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SARATOGA SPRINGS – The mayor-appointed City Charter Commission has completed their work on a 38-page document which proposes a new City Charter. The proposition goes to public referendum on Nov. 6. If approved, the new Charter becomes effective on Jan. 1, 2019 – effectively repealing the city’s existing 2001 Charter.

A second part of the referendum seeks to increase the voting members of the City Council from five to seven. If that second proposal is approved by voters – that referendum also takes place Nov. 6 – the addition of the two council-members-at-large will become effective Jan. 1, 2020. As such, city voters in November 2019 – the next scheduled vote to elect the council – could be headed to the polls to vote for seven council members, instead of the traditional five.  It is anticipated there would be a list of candidates for council members-at-large on the ballot, and the two candidates receiving the highest number of votes would then serve as council members-at-large. 

Specifically, the Nov. 6 ballot will contain two separate questions about the Saratoga Springs City Charter.

1. Shall the Saratoga Springs City Charter be amended as proposed by the 2018 Charter Review Commission?

2. Shall the Saratoga Springs City Charter be further amended to provide for two (2) additional City Council members whose authority shall be legislative only?

Voters who choose to approve the first question – changing the City Charter – may also vote on whether to approve the second question. The initiative – adding two council members-at-large, cannot be enacted without a “yes” vote on both questions.

The 2018 Charter Review Commission was formed on March 6, 2018 by Mayor Meg Kelly with the goal of finding efficiencies and organizational improvements to better serve the people who live and work in the City of Saratoga Springs. The ten-member City Charter commission is comprised of the following members: City Attorney Vincent J. DeLeonardis, Chairman; Deputy Commissioner of Finance Mike Sharp, Vice Chairman; Deputy Commissioner of Public Safety John Daley, Secretary; Commissioner of Finance Michele Madigan; Commissioner of Public Works Anthony “Skip” Scirocco; Commissioner of Public Safety Peter Martin; Commissioner of Accounts John Franck; Deputy Mayor Lisa Shields; Deputy Commissioner of Public Works Joe O'Neill; Deputy Commissioner of Accounts Maire Masterson.

City Attorney Vincent DeLeonardis served as chairman of the Commission. This week, he sat down with Saratoga TODAY and discussed some of the proposed changes.   

  1. What is the status of the proposal?
  2. We have completed our review, drafted our proposed recommendations and filed that (on Sept. 6) with the city clerk. The document will now be forwarded to the county Board of Elections and it will be on the ballot on Nov. 6. It will be on the ballot, by the way, as two separate questions.

Through our process of drafting proposed amendments, we have all of those incorporated into a draft charter relating to the first question that the voters will have: whether they will approve the Charter as amended by the Charter Review Commission.

A separate question is whether they will further amend the Charter to incorporate the two additional at-large council members.  

If they vote yes for question 1 to amend the charter, they will then vote on whether it will be further amended to address the two at-large council members, but if question 1 does not get approval, then question two does not go into effect.

How would the two at-large council members work?

- If approved by the voters, the two at-large council members will have legislative responsibility only and would not have any administrative or departmental responsibilities at City Hall.

Will they be paid positions?

- They would be, but salaries are to be determined by council. The amount of the salary is not contained in the Charter itself. The amount of any salary to be provided to the council members at-large would be established by the City Council in accordance with Local Law. That would be decided after the vote passes. (Note: at-large members would not have deputies).

Would the council members at-large attend every council meeting?

- They would be expected to. They will be full members of City Council.

What influenced the idea to consider expanding the voting council from five to seven members?

- I think as a commission we were aware of certain public concerns that the responsibilities of the five council members may prevent qualified citizens from seeking public office. So, there is an opportunity to serve in city government as a member-at-large, and not be responsible for running a city department. It would enlarge the opportunity for individuals to participate in city government. They are charged with being fully involved in all voting procedures. They will be full members of the City Council, they just will not run a department.

Would there be a specific criteria or requirement for members at-large?

- No, it’s an elected position and it’s up to the people to decide who they put as members of the City Council.

What are your thoughts about the overall review process with the commission?

- I thought the process was positive. The commission worked well together, and we had a level of respect and professionalism that assisted in the process of getting things done.

What are some of the proposed changes to the Charter?

