Month: October 2025

The Saratoga Springs Democratic Party has sent out their final campaign mailer. Interestingly, it doesn’t tout their platform or even mention who their candidates are. No, the message the local Dems want to leave their audience with is its phony claim that One Saratoga is a tool of the MAGA GOP. This is the local Dems oft repeated big beautiful lie that they hope will win them this election. The Dems do not seem to realize that this kind of over-the-top attack only serves to damage their local committee’s reputation and their endorsed candidates. If they would lie so blatantly in this kind of mailing, how can people trust what their candidates will say if they are elected/re-elected?

The best antidote to this kind of campaigning is to share with the public who One Saratoga is. So here are two members of One Saratoga who the local Dems want you to believe are really MAGA operatives. You decide.

Courtney DeLeonardis, Chair of One Saratoga, Addresses The Voters

Jane Weihe, Campaign Assistant, One Saratoga Addresses The Voters

[I received this essay from Lew Benton. This year was not the first time Sanghvi has mishandled the budget process. Lew goes back to 2023 to detail how Sanghvi failed to follow best practices and charter requirements in putting together the 2024 budget. He notes also her penchant for consistently overestimating revenues and underestimating expenditures which has contributed to today’s dilemma. ]

Why Make the Proposed City Budget Opaque?

Perhaps some of those who attempted to review the City’s October 27 amended Comprehensive Budget, and compare and contrast it to the Finance Commissioner’s initial October 3 presentation, came away as perplexed as Alan Turing in his early efforts to crack the Enigma Code.

If you did, you were not alone.  Unlike all previous City budgets, the proposed amended 2024 budget does not adhere to the format required by the City Charter.  

Rather than, as outlined in the Charter,  follow a standardized budget format that  employs “ …  the most feasible combination of expenditure classifications by funds, organization unit, program, purpose, or activity and object,” all proposed expenditure lines are lumped together, not disaggregated by function.

The table below presents the City Attorney’s Budget as it appeared in the proposed 2024 Comprehensive spending plan dated October 3, 2023.  The expenditure budget for each of the departments under the mayor’s administrative control follows the same format, as does each organizational unit or function in Finance, Accounts, Public Safety and Public Works.

     

CITY ATTORNEY’S OFFICE                    

PERSONAL SERVICE              2022          2023          2023         2023         2023               2024

                                                              Original       Adopted     Revised     Actual     Projected   Comprehensive

  

A301142151047 FOIL OFFIC             .00             .00                .00             .00            .00                  .00

A301142151090 CITY ATTY         89,493       93,600      93,600    71,742      93,857           93,857

A301142151110 ASST ATTY              .00             .00             82,548        57,743      82,549         105,276

A301142151117 AST CITY A              .00            .00                .00             .00           .00                 .00

A301142151276 EXASSISTAN    53,496      54,566        57,297    43,796      57,297           59,550

         

A301142158030 SS CITY PO       10,913       16,689        23,004    13,059      17,878           19,789

                    

TOTAL  PERSONAL SER VICES        153,902      164,855      256,449       186,342    251,581        278,473

    

EQUIPMENT AND CAPITAL OUTLAY      

 A301142252200 OFFICE EQ        1,360.         00               .00       .00            .00                 .00

TOTAL EQUIPMENT AND CAPITAL       1,360.         00               .00              .00            .00                 .00

 CONTRACTED SERVICES                

A301142454110 OFFICE SUP                3,019        700                   700            559         700                  700

A301142454120 POSTAGE                       346        350                   355            355         355                  350

A301142454250 CONF REG                     509      1,500                  870            107         870                  .00

A301142454440 BOOKS                        1,195      1,300               2,044            943      1,687                1,300

A301142454671 PHONE FAX                     31        .00                    216            170         216                  .00

A301142454720 PROF SER                92,816     20,000            56,250       33,049     92,312              20,000

A301142454740 SC EQUIP                   2,163      2,050               2,050          1,335      2,050                2,050

A301142454745 LEGAL LIAB                  .00          .00                   .00              .00          .00                   .00

A301142454760 LEGAL                           500        750                   750             500        750                   750

TOTAL CONTRACTED SERVICES   100,581     26,650            63,236        37,020     98,941              25,150

TOTAL CITY ATTORNEY                 255,844    191,505          319,686     223,363    350,523            303,623

This format allows ease of access and review of the proposed budgets of each city function, identification of and individual expenditure for each title, non-personal costs and costs of associated contractual expenses.  Further, this format – required by Charter law – shows the total costs for each expenditure classification.

In this example, it is noted that the Council has significantly overspent  the “PROF SER” line   this fiscal year and last.  This should beg the question of why over $90,000 has been spent in 2022 and 2023 on outside legal services while only $20,000 was initially budgeted.  And why only $20,000 is proposed for 2024.  

Is this an anomaly?  Were there unanticipated extra-legal services in 2022 and 2023 that will not be necessary in 2024?  Of course many other similar observations are made in the review of essentially all departmental budgets.

This required budget presentation is transparent, relatively simple and allows and encourages understanding.  The amended budget is opaque.  

Without explanation, however, the proposed amended 2024 Comprehensive Budget is presented in an entirely different form.

