Mayor to Media: “I’ve Done Nothing Wrong!”

The Mayor has appeared on local TV Channels 6 and 10 vigorously challenging the decision reached by the Ethics Board that she  violated the city’s ethics code.

She argues that the standard used by the Ethics Board that it was improper to enter into talks with the hospital while the hospital was seeking the Council’s approval for a zoning change was so restrictive that it will make it problematic for people to serve on our city’s boards.  I would note that last year she commended this same board, whose members she appointed, for the revised ethics codes they had submitted to the city.

She also asserts that the fact that she later recused herself from considering the hospital’s application made her earlier meetings with the hospital over contracting for work moot.

Here is the link to channel 6: http://cbs6albany.com/news/local/saratoga-springs-mayor-censured

Here is the link to channel 10: http://news10.com/2016/07/20/saratoga-mayor-fires-back-after-board-determines-she-violated-citys-code-of-ethics/

 

12 thoughts on “Mayor to Media: “I’ve Done Nothing Wrong!””

  1. In mean, I feel so sorry for our poverty stricken mayor who lives in a nice, cozy home on 5th Avenue, don’t you?

    Here’s the dig: she KNEW what her finances were when she ran for office. She KNEW what the job paid. She KNEW the ethics code. And she KNOWS she violated it, even if she won’t admit it in public.

    Now let’s just hope the public isn’t fooled by her words and actions. She did this to herself. It wasn’t ‘political’. Her very own ethics board found her in violation, NOT the city council. The council is NOT bringing forth any penalty other than letting the IG and AG do so, which is what they are supposed to do (a censure is just words, not a penalty). What she did was much the same as Sheldon Silver and his ilk, except no money changed hands because, to their credit, the hospital is honest. But it very well COULD have. And her recusal very well could have been retribution as well.

    She needs to pay the piper for this.

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  2. A municipal official who fails to publicly acknowledge that he or she is in negotiations for a private contract with an entity which is part of an organization seeking that public official’s vote is not acting in an ethical manner. Mayor Yepsen negotiated with the Saratoga Hospital Foundation beginning in October of 2015 while the Saratoga Hospital started the process for a zoning change in August 2015. The Hospital was seeking an affirmative vote from the five members of the City Council, including Mayor Yepsen. The Mayor sat through at least one presentation and three public hearings without ever indicating that she was, at the same time, trying to work out a contract for her consulting business with the Hospital. It was only after the Hospital Foundation informed the Mayor in late January 2016 that they were cutting off negotiations because of what they perceived a possible conflict of interest that the Mayor stated publicly that she had been seeking a personal contract. This announcement and the statement of her recusal took place on the night of the fourth public hearing.

    It is unfortunate that, according to this story, the Mayor continues to state that she did nothing wrong in this instance. The best approach would be for her to admit that she made a mistake and to seek to be forgiven by the Council and her constituents.

    Chris Mathiesen

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    1. In all honesty your talking points can apply to your Republican FRIEND scirocco…..didn’t he grant a Builder and a developer for the stars a million dollar waiver on water connection fees and told nobody on the Council of his doings and then he got caught (and is still under investigation by the state comptroller’s office) a year later…. then you after being deceived by him voted for the waivers,his behavoir should have been sent to the ethics committee….but you sat quiet and now you can’t shut-up.

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      1. I sure wish we could post files on here, so I could show you the files that show that the McTygue’s were doing this all along – and costing the city $$$ because of it. The council restructured the setup so it no longer does that. But hey! Believe the McTygue propaganda because honestly? It’s all they have now. But if you have the nerve to actually show your identity, feel free to email me @dmorris1@nycap.rr.com and I’ll email them to you directly.

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      2. Dave the jig is up,post your info….if it was worth anything(which it’s not),it would already been turned over and besides what are you doing with this info and how did you get it…are you a dream weaver Dave?

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      3. Actually I think the Comptroller’s office is not investigating Comm. Scirocco per se but looking at water fees in the city over the last 30 to 40 years. Also I don’t think the actions you describe would come under the pervue of the Ethics committee which would make your criticism of Comm. Mathiesen moot.

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      5. the information was already posted, remember dave, they cried about having to see it. it showed hundreds of thousands of dollars of breaks given to the developer and then cried it couldn’t be posted. I am still waiting to hear back from the city attorney, like they said was gonna happen..that was a pretty funny one. here is keith ferrara discussing how the breaks were part of a years long city policy, “Bonacio declined to pay the money and didn’t go to the council. His attorney, Keith Ferrara, said city officials authorized the waivers based on public investments Bonacio made and a “years-old policy of the city in granting these waivers to him and other builders.” Ferrara told Wales, “Mr. Bonacio will happily work with you to help you sort out these problems. He will not, however, be held financially responsible for them.” gees, billy and stan borden worked awfully close together, but it never happened, because we are all blind or something. http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/To-pay-or-not-to-pay-tap-fee-5802000.php

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  3. Com mathiesen,
    The hospital ONLY withdrew after the mayor told them she was going to submit everything to the ethics committee for review to determine whether she was going to vote. Once she did that, they panicked and withdrew, btw, amy Raimo got into considerable trouble at that point.

    The hospital is an existing client and long term client of the mayors. She reached out to several clients in the fall looking for employment. When you work for yourself, sometimes you work its clients once a week, once a month, once every other year, etc. Btw, because of that relationship, she wasn’t going to vote anyway but still wanted to use the ethics committee the way it should be used.

    Com Franck recused the same night the mayor did. Why aren’t you all saying he should’ve told council before that night too? I believe it was the first night the council was to speak. This is historically when member recuse. The reason there were so many hearings is because the hospital kept changing their design. You know full well when that happens it triggers a legal restart.

    Also, the super majority petition was NOT submitted until after the recusals took place. So any insinuation that the mayor recused as punishment are irresponsible.

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      1. Bad news Dave(straight shooter) he is being investigated but not for what you say,I quarantee there will be alot of sad faces on pinewood ave in the next 2months, but in the mean time keep spinning those stories.

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  4. Another witch hunt by the McTygue faction? Just what the city needs to keep them out of office.

    They truly need to find something else to do with their time.

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