- Generally we’ve re-numbered and re-organized certain sections, provided amendments to the existing Charter - including new sections. and of course, there’s the separate and distinct question submitted in respect to council members at-large. More specifically, there are a number of things we did not change (such as) term limits. That was one thing that had been raised, but we did not make changes to it. In a number of areas we eliminated things like specific job titles and outlined department functions.  We’ve incorporated requirements related to the State of the City (Address) – that it be presented by the entire City Council, rather than just the mayor. We have also required that appointments to the Land Use Boards – including the Planning Board, the Zoning Board of Appeals, and the DRC – which are still to be made by the mayor, will now be made with the advice and consent of counsel and will require a vote. And, the Rec Commission and the Recreation Department was moved from the Mayor’s Department to the DPW.

Will there be Public Hearings?

- We did receive an invitation from SUCCESS – who is hosting an event at the Library on Oct. 3 – and so we accepted that invitation and we’re looking forward to presenting at the library on that date. We’re also reaching out to other organizations and entities for meetings.

Note: The Saratoga Springs Charter Review Commission will give a presentation on the proposed charter changes at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 3 in the H. Dutcher Community Room of the Saratoga Springs Public Library. A Q&A session will follow. This meeting is being sponsored by SUCCESS and is open to the public.

Published in News
Friday, 14 September 2018 15:19

City Seeks Members for Citizens Advisory Board

SARATOGA SPRINGS – Public Safety Commissioner Peter Martin is actively seeking citizens charged with representing different segments of the community to form an advisory board that would include members of the city police department. 

“I think our police department does a really good job of providing police services, training officers and getting out into the community, but I also recognize there is no human organization that’s perfect, so there’s always room for improvement. One of the ways you can discover where you want to have improvement is to have dialogue with the community,” Martin said.

The idea of forming a board to hold face-to-face dialogue between the police department and the community comes in the aftermath of revived public interest regarding the circumstances involving Darryl Mount, a 21-year-old black man who in late August 2013 suffered injuries that left him in a coma after fleeing police on Caroline Street and allegedly falling off a scaffolding behind The Washington building, which was then under construction. Mount died eight-and-a-half months later.  Mount's mother, Patty Jackson, subsequently filed a wrongful death lawsuit and city Police Chief Greg Veitch has come under public scrutiny following a Times Union last month month which reported the department never conducted an internal probe into police actions, after earlier claiming there was one. Chief Veitch has since posted comments related to the matter on the police department’s Facebook page. 

“I can truly understand the grief of a mother who has lost a young son (and) I am certainly aware of and sensitive to the impact of race issues on the interaction of police agencies and municipalities across the United States,” Martin said. 

“The recent interest and publicity concerning the Darryl Mount incident of five years ago is certainly the catalyst” for an advisory board, Martin said. There have been public calls for a citizen “review” board, but Martin said, “I do not believe a citizen review board would be beneficial to the city nor its residents,” adding that such panels in some areas have become “overly political” and “rife with controversy,” and citing civilian law enforcement review boards in Charlottesville, Virginia, and Memphis, Tennessee specifically. “If we were to start a (review) board, it would involve changes to the City Charter as well as to the contract with police officers.”

The community “advisory” board being proposed would hold two formal meetings annually at City Hall with the option for additional meetings as warranted regarding issues that are presented.

“My goal is to have a first meeting within a month-and-a-half to two months from now,” Martin said this week. “We’re looking for people who have a desire to really dig in, to learn what police procedures are and why they are, which would involve some reading and study about the rights of policemen, the rights of citizens. So, there would be work involved for those who agree to do it. It’s not just coming in, speaking your mind and going home. This would be a working board.”

Members would work on a volunteer, non-paid basis. The advisory board would include Martin, his deputy commissioner, the police chief and assistant police chief, and approximately nine to eleven civilian members, each representing a different segment of the community.

“One member who represents the youth of the community, one member who represents the unemployed, one member of the working class who resides in the community, one who represents the working class who do not reside but work in the community, at least one member from the minority population, one who represents the elderly. I want to keep the group to a size that is manageable, so I can see some neighborhoods also represented to get the group between nine to eleven,” Martin said.  

“I think we’ll be able to get some ideas fully vetted on the table and be able to implement some good ideas, changes that people agree would provide either better policing or better communication,” Martin said. 

