The Troubling About Face of Michele Madigan
In a stunning reversal that shocked many of Michele Madigan’s past supporters, Madigan sought and received the endorsement of the Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee to run for Mayor. In doing this, she transformed herself from one of the Committee’s staunchest critics into the most ardent supporter of the people she had previously condemned as corrupt and incompetent.
During the Ron Kim administration with an all-Democratic Council, Madigan, a Democrat, correctly had harsh words for that Council and the Democratic Committee for the chaos at Council meetings and the mismanagement of the city. Following the defeat of then-Mayor Ron Kim and then-Public Safety Commissioner James Montagnino, she focused her criticism on Democrats Accounts Commissioner Dillon Moran and Finance Commissioner Minita Sanghvi for such debacles as the OnCall pay scandal.
In the February 23, 2025, edition of the Daily Gazette, Saratoga Springs Republican chair Mike Brandi documented Madigan’s previously held views by providing screenshots of texts from her.
Regarding the breaking OnCall Pay story Madigan texted Brandi the following:
“It would be great if you could do [a] press release about this as Emma Ralls is on it from the Saratogian,” a text message from Madigan on Jan. 9, 2024, allegedly shows. “This is the only way to get the TU and DG to follow this ridiculous story. I think we may have fraud and theft going on here.”
In other texts she criticized Dillon Moran for hiring a lawyer for $1250 an hour to represent him in the OnCall case.
She described racking up legal fees in the probe as “outrageous and obscene and criminal” and that Moran “refuses to follow his own [department’s] policies.
Gazette February 23, 2025
The texts provided to the Daily Gazette also included unflattering remarks by Madigan about Commissioner Sanghvi and Gordon Boyd, who is active in the current Democratic Committee.
Less than two years ago, the Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee refused to endorse Madigan for one of two Supervisor positions and refused to allow her and two other Democrats seeking endorsement to address the full committee.
That was then. Madigan has now once again become a member of the Democratic Committee she had left, reversed her position on those she criticized, and without explanation issued an apology.
Madigan said that she’s reached out to Boyd, Sanghvi, Moran and SSDC Chair Otis Maxwell to address her past remarks.
“I’ve offered my sincere apologies for my past comments and disagreements and we acknowledge that we have not been united in the past, but we are united now and will move forward together,” she said.
Gazette, February 23, 2025
The new Michele Madigan has now been chosen to head the Democratic ticket in November. There is no evidence that any of the Democrats Madigan criticized have apologized for their behavior.
Moran’s Endorsement Came With Speed Bumps, and Madigan’s Support
Madigan not only apologized to Dillon Moran for her past criticisms of his behavior, but she also joined the majority of the Democratic Committee in voting to endorse him for a third term as Accounts Commissioner.
Moran was challenged for the endorsement by Jessica Troisa. I am told that the turnout for the endorsement meeting was low, with a number of committee members not even represented by their proxies. Of those present, a significant number apparently voted for no endorsement for Accounts, which would have led to a primary between Moran and Troisa. While that vote failed, it is still unclear if those dissident committee members will rally to circulate petitions for Troisa to force a primary. It is clear that Madigan has become a Democratic Committee loyalist who will not join any effort to oppose Moran.
Democrats Endorse Coll
In contrast to the last election cycle, when the Democratic Committee would not allow Tim Coll to address them, he spoke to them at their Saturday endorsement meeting. He received an overwhelming vote, endorsing him for the position of Commissioner of Public Safety. Commissioner Coll, a registered Democrat, has also received the endorsement of the Saratoga Springs Republican Committee and will appear on both lines on the November ballot.
While it is true that no one came forward to run against him, it still seems like a small step forward that the Democrats were willing to hear from him this year.
Sources tell me that Dillon Moran was silent for nearly one hour at the meeting, during which Coll took questions from the audience and engaged with them. Following Coll’s exit, Moran raised his oft-repeated complaint that Coll had an animus toward former Public Works Commissioner Jason Golub and somehow was responsible for the charges brought against him for using public employees to do work on his private home. Moran continues to ignore the facts of the case against Golub and the gravity of the charges brought by the police after DPW whistleblowers produced evidence of Golub’s behavior.
Shafer Gaston for Finance Commissioner
Shafer Gaston has a troubled past with inappropriate and intemperate remarks on social media. Back in 2019, I published a post regarding an ugly, profane, and misogynistic remark that was put up on his Facebook page. Even though numerous people complained to him about this. He did not take it down.
Shafer Gaston is a retired Submarine Training Instructor at the U.S. Navy facility in West Milton and has been a member of the Saratoga Springs Zoning Board of Appeals since 2023. He holds an MBA and a certification in project management.
Bahram “BK” Kermati for Public Works Commissioner
According to the Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee:
The SSDC endorsed Bahram “BK” Keramati for Commissioner of Public Works. Keramati is a retired GE mechanical engineer and has been active in Saratoga Springs politics for quite a while. He has also been on a previous City Charter Review Commission and ran for a state assembly seat in 2010, though was unsuccessful. According to the Committee, Keramati is “passionate about alternative energy and climate change mitigation.”
I know very little about Mr. Kermati. He is a quiet-spoken gentleman who occasionally appears before the City Council to praise its Democratic members.
