Patty Morrison, who is competing to be the Democratic nominee for Commissioner of Finance in the upcoming June 25th primary, has sent out a mailer to registered Democrats. In the mailer she makes the following allegation regarding her opponent, Michele Madigan:
“Supports developer requested rezoning variances”
In Saratoga Springs, zoning variances are the responsibility of the Zoning Board Of Appeals. The City Council has no role in them.
Making a statement like this is very troubling. Aside from demonstrating that Ms. Morrison does not understand how land-use issues are dealt with in this city, it reflects an approach to public discourse that is unnecessarily combative while playing loosely with the truth.
This city has endured years of poisonous meetings where gratuitous conflict has clouded discussion. Mayor Kelly has achieved what many thought impossible: meetings that are collegial and efficient. I think the above allegation has to make many of us worry how Ms. Morrison would affect this dynamic were she to be elected and serve on the Council.
Saratoga Springs Politics 
At the very least, her handlers, one a previous council member and another a previous member of the planning board should have apprised her of such a bush league accusation that displays again for all to see, that her inexperience is only eclipsed by her inability to understand how land boards function and the responsibility of Council membership that she clearly is not qualified for. That said, misinformation and inaccuracies have been a part of her campaign, with its repetitive gaslighting of untruths, while interjecting their erroneous opinions to simply erode the confidence of our city government. Shame on those whose municipal dynasty once received support for good work only to witness those same individuals eroding that legacy for unscrupulous swiftboating and amateur tactics.
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If ya’ll want to find out who’s not watching your back,
just take a note of all the houses in the neighborhood sporting Morrison signs.
And forcing a primary?
Who ARE these people?
-JC
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She also stated that if she wins the primary she will be the next Finance Commissioner. She is only fighting to secure a spot in the general election, since Madigan has the Independence line, they would meet again in the general election. No doubt Michele has far more support city wise and would most likely prevail in that contest, if it is at all necessary. It would be correct is Michele said it, but it’s false from the Morrison camp.
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Well, I would say there is more than one problem with that Patty Morrison mailer. How about her saying she voted against guns in schools. Not true—she voted against re-arming the monitors but voted to add a fulltime armed SRO (school resource officer). And her opponent never voted “for a resolution asking for more guns in schools” because such a resolution never existed.
Morrison also can’t re-establish the Open Space Bond Act as she claims she will—a new bond act would have to be voted on by the public.
And about half the city would disagree with her that the city manager form she champions is “accountable and accessible” as she describes it given that this corporate model form of government would give us an unelected person running the city appointed by a city council that would only stand for election every 4 years not 2 as now.
Morrison accuses her opponent of “defending the inefficiencies of the status quo” which I guess refers to Michele’s opposition to the proposed city manager charter change which she did because the financial promises made didn’t add up.
All and all Morrison’s mailer presents her as someone who, to be generous, is either just sloppy or tolerates it in others (assuming she didn’t write this mailer herself) or doesn’t care enough to honestly give out accurate information or is ignorant enough to not be able to understand what is accurate and what is not. None of these scenarios bode well for the city if she is elected.
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Well said. Bravo.
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Good retort!
This is just another game in Prof. Turnahhh’s poli-sci experiment.
Research for a book that will never go to print.
We’re all being played.
And after all this reading; this group is not terribly bright.
Just drive around town & notice who’s displaying the Morrison lawn signs.
You can smell the AirBnB’s in the air.
Tax them & move on.
-JC
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You guys would have a lot more credibility if you wrote under your own names or didn’t personalize your comments using other people’s names. You might be surprised that some people might even agree with you. If you bring new information to the discussion table, under cover of a pseudonym that would be OK but not great. But these cheap shots however accurate lose their impact through the clandestine nature in which they are presented. Give it some thought. Your opponents thrive on covert postings and how has that impacted their case?
And yes, many people have skeletons in their closets that tax maps and city files can easily uncover. Illegal land takings, rentals and conversions are no secret to those who know where to find that information. Isn’t that what transparency and accountability is all about?
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Thank you Jim, perfectly articulated.
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We’re easy to find, Jim.
Just look for the Madigan signs.
lol
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Well, I’m not as snappy as you are but Saratoga Springs Politics does not have a word limit. Discipline in writing clear and concise sentences is something that I often take liberties with, partly because when I have a virtuous position, I often hammer it to death.
My point is that you can disagree without getting in the weeds with those who enjoy the excesses of anonymity and avoid reducing the dialogue to amateur play. Frankly, I am surprised at some of the intelligent yet disgruntled people who have challenged a member of their own party which in itself is quite telling. Who does that?
We know these people with or without lawn signs. Recruiting new souls every day with a pitch that they know better yet lacking any experience other than those veterans amongst them, who we all supported at one time and now they choose to become insurgents. I mean really, we know all the characters and yet they publish in disguise, they share questionable postings that are not well vetted and participate in nothing less than amateur politics. I almost forgot about amnesty for flouters and an attempt to bankrupt the city at the height of the most recent financial crisis. I buried that memory till the most recent signgate drama. Please, this city has an embarrassing stolen sign story that doesn’t need reliving.
I’m around 130 words that should have taken a Justin;-) maybe 25 so, you win.
Time for Sunday dinner.
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