Martin will choose the members of the advisory board. “I have been receiving phone calls and emails from the public and I continue to welcome those with the identifying the factors that would make someone an appropriate member of the advisor board.” Civilians interested in being a member of the board may contact Martin by phone, at: 518-587-3550, or via email at:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Published in News

SARATOGA SPRINGS - New York gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon visited the Spa City Sunday afternoon in advance of primary day, which this year will take place Thursday, Sept. 13.  

Nixon announced her campaign for Governor of New York in March, challenging Democratic incumbent Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

“I’m running for governor because I believe we can have a New York that works for all of us,” Nixon told a group of about 125 people at Saratoga Arts on Sunday. She spoke for approximately 20 minutes.

“I voted for Andrew Cuomo eight years ago, because I remembered his dad and because I believed he was a Democrat the way he said he was, but since taking office he has governed like he was a Republican,” Nixon told the crowd. She suggested Cuomo allowed Republicans to draw their own districting maps and “hand(ed) over to the Republican Party of New York the ability to block almost every progressive piece of legislation we have had in this state,” campaign finance reform, the N.Y. Dream Act and fully funded schools being among them. 

Nixon, perhaps best known for her portrayal of Miranda Hobbes in the HBO series “Sex and the City,” is running on a platform includes ensuring more affordable housing  - all new housing projects to include a percentage of affordable units; proactively responding to climate change - setting the state on a track to achieve 100 percent renewal energy within 30 years - tending to immigration issues – including abolishing ICE, passing the Dream Act and seeking to make New York a Sanctuary state), as well as advocating for LGBT rights and legalizing, taxing and regulating the recreational use of marijuana.

State primaries will be held noon to 9 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 13. The traditional voting day would have been Tuesday Sept. 11. Due to conflicts with the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah and the anniversary of the 2001 terror attacks, the primary was changed to take place two days later.

In a primary election, only voters registered with a party may vote to nominate their party's candidate.

Registered Democrats in Saratoga County may choose one candidate for the following offices: Cynthia Nixon or Andrew Cuomo for Governor; Kathy Hochul or Jumaane Williams for Lt. Governor; Sean Maloney, or Letitia James or Leecia Eve or Zephyr Teachout for Attorney General.  There are just under 41,000 registered Democrats in Saratoga County, according to the most recent report posted by the state Board of Elections.

Registered Republicans in Saratoga County may choose: Karen Heggen or Gerard Amedio for the District Attorney. There are just under 60,000 registered Republicans in Saratoga County.

In the 43rd and 49th Senate District, each of which run through different areas of Saratoga Springs, the Reform Party primary lists Nancy Sliwa or Mike Diederich of Christopher Garvey for Attorney General in each district, as well as James Tedisco unopposed for State Senator in the 49th District. The town of Ballston Conservative Party primary lists Keith Kissinger or John Fantauzzi for Town Justice.

Polling places may be found at the Saratoga County Board of Election website.  Note, the Saratoga Springs City Center polling place for districts 3,4,8,9 and 25 in the city has been relocated from the City Center to the adjacent Hilton, ballrooms 1 and 2. The General Election takes place Nov. 6.

  

Published in News

SARATOGA SPRINGS – Less than 24 hours after the conclusion of the 2018 meet at Saratoga, NYRA executives gathered with construction project contractors and architects at the racecourse for a ceremonial groundbreaking for the 1863 Club - a permanent, new building to be developed at the site of the current At the Rail Pavilion.

The new will replace the seasonal tent and trailers at the end of the Clubhouse with a 36,000-square foot, three-story, climate-controlled building featuring a variety of hospitality options. The building will also be equipped with a full-service kitchen.

A banquet area will be featured on the first floor, a dining club and bar on the second level. The third floor will feature “true luxury boxes with a great view of the entire track," said NYRA President and CEO Chris Kay said, during Tuesday’s event. Kay specifically noted the second-floor rooms will well suit large groups such as college alumni and horse-centered organizations. 

Developers and contractors are tasked with completing the job in nine months. Jim Dawsey, president of MLB Construction Services, said the project was on his mind while attending local services at the Church of St. Peter during the weekend.  “I said: Lord grant me two things in my life: a dry fall, and a snow-less winter.” 

The 1863 Club is named in honor of the year of the first organized thoroughbred race meeting in Saratoga, which took place over the course of four days in August 1863 at a trotting track that was located across the street of the current racecourse site, on Union Avenue.

A two-minute video depicting a rendering of the new building may be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cLxEvgUOHY&feature=youtu.be.  

