Month: September 2025

City Democrats Attack One Saratoga with False Claims

Why does the leadership of the local Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee fear One Saratoga?

Democrats enjoy a wide registration lead over Republicans in Saratoga Springs. As of March, there were approximately 8600 (40.5%) registered Democrats and 6800 Republicans (28.5%) in the city. Democratic candidates should be pretty much guaranteed victory with those kinds of registration numbers. Yet the Democrats lost all the contested City races in 2023, primarily because a group called One Saratoga had candidates in those races.

This year, One Saratoga gathered over 1,000 signatures to put a full slate of candidates on the November ballot for city offices. The city’s Democratic leadership appears to be worried.

The strategy the local Democrats seem to be following is not to criticize the credentials or records of the One Saratoga candidates or to engage in a discussion of local issues. Rather, their strategy is to try to nationalize the city’s elections. By playing on local Democrats’ fears about Donald Trump’s presidency, they hope to encourage local Democrats to vote for the Democratic Committee’s endorsed candidates regardless of the quality of those candidates.

To carry out their campaign strategy, the SSDC chair, Otis Maxwell, enlisted Gordon Boyd and Hank Kuczynski to craft a targeted mailing to all Democratic and “No Party” registered voters who had signed the One Saratoga petition that secured a spot on the November ballot. Maxwell’s hope was to convince petition signers falsely that One Saratoga had been “co-opted by Elise Stefanik and local MAGA influencers” (whoever they are). This, despite the fact that two Democratic-endorsed candidates appear also on the One Saratoga line and another One Saratoga candidate is a registered Democrat.

This excerpt from the Democratic letter is representative both in tone and substance. The full letter can be found on the Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee website:

There is a good reason Elise Stefanik and local MAGA Republicans are co-opting One Saratoga. Many voters are outraged by the actions of the current administration in Washington and local Republicans echo their MAGA tactics through lawsuits, bullying and personal attacks on anyone who disagrees with them. One Saratoga is simply a way to vote for Republican candidates without actually voting for them on the Republican line. Don’t be fooled. Please vote Democratic Row A when you go to the polls this November, or when you vote early or by absentee.

One Saratoga’s Response

One Saratoga Chair, Courtney DeLeonardis issued the following reply:

“Saratoga Springs Democratic Chair Otis Maxwell recently sent a letter to all the Democrats and No Party registrants who signed the One Saratoga petition last spring to get their endorsed candidates on the ballot for the November city election. The letter was crafted by Gordon Boyd and Hank Kuczynski.  The letter used the one piece of accurate  information, that Elise Stefanik had sent a contribution to one of the endorsed candidates, to assert that One Saratoga had been taken over by some Maga faction of the local Republican Party.  

Both Boyd and Kuczynski know that One Saratoga Chair Courtney DeLeonardis is a lifelong Democrat who chaired the Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee. They also know that almost all the members of One Saratoga are Democrats and were Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee members.  This includes former Democratic Executive Committee member Jay Partridge and former Public Safety Commissioner Chris Mathiesen, as well as former Democratic Deputy Mayor Joe Ogden. Jane Weihe, another member, chaired the Democratic city committee for over a decade, chaired the Saratoga County Democratic Committee, was a member of the New York State Democratic Committee, a delegate to a Democratic Presidential Nominating Convention, and twice a Democratic candidate for city office. To claim that these individuals are now pawns of the Republican Party is absurd.

The extreme example of disinformation represented by Maxwell’s letter is emblematic as to why One Saratoga was established.  The members of One Saratoga seek to offer the citizens of Saratoga a balanced ticket and an alternative to the toxic environment that has infected both national and local politics.  One Saratoga focuses entirely on city politics.  We believe that whatever people’s differences are on the national issues that so bitterly divide our country, people of good will from all political persuasions can come together around how to better govern our city.  One Saratoga believes deeply that the way a party campaigns will define the way it will govern.  Saratoga Springs is a gem. It is our hope that the voters will share our vision and will provide our candidates the privilege of serving in the next elected Council.”

The Corrosive Politics of Michele Madigan and Joe Seeman

On Saturday, September 20, 2025, Saratoga Springs Mayor John Safford was returning to City Hall from the dedication of a park in honor of the late Tommy McTygue when he was stopped by Joe Seeman, a local activist. Seeman was in front of the Post Office protesting the Trump presidency.

