Lynn Bachner to Replace Mike Sharp as Deputy Finance Commissioner

[JK: I received the following release today from the Finance Department.

Mike Sharp will be leaving his position as Deputy Finance Commissioner to take a position as Senior Investment Analyst at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy.  Mike Sharp was an extraordinary public servant. Mike’s keen intellect, his attention to the smallest detail, his work ethic, and his good sense made him a tremendous asset to the city. He was underpaid as are all the deputies which itself is a problem.

Those of you who followed the “city manager” charter proposal may recall that that Charter Commission declined to interview the deputy commissioners asserting that they did little substantive work and were basically holding political patronage jobs. Anyone who had the good fortune of dealing with Mike was thoroughly disabused of this idea.

The city is fortunate to have Lynn Bachner step into the vacancy. Lynn had served previously under Finance Commissioners Matt McCabe and Michele Madigan where she earned wide respect throughout all the city’s departments who she had to deal with regularly in light of the role of the Finance Department. Everything I said about Mike accurately describes Lynn who –full disclosure–I consider a friend.]

M. Lynn Bachner to Return as Deputy Finance Commissioner

Effective Monday, September 23, 2019, M. Lynn Bachner will be named Acting Deputy Commissioner of Finance for the City of Saratoga Springs, returning to the position she previously served for 8 years. She will be succeeding the current deputy, Mike Sharp, who has recently accepted an offer to become a Senior Investment Analyst at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. Mr. Sharp’s last day will be Wednesday, October 2.

 “Mike has been a valuable asset to the City for the past two years, and I wish him success in his new position,” said Finance Commissioner Michele Madigan. “The City’s current excellent fiscal standing, including our strong bond rating and well-funded reserves, is largely built on budgets that Lynn and I worked on when she last served as my Deputy. Having most recently worked as Executive Assistant to the Mayor, Lynn is well-versed on all of the City’s projects and priorities, especially those that I have partnered with the Mayor on, such as the East Side Fire & EMS Station and our goal of finding a permanent home to Code Blue. The City has several clear priorities to address in the coming year, and I look forward to working with Lynn again as we finalize the 2020 budget and work on solutions that benefit residents across the City.”

Ms. Bachner has served as Executive Assistant to the Mayor since April 2018. She has previously served as Deputy Commissioner of Finance under two administrations. Ms. Bachner holds a BA from Hamilton College, and MA from Johns Hopkins University, and a J.D. from the University of Wisconsin.

“Mike Sharp has done a remarkable job as Deputy Commissioner of Finance, and will be an outstanding asset to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.  I am glad I can be of service to the City at this time, and look forward to a successful budget season”, stated Bachner.

Mr. Sharp has expressed that he is exceptionally proud of the work he has done for the City.

“I will be forever grateful to Commissioner Madigan for giving me the opportunity to work on a variety of projects that I am passionate about,” said Mr. Sharp. “I’d like to thank all the City employees I’ve worked with, especially those in the Finance and IT departments, for their help along the way. Throughout my tenure, I’ve spoken with Lynn regularly about the budget, and I have complete confidence that she and Commissioner Madigan will bring forward an excellent 2020 budget.”