Published in News

SARATOGA SPRINGS – For a quarter-century, you could set your watch by his actions. Many of the world’s great equine athletes did: the easy saunter across the race course accompanied by a clanging bell; the casual stroll into the Winner’s Circle; the fussing with his horn’s mouthpiece, the adjustment of the microphone stand and then finally, the swift hoisting of the bugle to his mouth and sounding for all to hear his call to the post.    

It is a routine Sam “the Bugler” Grossman performed many times a day and several times a week over the period of 25 years. With the conclusion of the 2018 season at Saratoga on Sept. 3, Sam the Bugler sounded his horn one last time.  

“I love the beautiful vibrant people here and the people at Belmont as well,” Grossman mused while standing in the winner’s circle and surveying the crowd on the final weekend before his retirement. “I’ll miss the people, but you know what? Every gig has a certain life, no matter what it is. And when you’re a musician you wake up one day and you know when the gig is over.”

The New York Racing Association, for whom he worked, celebrated Grossman's long tenure by naming Labor Day’s fifth race in his honor and presenting him with a commemorative bugle and plaque. 

The Long Island native began playing the trumpet at the age of six. He studied music at the University of Miami, where he earned both his bachelor's degree and a master's degree in music education. Grossman began his career with NYRA at Aqueduct Racetrack in the spring of 1993. “I had never gone to a horse race in my whole life, but somehow, I knew I would get the job,” he explained.

He says some of his fondest memories were watching Rachel Alexandra win the Woodward in 2009 at Saratoga and witnessing Jerry Bailey on Cigar - the thoroughbred nicknamed “America’s Horse” and whose popularity earned him a police escort down Seventh Avenue en route to his retirement party at Madison Square Garden in 1996.

“You know, it’s kind of a weird thing being a trumpet play from Long Island, but when one of your friends wins the Derby – like when ‘Chop-Chop’ won the Derby (jockey Jorge Chavez, 2001), I had just been playing ping-pong with him the day before. He said: I’m going to win the Derby tomorrow. And he did, on Monarchos. So, that’s just a really weird element of my life.”  

With his red jacket, black hat and clutching his omnipresent horn, Grossman could often be found In between races among the crowds. “I walk all around the facility and entertain anyone who wants some entertainment: play a song, take a photo, tell a story. I usually make the stories up,” he says with a laugh.

Following his retirement from full-time duties with NYRA, Grossman will relocate to Florida, where he will reside with his wife, Laura.

In 2005, his image was immortalized in the form of a 7-inches tall bobblehead doll, which was distributed to racecourse patrons. “Unreal,” he recalled, standing in the winner’s circle and gazing up at the throng awaiting his bugle call. “How would you feel if you looked up to see people holding up 30,000 dolls with your head on them?”

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Published in Sports
Thursday, 30 August 2018 16:25

Supervisor Represents Spa City in D.C.

SARATOGA SPRINGS – Kellyanne Conway spoke about the opioid crisis. Corey Price discussed immigration and customs enforcement policies. The balance of the near four-hour gathering in the shadow of the White House touched on everything from agriculture and cleaning up radioactive materials to issues faced by military families.

“It was an interesting mix,” says Tara Gaston, one of two Saratoga County supervisors representing Saratoga Springs. Last week, Gaston joined approximately 100 other officials from New York State and New Jersey in Washington D.C. at the invitation of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs at the White House, who are charged with the responsibility of building relationships with state, county, local, and tribal officials. 

Gaston visited the White House then assembled with her colleagues in Room 430 of the Eisenhower Executive Office building - located next to the West Wing – where the group spent the better part of four hours listening to, and in some cases discussing, issues that affect New York and New Jersey residents with a variety of White House departmental officials.

“They would come in and spend about 20 minutes each with us. Most of them gave a rundown of their policies. Not all of them took questions,” Gaston says.  White House counselor Kellyanne Conway talked about the opioid crisis.

“She expressed a lot of concern about neonatal abstinence syndrome” – conditions that occur when a baby withdraws from drugs they were exposed to in the womb –  “and about the opioid crisis, but she didn’t take any questions,” Gaston says. 

“One of my concerns about that it is that we often deal with opioid addiction in terms of a legal issue - resulting in jail time and taking away children - as opposed to a public health issue. So, she didn’t speak about it as a public health issue as much as I would have liked,” Gaston says.

