City residents will be voting again this year on proposed changes to the City Charter. The proposals come from a charter review committee appointed by Mayor Kelly in the aftermath of the close 2017 vote to retain the current Charter.
It made sense to have this committee consist of the City Hall employees, and committee members have made a good faith effort to fulfill their charge. Buried among dozens of proposed minor adjustments, however, are major changes that I believe are undesirable.
Among the most important duties of the Mayor are appointment of the City Attorney and appointments to the land use boards.
The current proposals would roll back the power of the Mayor in these areas. The City Attorney would be moved out of the Mayor’s Office and removed from the Mayor’s oversight.
The Mayor’s authority to appoint members of the boards would be subject to approval by a majority of the Council, giving them veto power.
These changes are not merely “fine tuning.” They significantly alter the authority of the Mayor in what is already a “weak mayor” system. Now it’s up to voters. I’m voting “No” on both ballot questions.
- Kenneth Klotz
Mayor, City of Saratoga Springs, 2000-2003
