Sanghvi’s Falsehood: Is It Ignorance Or Malice?

As noted in an earlier post, Saratoga Springs Finance Commissioner Minita Sanghvi wrote on her Facebook page that Chuck Marshall, who is running for Commissioner of Public Works, had announced that if elected, he planned to “slash the DPW budget by half a million dollars.” Sanghvi claimed Marshall would cut funds to plow the streets and pick up leaves. None of this is accurate, and it is simply incredible that Sanghvi, who, in effect, acts as the chief financial officer (CFO) of the city, would make such a false accusation.

Now, Sanghvi has gone further.

This is from Sanghvi’s Facebook page.

The question I have is whether Sanghvi is such a poor manager of the city’s finances that she doesn’t understand the city’s revenue or whether she did know but attempted to smear Marshall, knowing her accusation was false.

The revenue from paid parking was not structured to supplement the Department of Public Works’ essential services, as Sanghvi falsely asserts. The money was to go into the general fund for whatever the city needed. In fact, it was earmarked not to offset expenses at DPW but for things like the city’s recreation program and for promoting downtown businesses.

Consider this story from the April 1, 2024, edition of the Times Union:

However, Golub did say the money would be reinvested in the city’s downtown including hiring a marketing professional for the Downtown Business Association, parking structure and downtown improvements and an investment in the city’s recreation department. The proposed reinvestment will be $225,000 for downtown and $40,000 for recreation in year one and will be annual. 

From the October 24, 2024 edition of Saratoga Today:

Anticipated seasonal revenue for 2024 expected to be approximately $1.6 million, with expenses estimated at about $450,000, resulting in an estimated first year net gain of over $1.1 million.

Of that, the city says it will invest $100,000 of revenue gained in the DBA (“a dedicated marketing professional for the Downtown Business Association”), $50,000 into Parking Structure Capital Reserve, $75,000 into a Downtown Improvement Reserve, and $40,000 into a Recreation Parking program. 

From a story on April 1, 2024 on WAMC:

Golub says one of his priorities is funding initiatives to help them.

I think the revenue will provide us an opportunity to take a bigger swing as a community around the unhoused population and funding a long-term homeless shelter. That is one of the open questions around a shelter; how would we as a community fund that long-term? For me, there aren’t a lot of revenue sources where we can take big swings, where we can create new revenue without raising taxes within our community and this happens to be one of them,” said Golub.

 Whether the reader agrees or disagrees with continuing with the paid parking program, it should be evaluated based on a proper analysis of the program’s first year.

The Daily Gazette reported on December 29, 2024, some three months after the paid parking season ended in September:

“Finance Commissioner Minita Sanghvi had said a review of the program wouid happen, but it has not as of yet.”

It is apparent that Sanghvi has not bothered with the report and has instead weaponized her office for partisan purposes. The city deserves better.