Opioid overdoses accounted for more than 42,000 deaths in 2016, more than any previous year on record. An estimated 40 percent of opioid overdose deaths involved a prescription opioid, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

“Another thing that was interesting is how Human Services have been pushing HIPAA exemptions to allow family members to know if another family member OD’d. I assume the purpose behind that is to know whether you need to have Narcan in your house, to encourage interventions and the like. But, it’s always a little concerning when you’re talking about HIPAA exemptions for adults. I understand why, but it’s a fine line between how you deal with the crisis and also how are we going to protect people’s privacy,” Gaston explained.

Corey Price, assistant director for enforcement at ICE talked about the president’s priorities. “One of those priorities is building more agreements with local law enforcement to issue detainers to hold individuals in custody on immigration issues, so they’re held until ICE interviews them and decides whether to take them into custody or not,” Gaston says. She explains: “Let’s say someone gets a DWI. Local law enforcement can release that individual or alternately contact ICE if there’s an immigration issue and ICE will issue a detainer and come and interview them and decide whether – instead of being released – they’re taken in to Federal Immigration custody. It’s a cooperation agreement between ICE and local law enforcement.

“One of my priorities was trying to communicate, just the uncertainty of the process. The policies keep changing and the administration throws out ideas – maybe they’ll follow them and maybe they won’t – but that leaves a lot of individuals in Saratoga Springs and in Saratoga County confused and frightened,” Gaston says.  

Another big regional issue, particularly for those representing the rural areas of their respective states is agriculture in general, and dairy issues, and the ability via H-2A visas to get workers to their farms, specifically. The H-2A program allows U.S. employers or U.S. agents who meet specific regulatory requirements to bring foreign nationals to the United States to fill temporary agricultural jobs. “The Farm Bill, assuming it ever comes out of Congress, will also be a big one that affects our county and how it runs,” Gaston says. The current food and farm bill is set to expire Sept. 30.

“I asked a gentleman from the Domestic Policy Council about veteran families and military families. As a representative of an area with a military population with a lot of veterans as well as being the spouse of a disabled veteran myself, that’s something that concerns me a lot,” Gaston says. “Saratoga County does a lot of work for veterans, but a concern is essentially sustaining our outreach. If we can get funding to help expand the program we already have it would do a lot of good.

“Overall, there was a lot of information packed in there. I would like to see it more in a workshop format with more give-and-take, but the impression we were given is this won’t be the last one of these meetings, Gaston says, adding that there are many issues which have local ramifications, from immigration to law enforcement, to ensuring businesses come to Saratoga County and build into the community.   “Some of these things being worked on with trade are really going to have an impact on what we can do as a county,” Gaston says.

“My job is to represent Saratoga County and that means putting our name and a face in front of all the people who can impact us,” the supervisor says. “I have a lot of political differences with the administration, but I do appreciate them reaching out to get (our) point of view. Now it’s a matter of what do they do with it."

Published in News

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Approximately 300 people gathered in Congress Park Aug. 28, 2018 for an “All Are Welcome Here” Walk and Vigil.

Coordinated by The Saratoga Immigration Coalition, the event was organized as a non-political gesture of gratitude, support, and acknowledgement of immigrants and the contributions they make in the community. 

A network of civic groups, faith communities and individuals from across the Capital District gathering in three different locations for the walk to Congress Park: on the West Side - where Irish and Italian immigrants settled a century ago; at Saratoga Race Course - which has a large working Latino immigrant community, and at the Saratoga Springs City Center on Broadway - a symbol of the region’s economic driver, organizers said. The Spirit of Life and Spencer Trask Memorial, which overlook the park, were fixed with the flags of the world.

Published in News
Friday, 24 August 2018 10:43

City Hall Remains "Closed Indefinitely"

SARATOGA SPRINGS – City employees were forced to set up temporary offices across the Spa City this week in the aftermath of a fire and water damage which forced the closure of City Hall. 

The 19th century building, which opened in 1871, was struck by lightning Aug. 17, resulting in fire and water related damage to the structure. No re-opening date has been set.

“It’s indefinite. Right now, we’re on a 30-day plan,” city Mayor Meg Kelly said this week. “That means our first estimate in our emergency management plan, is we’re out for 30 days. If people can get back in in 10-15 days they go, but there are a lot of departments that will be delayed.”