Seeman asked Safford if he thought that Trump lost the election in 2020 or whether he (meaning Trump) was cheated. When Safford attempts to answer, Seeman interrupts him, insisting it is a yes or no question. Safford offers that “a lot of people see just one side. A lot of people see another side. What we need to do is find a way to talk in the middle. Right now we are so divided. That’s what we are trying to do here in the city with One Saratoga.” As Safford tries to explain what he means, Seeman talks over him, making a discussion impossible. Safford then realizes that this is not a serious attempt at dialogue and excuses himself. The entire dialogue, which lasts one minute and forty-nine seconds, is included at the bottom of this post.

I would have preferred that Mayor Safford had simply answered “no,” but I know John Safford, and I know this was his attempt to soften the bitter divide that is tearing the country apart. I also knew that his failure to be direct in his answer would be exploited, despite Safford’s actual position.

Going For The Throat

Several hours later, Mayoral candidate Michele Madigan put up the video of Safford’s exchange with Seeman, along with the following text:

Realizing that he was being misrepresented, Safford responded to Madigan’s comment with an unequivocal statement contradicting Madigan’s narrative:

Rather than graciously accepting Safford’s statement and moving on, Madigan offered the following, and “boosted” the video so it would appear all over the internet:

Further exposing the ugly nature of this incident, Joe Seeman posted his comment following Madigan’s. Here are several crude and angry statements from Seeman regarding the incident. He responded to Mayor Safford with:

When I defended Safford, Seeman wrote:

In effect, Seeman doubles down, questioning the integrity of Mayor Safford’s stated position.

Is This Just Politics?

Many readers of this blog may dismiss all this as just politics. Madigan and Seeman are simply taking advantage of Safford’s error in not responding to Seeman’s question with a simple “no.” The fact that Safford’s failure to answer “no” does not represent his actual position is being buried by Madigan’s and Seeman’s continued promotion of this incident.

Expect to see the misrepresentation of Safford’s position in Madigan’s ads and mailings as we approach the coming election.

The Video

The Honor Of Our Colors At Half-Mast

Historically, the spirit of honoring events like 9/11, the passing of Presidents, and the passing of other public figures by the lowering of the American flag has been to unite our people in the face of grief and sacrifice.

The Spirit of the Flag

This from a website:

According to the GSA, American flags are traditionally flown at half-staff in times of national mourning, following major tragedies, or in observance of remembrance days. They are also lowered in the event of the death of government and military officials.

WCNC September 15, 2025

The U.S. Flag Code, which outlines flag display rules, includes specific guidelines for honoring top political officials. However, it also grants the U.S. President the authority to order flags to be flown at half-staff for the death of other current or former officials, as well as individuals the President deems significant.

Emblematic was the honor afforded to John McCain upon his death. This was a man who risked his life on behalf of our country and endured years of deprivation as a prisoner of the North Vietnamese. While I disagreed with Senator McCain on many issues, he had my deep respect. In an age when ambition is increasingly obscured by the pretense of alleged principle, Senator McCain set his own course.

The lowering of the flag was an affirmation of his life, one that all citizens could understand.

Condemnation Of Political Violence

The murder of Charlie Kirk, following the murders of Melissa Hortman and her husband (she was the Democratic Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives), is deeply disturbing. The trend of this kind of political violence is a threat to our democracy. Seeking change through violence rather than through debate is about power and not justice.

It speaks to the quality of our local community that the leaders of the major political organizations in Saratoga Springs issued the following statement:

The Troubling History Of Charlie Kirk

While I vehemently disagree with many of Mr. Kirk’s statements, I strongly support his right to free speech, which affords him the right to hold and share these views.

In fact, to his credit, Mr. Kirk thrived on spirited but civil exchanges. He was a frequent visitor to colleges and universities where he regularly engaged students with whom he sharply disagreed.

Here are some statements he has made that I find particularly troubling, though:

“We made a huge mistake when we passed the Civil Rights Act in the 1960s.”

From a talk in December 2023, at a session during America Fest sponsored by Turning Point. Mr. Kirk attributed the recent conflict over Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) to the passage of this legislation.

Regardless of one’s stance on the value of DEI, I believe a compelling argument can be made that DEI is an extension of America’s struggle with racism, of which the Civil Rights Act was a significant component. What is disturbing to me is that Mr. Kirk appears oblivious to the important role that the Act had in overcoming the impediments that black people had to endure to secure the right to vote.

Kirk, during the same event, characterized Martin Luther King as “a bad guy.” To the best of my knowledge, this characterization was based on the fact that King played a pivotal role in the movement that led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act. As I, among many Americans, believe in the positive role the Civil Rights Act played in extending the right to vote to all Americans, I naturally disagree with Kirk.

