Candidates Seek to Fill Vacant Office of Commissioner of Public Works Skip Scirocco.

Four candidates have emerged in the race to fill the seat of the Saratoga Springs Commissioner of Public Works left vacant by the recent death of Commissioner Skip Scirocco. The City Council will decide who will fill the vacancy until a special election is held in the fall. Saratoga Springs Mayor Ron Kim told Foothills Daily that there were four candidates under consideration: Anthony Scirocco Jr (R), Bill McTygue (D), Jason Golub(D), and Robert Bullock(?).

Bill McTygue

Bill McTygue (D) served as Deputy and then Director of Public Works for many years under his brother, Public Works Commissioner Tom McTygue. He subsequently ran for Public Works Commissioner against Skip Scirocco and lost.

Robert Bullock

The only thing I know about Robert Bullock is that he is the husband of Ann Bullock who has been an active Democrat.

The Unseemly History of Ann Bullock’s and Bill McTygue’s Attacks on Skip Scirocco

With the cooperation of Wendy Liberatore of the Times Union, Bill McTygue and Ann Bullock made repeated attacks on Skip Scirocco and the Public Works Department over the years. In spite of the flimsiness of these attacks, Ms. Bullock and Mr. McTygue received extensive coverage in their attempts to smear Skip. None of their accusations ever produced any validation either from the city’s ethics board or from the New York State Attorney General who these two tried to use to promote their campaigns.

Here are links to numerous stories I ran on them.

#Bill McTygue and Ann Bullock: Their Reckless Attack

#Saratoga Springs Ethics Board Issues Decision:  Bullock/McTygue Charges Are Without Merit

#Times Union Watch: Zombie Accusations Resurrected By Newspaper

#Times Union Watch: A Tale Of Three Stories

#Times Union Watch: Editors Print Correction Of Liberatore Story Re Bill McTygue Ethics Allegations

#Ethics Board Issues Decision: City Council and Independence Party score 7, White Walkers Zero

Jason Golub

Mr. Golub (D) is an attorney with a law degree from Columbia University. He previously worked for General Electric and currently is Head of Strategic Partnerships and Chief Diversity Officer for Kahilla.

He co-chaired the Saratoga Springs Police Reform Task Force.

Shawn Wiggins enjoyed coverage by Times Union reporter Wendy Liberatore in proposing Mr. Golub to fill Skip’s vacancy. Wiggins, who is Black and ran unsuccessfully as a Democratic candidate for County Supervisor last November, argued that it was time to have a Black member of the City Council.

“Black residents helped to get the now all-Democratic council elected and if they chose not to appoint Golub that ‘ would be a slap in the face to the Black community.'” he told the TU.

Anthony Scirocco Jr

Mark Scirocco has told me that it was one of his father, Skip Scirocco’s last wishes that his son, Anthony Scirocco Jr,(R) replace him as the Commissioner of Public Works. Mr. Sirocco is not just the former Commissioner’s son but is well qualified in his own right.

Anthony Scirocco, Jr. has worked in the public works sector for twenty years. In 2015 he was appointed as the Saratoga County Maintenance Supervisor overseeing a crew charged with maintaining the county’s roads and handling the administrative duties for the running of the highway garage.

Scirocco has been endorsed to fill the position by the Saratoga Springs Republican Committee. His father was the only Republican on the Council at the time of his death. Following is the statement in support of Anthony Scirocco’s candidacy put out by Republican City Chair Mike Brandi.