Most city employees were relocated to the southside city recreation facility on Vanderbilt Avenue. Public Works employees set up shop at Van Rensselaer avenue and city police, who are located in an unaffected City Hall annex, maintain their department offices on Lake Avenue.  Saratoga City Court sessions are being held at 65 South Broadway, in the Lincoln bath building house and this week’s council meeting was staged at the Saratoga Springs City Center on Broadway.

The Vanderbilt Avenue recreation facility – which had been bonded for $6.5 million - became a hot political topic in 2009, with a local community group filing a lawsuit against the facility being developed on the south side. Scott Johnson, who was eventually re-elected for a second mayoral term, pushed for the facility to be developed.  Accounts Commissioner John Franck, who held the same position on the council at the time, also was in favor of the project. The building opened in 2010.

There had been some previous debate about potentially turning the Saratoga Music Hall – located on the top floor of the City Hall building - into a new, expanded court room. It is unclear if any changes will be made however.

“There’s no plan right now,” Mayor Kelly said. “Right now we’re in the recovery stage, so we are not making any plans for the building at this time.”

 

6 Fire City Hall 081718 3rd Flr Music Hall

 

Financial Report for 2017

The city released a 66-page financial report regarding an independent audit conducted through Dec. 31, 2017 by BST & Co. of Albany. Among the details cited:  Sales Tax and Hotel Room Occupancy Tax each decreased by 1 percent compared to 2016, VLT Aid remained at $2.326 million in 2017 - the same as the previous three years, and Mortgage Tax receipts increased in 2017 to $1.693 million, 15 percent higher than 2016. A full copy of the report may be downloaded here.  

Published in News
Friday, 17 August 2018 12:30

Spicer in the Spa City

SARATOGA SPRINGS - Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer spent Wednesday in the Spa City as part of a national book tour to promote his recently published memoir, “The Briefing: Politics, the Press, and the President.”

Northshire Bookstore hosted a book-signing at their store on Broadway, where Spicer was greeted by approximately 60 people who attended the event, shared brief conversation and posed for pictures with President Trump's former press secretary.

Responding to one person who said they missed seeing him as press secretary, Spicer laughed and responded, “Ah, I’m good.” Another patron suggested they would like to see him seek political office. “I hate to let you down, but I’m not ever running for president,” Spicer said, with a smile.  

Northshire Bookstore owner Chris Morrow, who was present at the event, had earlier responded to inquiries from some patrons who disapprovingly questioned the store hosting Spicer. Morrow explained the store’s mission is to be “a bookstore for all people, with open access to books and authors as diverse as our wonderful country.” Attendees at Wednesday’s event were overwhelmingly supportive of Spicer.

“We support Trump, we support his agenda and we support Sean Spicer and everything he’s done while he was at the White House and as a Naval Commander,” said Kathy Obst, who made the drive to Saratoga Springs from Queensbury.  “There are so many people who live in our area who are not conservatives, so I think showing a unification of that is something important,” she said. “If you look at (Michael) Wolff and his book (“Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House”) and you look at Omarosa and the book she just released ("Unhinged: An Insider's Account of the Trump White House"), it’s just garbage. This book is filled with what happened at The White House and it’s all positive things.”

Meg Messitt who last November founded The Saratoga Springs High School Teenage Republicans club at the school, also attended the event. “I’m excited to read Sean Spicer’s book and learn more about the former press secretary of The White House,” said the soon-to-be 10th grade student.

In a gathering with reporters following the book-signing, Spicer was asked about the book tour, his thoughts on the current climate at the White House and whether he believed media is the enemy of the people, which he responded to with a brief and blunt “no.”

The book tour, Spicer said, has been fun.  Saratoga Springs marked the 24th day of a tour which wound through the west coast, south through Texas and up north via Washington, D.C. “You saw a lot of folks here today who are Trump supporters, but there are also a lot of folks who come out say: I’m a Democrat, or not so much a supporter, but I’m interested in your story,” Spicer said. “It’s been fascinating to see the full spectrum of people who come out. I feel comfortable with the book that I’ve written. I enjoy being able to share my story and share some of the behind-the-scenes moments over the past couple of years.”  

Spicer was also asked about Omarosa Newman – a reality television show participant who became a political aide to President Trump. The release of her new book, which is critical of Trump, was met with a presidential tweet in which Trump referred to her as a “crazed, crying lowlife,” and a “dog.” Spicer’s response to queries about Omarosa: “I find it unsettling that someone would take a position of trust like that and then go out and frankly abuse it on multiple levels.”

