Back in April, Saratoga Springs Accounts Commissioner Dillon Moran published a Request for Proposals that would fund attorneys for his Accounts Department along with the Finance Department, and the Department of Public Works. I described his power move in some detail that month.
I had assumed he had dropped the idea but recently he received responses from a number of law firms. He has selected the firm Harris Beach. The award of a contract was put on his agenda for the August 20, 2024, meeting. His proposal was met with intense questioning from Mayor Safford at this morning’s (August 19,2024) pre-agenda meeting. Safford was concerned that Dillon’s proposal lacked any specific guidelines as to when and how the Harris Beach firm would be used by the three departments. Moran bizarrely argued that the guidelines could be figured out after the firm was hired. In the end it was clear that Moran did not have the votes to accept this contract and withdrew that item from his agenda.
If Moran is eventually successful, the toxic environment at Council meetings would then include dueling lawyers at who knows what cost to the city.
It is worth noting that at a Council meeting on October 18, 2022, Finance Commissioner Minita Sanghvi sided with then Mayor Ron Kim in opposing a similar proposal by Moran to have the city fund an attorney for him. Here is the record of that discussion:
At the time Kim and Moran were feuding and Sanghvi was Kim’s ally. Sanghvi has been silent on Moran’s latest foray and was not at this morning’s Pre-Agenda meeting
Comments
I sent requests to the three candidates that I am currently aware of seeking to fill the DPW Commissioner vacancy. I asked them to review Moran’s proposal and offer their thoughts. Sara Burger and Michael Ladd did not respond. The following is the response from Chuck Marshall:
“Commissioner Moran’s pattern of alleged mistreatment of staff, increasing litigation, and propensity for shifting responsibilities away from himself, has proven problematic for the city. During this period of mounting legal bills – already burdening taxpayers – it doesn’t seem fiscally responsible to contract for separate attorneys for Accounts, Finance, and Public Works.”
Moran’s Empire
With the resignation of Jason Golub, Moran has taken it on himself to represent DPW at the Council table thus expanding his presence.
Saratoga Springs Politics 
Mr. Marshall is the voice of reason and a source of clarity the city desperately needs.
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Good morning all. John I apologize but I can’t find any correspondence from you in the typical spots, IE: email or voicemail. Where should I be looking for your request?
Thank you for the consideration.
Mike Ladd
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I texted it to you. I do not want to put your telephone number I used in this comment out of respect for your privacy. I just called the number and your voice message included your name and a business name. If you would like to do a guest post in response to my question, I would be happy to provide you with the courtesy. It would give you prominence to the readers of this blog.
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This certainly is Deja Vu. I wonder if Sanghvi will change her tune this time around? She was very concerned that he had spent $6,000 on attorneys in 2022. Will she ignore the grotesque amount he has spent in 2024? There are a couple of other concerns I have with this proposed contract. Moran and Sanghvi have, in my opinion, hidden the movement of money, $20,000 for this contract in the consent agenda. Shouldn’t they wait until the item is voted on? The RFP said, if awarded, the firm may represent 1, 2 or 3 of the departments listed in the RFP. That allows Moran to have this attorney for just his department. The first 6 pages of the Harris Beach proposal are missing from Moran’s agenda. The public cannot see the intentions of the firm. The contract references that Harris Beach will provide the services in the scope the RFP and as listed in attachment. There is nothing provided by Moran to clarify what he is referencing in the contract. I wonder if Sanghvi will Google the website of this firm like she did the one back in 2022? If she were to do so she would find that one of the two attorneys the firm proposes represent the 3 departments is a litigator. She had a big problem last time with Moran wanting a litigator for his department. Why does Moran need his own in house litigation attorney? With a little Googling it wasn’t hard to uncover that the other attorney appears to be a long time friend of Moran. Based on internet findings, making music and appreciating beer are among their linked activities. The Harris Beach bid was the most expensive, yet Moran’s apparent long time buddy and the litigator somehow came out ahead. If I remember correctly, the on call subpoena was served in the morning, the Carrie Schermerhorn lawsuit was served in the afternoon and about an hour after that Moran put out the RFP for legal representation of the 1,2 or 3 departments. That was quite a day. Enough is enough. Is there a pattern of Moran taking care of his buddies and spending the taxpayers money with reckless abandon?
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The city attorneys office really is a joke. If I were a commissioner, I would want a real attorney rendering me advice. Harper does an almost spot on Joe Biden impression when he gets up to speak and izzo couldn’t lawyer his way out of a wet paper bag. The entire office is a mess. Time to clear house and start over.
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