The Independence Party which had previously endorsed Michele Madigan for Finance Commissioner rented a room at the Racino for a debate between Madigan and her opponent in the upcoming Democratic primary, Patty Morrison. In order to establish fairness the Independence Party enlisted Chad Beatty, the publisher of Saratoga Today, to moderate the debate.
The debate was set to take place on June 13. The invitation to the candidates was issued on May 3
On May 10 Ms. Morrison emailed Eddy Miller, chairman of the Saratoga Chapter of the Independence Party, telling him she was “…unable to fit your invitation into my schedule.” She went on to say “Perhaps we can reconsider after the primary.”
I contacted Commissioner Madigan who responded with the following:
“I will always take the opportunity to discuss openly city issues and challenges in a debate format, and if other debates become available I will attend those too.”
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Below is the correspondence between Eddy Miller and Patty Morrison
From: Eddy Miller
To: Patricia Marie Morrison
Sent: Fri, May 10, 2019 8:41 pm
Subject: Re: Follow-up
Ms. Morrison,
Please allow me to express my gratitude for responding to our invite. We honestly regret that you’re unable to adapt your busy schedule to meet our challenge & attend our event.
The meeting room at the Saratoga Casino Hotel has already been paid for! The press & the moderator will be present, and Commissioner Madigan has already accepted the challenge.
Therefore, the program will go on as planned. If by some chance your schedule eases up & allows you to attend the function, it would sure make things a lot more interesting.
Hope to see you there & if not, the Independence Party of Saratoga County wishes you “All the Best” in your upcoming primary.
Thank you,
Eddy Miller
—–Original Message—–
From: Patricia Morrison
To: Eddy Miller
Sent: Fri, May 10, 2019 4:23 pm
Subject: Follow-up
Mr. Miller,
Thank you so much for thinking of me. I’m not able to fit your invitation into my schedule. Perhaps we can reconsider after the primary.
Patty Morrison
Saratoga Springs Politics 
How very sad that we have a candidate – challenging a highly qualified Commissioner in a primary – who is so very busy that she can’t stand up in front of her potential constituents to give them a clear idea on why she thinks she can do a better job. I’m thinking it has very little with having time and more to do with having few real ideas on what the job actually entails much less how she would do it.
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After the primary? Is that a joke??
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Yes.
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You are absolutely right Gayle. We see it all the time across the country. When it comes to discussing facts they can’t hide so the only option is not to show up. Believe me, all of this kind of behavior(s) make it much easier for me to choose a candidate. I don’t even have to consider them, it cuts down on my research as evidently they have nothing to say.
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Notwithstanding that Commissioner Madigan’s depth of experience and impressive list of accomplishments would be daunting to any challenger, but to facetiously respond that, “Perhaps we can reconsider after the primary” – reveals not only a true lack of courage and determination but denies the electorate an opportunity to hear from this novice newcomer. Aside from the public announcement, procurement of the moderator and facility rental, this ambivalent challenger leaves us with little more than another empty chair debate.
In my opinion, our city already has a bona fide Commissioner of Finance who has earned her winning track record and re-election.
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Hard to believe a candidate such as this would miss the opportunity to explain her positions on all the issues facing the city today like the one that she is holding…..CHARTER CHANGE…..after all it’s only been 6 months since this community got together to hash it out.
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“How very sad…
” Is that a joke?
“When it comes to discussing facts they can’t hide… the only option is not to show up….
“…have nothing to say…
“…a true lack of courage and determination…
“Hard to believe a candidate such as this would miss the opportunity…”
Ms. Morrison: These are elegant snippets from previous comments, which I endorse, and emphasize only to contrast against my less than elegant analysis, to wit:
When lightning strikes upon City Hall, in the middle of the night, will you respond like the current City Council did (including the occupant of the office you seek,) roll up your sleeves, and set in motion the process to recover?
Or will you be too busy? Will it not fit into your schedule?
Lightning didn’t fit into Michele Madigan’s schedule. It didn’t fit into anyone on the Council’s “schedule”!
But they, long before, answered the call for public service: the long hours, the completely abysmal compensation, and all the love notes they receive on blogs like this… The bottom line:
You are going to LOSE this primary challenge, Ms. Morrison. And here’s why…
Any candidate like Ms. Madigan would be proud to run on her record, and rightfully so. As a challenger, you should be prepared to present new ideas… which I am sure you think you have.
But that is not enough. That is only part 1 of 2.
Part 2 is to be willing, indeed happy, to share those ideas with anyone – at 2 a.m. if need be. At any time.
Like when lightning strikes.
In this case, you were given considerably more time and notice. Invited May 3 for June 13. That’s about forty days… and yet…
It doesn’t fit your schedule.
Well, way to be – Ms. Morrison. But don’t be surprised if you don’t fit a lot of other people’s schedules on primary day.
And when lightning strikes again, no one need look for your number.
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Soooo he rented a place to do a primary debate before hearing back from one of the candidates, and also scheduled it on a day that he knew one of the candidates would have had an engagement. Why didn’t he just rent it out and call it an event for the Madigan campaign in the first place? Surely Eddy Miller was smart enough to google the school system calendar as a good place to find blackout dates. She’s already endorsed by the Independents, why try to make up a debate?
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Dear Skeptical
Interestingly this is not the excuse that Ms. Morrison gave. Her reply did not request rescheduling nor offer other dates when she could be available except to oddly offer to debate after the primary. I would think as a relatively unknown she would be eager to accept any opportunity to share with the public her specific reasons as to why she is running and what her specific platform is. It would be interesting to hear what she plans to do that isn’t already being done in that department. I have not heard her say anything about either.
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Really? I’m not sure how that is Eddie’s job. And, even if he “could’ve/should’ve” Ms. Morrison did NOT indicate that as a reason she could not attend nor did she request a date that would be appropriate. She simply declined. That, my dear, is NOT how to manage a campaign or put your best foot forward when you are running for public office. If Ms. Morrison does not realize that and cannot think that far ahead I pity the Finance Department and the constituents if she were somehow to win. It gives me great pause as to how she would ever manage a full-time job and any Commissioners position where good communication would be imperative.
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Add to my above reply that Ms. Morrison’s request to possibly reschedule “after the primary” leads me to only one conclusion. She does not want to debate Commissioner Madigan. I’ll let each of you make your own determination as to why that might be.
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The primary debate was to benefit a far wider audience than the membership of the organizing affiliation? Would a candidate who is seriously considering the post of Commissioner of Finance while abandoning a recent commitment to the School Board, not understand that this becomes a missed opportunity in expressing crisis leadership far greater and more valuable than bowing out for “time constraints”?
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These two candidates are running in a Democratic Primary. Only registered Democrats can vote. Why is the Independence Party setting up a debate? Was this legal for the Independence Party to spend money in a Democratic primary? Why pick a night when there is also a school board event?
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I have to ask the obvious. Why is the Democratic Party not setting up the debate? Seems given the field of candidates, it would have been a foregone conclusion. Given the one opportunity to provide an audience with a candidate debate before the primary, what could be happening at the School Board that night that a surrogate or proxy couldn’t address? On the legality of money spent by the Independence Party, I think that question might be answered best by legal opinion or special prosecutor. My unvarnished opinion is that it seems like a generous thing to do given the lack of the conventional option.
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The Dems endorsed Michele not Ms Morrison…..why the primary then?…the truth lies somewhere in between revenge and “the 5 silos”, Shirley it has nothing to do with a comprehensive list of issues that effect our lifes’daily.
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