Spicer said he often offered Trump advice which was not always taken but was reluctant to share specific information about what that advice was.  “There were plenty of times during the campaign when we would counsel him not to do something and he would disregard it and come out better,” Spicer said. “The track record the president has is doing it his way, and for many aspects of his life being successful.”

Following an afternoon visit to Saratoga Race Course, Spicer attended a Republican Party fundraiser on Union Avenue. A spirited group of about 70 people gathered outside to stage an “anti-treason rally,” criticizing Trump, local U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik’s alliance with the president, and waving American flags and Veterans for Peace flags, while carrying signs whose slogans ranged from “Reunite Families Now” to “Spicer Go Home.”

Published in Local News

SARATOGA SPRINGS - The David Cassidy Band returned to the stage this week to perform their first concert since the death of the singer last November. They chose to stage the show in Saratoga Springs, a place the singer himself had maintained was his favorite in the world.

The special tribute concert to honor Cassidy also acted as a benefit for the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, an organization and cause close to Cassidy’s heart. 

The six-member band gathered in Saratoga Tuesday morning and toured the TRF farm, located on Route 29, where they spent time with Bold Mon and Rock D.J. - two of the farm’s retired horses - in advance of that night’s show at Putnam Place.

The band’s 18-song set featured standard’s from Cassidy’s Partridge Family era – including  "I Can Hear Your Heartbeat," "Point Me in the Direction of Albuquerque," "I'll Meet You Halfway," and "I Woke Up In Love This Morning" – a nod to David Cassidy’s solo work (“Cherish”), and a slew of cover renditions that featured Robert Johnson’s “Crossroads,” The Beatles’ “In My Life,”  The Pretenders’ “Brass in Pocket” – with drummer Teri Coté stepping up to lead mic – and a pair of back-to-back tunes popularized by the Monkees: “Daydream Believer,” and “I’m A Believer.”

Dr. Jerry Bilinski, and Gary Contessa – two close friends of Cassidy in the horse racing industry – each took a turn at the mic. “I miss him a lot, just sitting on the porch with a cigar and talking,” recalled Bilinski, before singing a few bars of “I Think I Love You.” 

Contessa said he first met Cassidy at a Fasig Tipton horse sale 23 years ago and was amazed by the singer’s knowledge of horses. “He was a rock star who wanted to be a horse trainer.” Contessa then reversed that role when he donned a bass and joined the band for a blues jam. 

The six-piece band featured Teri Coté (drums); Craig Snider (keyboards/vocals); Dave Robicheau (guitar/vocals); Matt Sullivan (guitar/vocals); Vance Brescia (guitar/vocals) and Darrell Craig Harris (bass/vocals). They performed admirably and provided a good time for many of the 250 or so in attendance, many of whom moved together across the dance floor, or released emotions in the way of pent-up tears. Some did both.  

“This is the first time we got together and it’s a real blending of his past,” offered Craig Snider, during an interview prior to the show. “Sully (Matt Sullivan) was his guitar player before the current fellah, who wasn’t able to make it. Vance (Brescia) has been a friend of the band’s and David’s for a long time. He’s Peter Noone’s music director and a great singer. When we did the Idol Tour – which was David Cassidy, Mickey Dolenz, Peter Noone – we were the house band,” Snider explained. “So, when we thought: OK, who’s going to sing the body of these songs… Vance is a lead singer! I’m a good singer and Sully is a good singer as well, so in essence what we have are three lead singers filling in for what we had with one,” he said with a laugh. “Three divas, for the price of one.”

The rehearsal prior to the show was somewhat surreal, Snider said. “It was trippy because in my head I still hear David. It’s hard to verbalize, but when we started doing those songs, even though someone else is singing, physical memory is like musical memory so I was at times still hearing him, and kind of flipping back-and-forth.”

The event included auction items, and a meet-and-greet the band opportunity. Local artist David Hill painted a horse using the band’s live performance as inspiration. The completed painting was to be auctioned off as well.

“There’s a common thread we share, and that thread is David Cassidy. We had him come out of the TV screen and into our living rooms,” event organizer Linda de Ambrosio neatly summed up.

The TRF is a nonprofit organization dedicated to saving Thoroughbred horses no longer able to compete on the racetrack from possible neglect, abuse, and slaughter. The organization said details regarding the amount of money raised during the concert will be announced next week.

Published in Entertainment
Page 17 of 35

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