“Jewish donors have a lot of explaining to do. A lot of decoupling to do,” he said. “Because Jewish donors have been the No. 1 funding mechanism of radical, open border neoliberal quasi-Marxist policies, cultural institutions and nonprofits. This is a beast created by secular Jews. And now it’s coming for Jews, and they’re like, ‘What on Earth happened?’ And it’s not just the colleges. It’s the nonprofits, it’s the movies, it’s Hollywood, it’s all of it.”

While it is true that some Jews have played a role in funding progressive causes, it is unclear to me why he felt the need to single out Jews (this blogger is Jewish). It is extraordinary, verging on the bizarre, that he credits a stew of all things to his left, as created by secular Jews. This narrative smacks of a similar line taken by the Nazis that Jews were the force behind the corrupting of Germany.

According to the website FactCheck.Org:

Kirk rejected complaints that he was antisemitic, saying that in earlier episodes he had said he was “glad that Jewish Americans are reconsidering their financing of cultural Marxism, and people misunderstood it intentionally and slandered us as being antisemites.”

I do not find this a credible defense, but readers of this blog may see this issue differently.

Mr. Kirk famously observed that the 2nd amendment is worth the cost of “some gun deaths.”

This was a provocative statement, especially since he offered it only days after three children and three adults were killed in a school shooting in Nashville.

Unfortunately, mass shootings of innocent people have become increasingly common. It is difficult to assess his statement, as I am unsure how broadly he interprets the Second Amendment. What troubles me is the cavalier timing and nature of his remarks in light of the suffering of the family members and friends of those slain in the shootings that had just taken place.

The Great Decline

As noted earlier, the tradition of lowering our colors has emphasized the importance of uniting the country. Accompanying President Trump’s issuing the directive to lower the flag to half-mast at Federal buildings for Charlie Kirk, Trump issued a cringeworthy statement blaming the amorphous “radical left” for creating the atmosphere that led to Kirk’s murder.

Putting aside that President Trump expressed no similar feelings regarding the murders and assaults of Democrats during his two terms, he has degraded the spirit that should accompany the lowering of our colors. Whether you agree with Mr. Kirk or not, he is a very divisive figure. The same tradition of lowering the flag that honors the many Americans who have died in defense of this country, and those who were murdered on 9/11, should not be used to divide and sow bitterness. We are better than that.

Former Mayor Meg Kelly Responds To Michele Madigan’s Claims

[I received this piece from former Mayor Meg Kelly. It addressed claims made by Michele Madigan in a recent letter that appeared in the Saratogian.]

In her August 16th Reader’s View, Michele Madigan proffers her plan to “fix” the Planning, Zoning, and Building Department.  However, in doing so, she reveals her lack of knowledge and understanding of the very department she seeks to oversee.

She claims that, if elected, she will “launch a digital permitting and inspection system” to address delays.  This idea, or plan, is not new and is already being implemented by Mayor John Safford.  Indeed, the City Council approved a multi-year contract with Granicus several months ago for a cloud-based management system to support permitting, inspections, and other services.  The system is expected to be fully operational in the coming months. It will provide the Building Department with the digital tools necessary to enhance operational efficiency, transparency, and community engagement. 

She also indicates that she will “introduce Temporary Certificates of Occupancy (TCOs) for safe, unfinished properties so residents and builders aren’t left in limbo.”  However, she fails to either understand or appreciate that the ability to provide for TCOs already exists and, thus, there is nothing for her to “introduce”.  Chapter 118 of our City Code explicitly covers this, and our Building Department regularly issues temporary or conditional COs to allow for occupancy prior to the completion of all necessary work when it is safe and appropriate to do so.

She incorrectly refers to our Design Review Board as a “Commission” and then baselessly claims that they are not adhering to the standards relating to the historic district, which she will somehow address, if elected, and “ensure” their adherence.  The Design Review Board is an independent body with authority to review all development activities within the historic and architectural overlay districts, and it is not controlled by the mayor.  It is comprised of community members who volunteer their time to protect the integrity of those districts and to ensure that all activities adhere to the strict criteria outlined in the UDO.  They provide an invaluable service to our community, and their efforts should be commended, not criticized in such a baseless manner.

During my term as Mayor, we successfully decreased permitting times and increased efficiency, even when the Comprehensive Budget put forward by Michele Madigan did not include the funds requested and deemed necessary to allow the department to handle the enormous volume of work it is responsible for.

John Safford is continuing these efforts.  He has hired additional staff, continued to digitize all records, and is implementing management software to expedite permitting and inspections, thereby better serving the community.  He is already doing what Michele Madigan purports to be her plan, and he already understands what she does not.

Respectfully,
Meg Kelly
Former Saratoga Springs Mayor