Works

Kuczynski, whose wife and grandchildren were present for his appointment as interim DPW Commissioner/ City Council member Oct. 29, had previously served as city deputy mayor. In late 2001, then-Saratoga Springs Mayor Ken Klotz appointed Kuczynski as the first deputy mayor in the city’s history. 

The Commissioner of Public Works is departmentally responsible for oversight of Saratoga Springs’ street and highway maintenance, its buildings and grounds, and for ensuring that the water system provides sufficient quantities of safe potable water, among other duties. 

The position also plays a role in the legislative body of city government by placing the commissioner at the City Council table. The Council proposes and enacts legislation and establishes policy for the city. The mayor and four commissioners form the five-member City Council, and having five members is key in potentially acting as a tiebreaking vote in any deadlocked city-related decisions at the table where majority rules.    Prior DPW Commissioner Jason Golub announced his pending resignation in mid-July with a departure date in mid-August.