In the October 4,2024, edition of the Daily Gazette, Saratoga Springs Mayor John Safford informed reporter Shenandoah Briere that the city’s Human Resources Department and the police were looking into accusations that Saratoga Springs former Public Works Commissioner Jason Golub and Public Works Deputy Joe O’Neill III had used city employees for work on “personal property.”
In the October 8, 2024 edition of the Daily Gazette, it appeared that Safford tried to walk back the story. The article stated:
“My understanding is this is a huge rumor based on a fired employee complaint to HR,” Safford said in a text Saturday night. “I don’t think it amounts to anything much.”
Unfortunately, there is an abundance of evidence to indicate that this is more than just a “huge rumor.”
The Allegation
A complaint made last summer to the New York State Comptroller resulted in a referral to the Saratoga Springs Police Department regarding the potential criminal activities of then Public Works Department Commissioner Jason Golub and Public Works Department Deputy Joe O’Neill III. [At the end of this blog is the relevant excerpt from the New York State Public Officers Law, which makes using public employees for private use a crime.]
It is alleged that two department employees were directed to work on Commissioner Golub’s home under Golub’s and O’Neill’s direction. These allegations have exposed additional potential crimes involving the misuse of city staff and city resources.
Yesterday (October 7), O’Neill resigned as Deputy. He was able to return to his original civil service position, and as far as I can tell, that’s what he did.
The Blocked Drain
Early in 2023, it is alleged that O’Neill directed employee A of the city’s Department of Public Works to go to Golub’s home to address a blocked drain. Employee A could not fix the drain, and the following day, O’Neill had Employee A and Employee B meet him at the city Rec facility at about 1:00 PM.
O’Neill told them to return to Golub’s home, where Golub would meet them. When they arrived, Golub was not there. Shortly afterward, he arrived, and together, they entered the house. Employee A had with him a bottle of Green Gobbler used to unclog drains. It is unclear whether the bottle came from the city’s chemical inventory or whether it was purchased especially for Golub’s job by the city. On Amazon.com, the liquid sells for $26.00 a bottle.
The liquid did its job, and after success, they all left.
O’Neill’s Further Alleged Abuse
Sometime around December 2023, O’Neill had employee A meet him in the city skating rink’s parking lot. He told employee A to throw his tools into the back of O’Neill’s truck, and the two went to the home where O’Neill’s child lived with his mother. I am unclear as to O’Neill’s relationship with the child’s mother.
Employee A repaired a leak under a bathroom sink.
Alleged Black Topping On Private Driveways
Earlier this year, the DPW re-blacktopped a section of Grand Avenue under a grant specifically for that purpose. During the same period, they blacktopped driveways at three private homes. One of the homes was owned by a DPW employee.
Employee A Was Terminated
The Department of Public Works terminated employee A. The contract with the union representing employee A establishes that a person is on probation and considered an at-will employee for the first year. As an at-will employee, they can be terminated at any time without explanation. I can find no information as to the reason Employee A was terminated.
The Statute
Article VIII, §1 of the State Constitution, interalia, prohibits municipalities from making gifts or loans of their money or property to or in aid of private entities. Further, it is a general rule that, because town equipment is acquired for town purposes (see Town Law, §64[2-a]) and town personnel is hired to provide services for the town (see, e.g., Highway Law, §140[4]), a town may not perform work on private property in furtherance of purely private purposes even if fair and adequate consideration is paid to the town under a contract (see, e.g., 1988 Opns St Comp No. 88-41, p 81; 1985 Opns St Comp No. 85-37, p 51; 1983 Opns St Comp No. 83-103, p 127; 29 Opns St Comp, 1973, p 122).
Saratoga Springs Politics 
I just want to see if I’ve read this correctly, a blocked drain? And $26 of Green Gobbler? We must have very different definitions of ‘serious allegations’ 😂
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I disagree with ‘unserious person’. A property owner in Saratoga Springs would be responsible for a blocked drain even if the blockage occurred in the line between the person’s home and the City’s sewer line. If the City’s line was blocked, it would affect more than one house and it would be corrected by access through a man hole cover, not through a private home. It would not be appropriate for a DPW employee working on City time to correct plumbing problems in a private home, especially the home of the Commissioner of Public Works, no matter what the cost of the chemicals used to correct the problem. ‘Unserious person’ also fails to account for the value of the City employee’s time. Plumbers charge $100 or more per hour for their time.
’Unserious person’ also did not mention the use of a City employee’s time and skill to repair a bathroom sink in a private home at the direction of Deputy Commissioner O’Neill while on City time. This also would be an inappropriate use of a City employee’s time.
Also, the blacktop of any private property using City materials, City equipment and City employees is inappropriate. The only time that DPW can be involved in improvements on private property, such as sidewalks or curbs, would be after the City Council has approved such projects at a pre-determined fee for such services. It would be important at this stage to establish exactly which property owners benefitted from the alleged work and for the City Council to insist on reasonable payment to the City.
There were similar allegations years ago about another Commissioner using City employees and equipment for improvement of their property. I don’t recall those claims ever being fully investigated or resolved. Hopefully, the current allegations will be fully investigated and all the facts will come to light. It is entirely possible that no wrongdoing occurred in these cases, that there were reasonable explanations for the alleged transgressions so that the reputations of all involved will be restored.
In the mean time, if the Deputy Commissioner of Public Works did resign yesterday, then that department, and the City as a whole, is in jeopardy. With neither a Commissioner nor a Deputy Commissioner of Public Works currently serving, a department providing vital services to our City is lacking necessary leadership.
Chris Mathiesen
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So you think it’s ok for an elected official to get city employees to do free work on their private homes? Wow. Have I read that correctly?
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There seem to be two possible criminal allegations.
First, as JK mentioned, in addition to the $26 bottle of Green Gobler, there is the value of the labor to fix plumbing issues at both Golub’s and O’Neill’s child’s mother’s homes. While that may only come to a couple of hundred dollars, in this area the average cost of paving a 500 square foot driveway is around $5,000. Three driveways could come to $15,000 (give or take a few thousand) worth of illegal work on private property.
Secondly, did Employee A blow the whistle as payback for being fired or was he fired for being a whistleblower? The latter action is also illegal under New York State’s whistleblower law. Remedies potentially available to whistleblowers include: back pay, front pay, civil penalties not to exceed $10,000, and punitive damages. Don’t be surprised if the city has yet another law suit on its hands.
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Further thoughts:
It would be interesting to see a time line of when Employee A made his complaint to the New York State Comptroller and subsequent referral to the Saratoga Springs Police Department as it relates to Golub’s resignation announcement on July 15th, which took effect on August 16th. Ditto with Joe O’Neill.
Do we know if or when the police or Public Safety Commissioner Tim Cole may have interviewed either or both? Consequently, did Golub know that the <bleep> was about to hit the fan and tried to do an end run around what would probably be a public scandal? How and when did he come to be appointed deputy commissioner of the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision? And what was the original civil service position that O’Neill apparently returned to?
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Jay Bass you are a wonderful man. Thank you so much for caring. Tami Lin Farrow
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the moral of the story here is that we have a pattern of behavior, a culture, where public resources are used for private gain. I have heard rumors about DPW employees stealing gas and used equipment. There should be an investigation.
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