Update On Who Constitutes the Leadership of the Pro Charter Change Common Sense Saratoga

Sarah Burger has posted a comment advising me that her name was erroneously listed on Common Sense Saratoga as a member of the “campaign committee”. She noted that her name was removed from the list of leaders some time ago.

She has asked me to correct the record and so this post.

The Evolving Leadership of Common Sense Saratoga

As with any organization, Common Sense Saratoga has been evolving. As I do not regularly check the site there may have been more iterations. The original “Founders” were:

The latest list, captured on November 15, 2020, characterizes the group as the “Campaign Committee.” On at least one occasion the committee list was not available on the site. Its membership has changed at least three times.

As Ms. Burger stated in her comment, her name no longer appears. New on this latest committee list are Tony Krackeler and Joanne Kiernan who are on the city’s School Board.

It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over: Well, It’s Over

On Friday, November 13, 2020, the chairs of both the Democratic and Republican Saratoga Springs Committees acknowledged the defeat of the charter change proposal.

Wendy Liberatore, the Times Union reporter, quoted Sarah Burger, chair of the Democratic Committee as follows:

I think right now, people need a break. There is charter fatigue…It’s time to refocus our attention to next year’s election and finding candidates.

Sarah Burger, Chair person of the Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee

Ms. Liberatore’s story contained no reference to the Common Sense Saratoga group. Given her close relationship with CSS, it is not as though she does not know how to contact them. No one would accuse them of being shy about contacting her. Why the silence?

Common Sense Saratoga has had the following post up on their site since the election:

Well, all the votes (early voting, election day in person, and absentee ballots) have been counted. The city Republican and Democratic chairs have acknowledged the election results. It is true that the results have not been officially certified but that is a formality that will occur at the end of November.

The people behind Common Sense Saratoga would be the first to complain about President Trump’s resistance to acknowledging his loss to Joe Biden. If they had won, it would be writ large all over their site.

Interestingly, the city Democratic Committee which endorsed the proposed charter did not include mention of its defeat in their recent newsletter.

This is a fitting way to end their campaign.