Kuczynski’s Executive Assistant Does Political Work on City Time

I received a press release from Saratoga Springs Republican Chair Mike Brandi that, if true, would mean that former Public Works Commissioner Hank Kuczynski’s executive assistant participated in partisan events while being paid by the city.

The employee, Michele Hill-Davis, who is also a Democratic committee person, attended Kuczynski’s press conference at the offices of John Franck on January 15 and the full-day reviews of the special election ballots at the Saratoga County Board of Elections on January 31 and February 4. She failed to advise the city’s Human Resources Office of these activities and was apparently paid for her time by the city.

I don’t believe there was any malicious intent to defraud the city. I view this as another inept act where Kuczynski, who should have known better, jeopardized his employee.

The Press Release

The Saratoga Springs Republican Committee is raising concerns regarding the possible misuse of taxpayer dollars by a city employee for political purposes.

Recently defeated Department of Public Works (DPW) Commissioner Hank Kuczynski’s executive assistant, Michele Hill-Davis, was apparently on the clock while attending political events, including Kuczynski’s campaign launch press conference at John Franck’s office on January 15. Additionally, records indicate she may have been on city time while participating in full-day ballot review sessions at the Saratoga County Board of Elections on January 31 and February 3.

This potentially amounts to 24 hours of time during which Ms. Hill-Davis may have been paid by the City while engaging in political activities. The matter has been referred to the New York State Comptroller’s Office for investigation.

This is yet another instance in a disturbing trend of local Democratic officials taking advantage of public employment for personal benefit. The people of Saratoga Springs expect and deserve ethical governance, and misuse of taxpayer funds must cease.