For example, the several “department” expenditure lines under the auspices of the mayor are simply thrown together, co-mingled.  The reviewer is left to divine which line items are part of which of the mayor’s several department budgets: i.e., City Attorney, Planning, Building, Human Resources, etc.  

The same is true for Finance, Accounts, Public Safety and Public Works.  In the later two, Public Safety and Public Works, the task of meaningful, comprehensive review of the budgets of discrete functions: i.e., fire services, policing, EMS, etc., requires substantial investment in time and enough working knowledge to assign each line item to its respective agency.

In the Mayor’s proposed budget there are at least seven expenditure lines  alone labeled “Professional Services” but the only way to determine which department the lines apply to requires a time consuming and tedious matching of account numbers.

Why Finance elected to abandon a budget format that has always been relatively easy to read and understand for one significantly more difficult to puzzle out is itself a conundrum.  Finance must be required to reformat the proposed amended budget before its  November 28 hearing.  

Other Thoughts on the Proposed 2024 City Budget. Certain Revenues 

and Expenditures

The proposed 2024 City Comprehensive Budget as presently constructed is concerning.   It will require significant amendments if operating deficits are to be avoided next year.

First and foremost, it includes unfavorable budget variances in both major revenue and expenditure accounts.    

This comes on the heels of a 2023 budget, the first prepared and adopted by current City Council members, that preordained the 2024 proposal’s many overstated anticipated revenues and, in some cases, grossly underfunded expenditure lines.  

The proposed 2024 operating budget is not in balance and must not be adopted until it is.  To bring it into balance will require a more realistic examination of several accounts, including those referenced below, and the political will to act.  

No doubt, the lack of institutional knowledge and limited understanding of how this government functions on the part of a Council made of first term members can, in part, serve to temper the inadequacies in the 2023 budget.  But failure to recognize and correct them going forward is unacceptable and a violation of the fiduciary’s responsibility.  

Attempting to transfer blame to those who had no hand in the adoption of the 2023 budget or the preparation of the 2024 plan, citing recent high inflation and the dearth of new revenue streams for the city’s fiscal difficulties rings hollow. 

All local governments are faced with the same head winds.  It might be more honest  to acknowledge that hiring additional non-essential employees was not prudent, that budgeting non-existent revenues e and that deliberately low balling major expenditures invites deficit spending.

Following are examples of the unfavorable variances in the proposed 2024 operating budget.  There  are, to be sure, others.

Revenues

In Finance, $850,000 in Hotel Occupancy Tax revenue is proposed for 2024.  This is over $100,000 more than was actually realized in FY 2022 and over $600,000 more than has been received to date this year.  

The 2023 budget includes a non-existent ‘Cannabis Tax’ revenue of $250,000.  The proposed 2024 budget carries that same amount forward.  Potential first time revenues  such as this one do not usually meet expectations.  And by prematurely including the revenue in the 2023 budget only added to a negative revenue variance

The proposed Mortgage Tax revenue for 2024 is $1.5 million compared to the $933,400 collected to date this year.  The $933,400 is far below the $2.05 million budget.  

Mortgage markets have been depressed even here in Saratoga Springs by Fed attempts to reign in inflation.  Even the $1.5 million proposed seems unrealistic.

The Mayor’s budget is ripe with unfavorable 2024 revenue variances.  The Building Permit account carries a proposed $700,000 revenue even in the face of a major decline in permit revenues this year.  To date Building Permit revenue is listed by Finance at $352,520 with only $400,000 projected by the end of the FY.  This is $300,000 less than was budgeted.  Artificially inflating anticipated revenue only increases the structural deficit.

In recent years this revenue has been strong but, at least for the short term, it is most unlikely that in one year that revenue will increase 75%, from $400,000 to $700,000.

Likewise, Planning Board fees are unrealistically overstated.  Actual 2022 Planning Board revenue was $122,820.  Still, this revenue line was increased to $200,000 in the adopted 2023 budget but is now projected by Finance to fall $35,000 short.  

Now, in spite of the anticipated 2023 unfavorable variance, Finance has increased the line to $250,000 for 2024.  Perhaps an explanation for this doubling of the 2022 revenue and increasing the anticipated 2023 collections by $85,000 in the 2024 budget is in order. 

Other revenue lines in the Mayor’s budget that are suspect include Insurance Reimbursement, from  -0-  this year to $125,000 next year. 

The Public Safety revenue budget includes a $300,000 increase in Ambulance Transportation charges over the $2 million projected to be realized by the end of FY-23 and is over $500,000 more than actually collected in 2022.

Unless the fee structure has been significantly increased this revenue line is likely to fall far short of the $2.3 million in the proposed 2024 budget.

Parking Enforcement revenue is now anticipate to be $462,0000 this year, down almost $80,000 from the $540,000 budgeted and $38,000 less than the $500,000 in the 2024 proposal.  

Operating Expenditures

The operating budget also includes many likely unfavorable variances.  Just as overestimating revenues in the actual 2003 and proposed 2024 budgets contributed to the city’s present fiscal dilemma, so have what appears to be unfavorable variances in the operating budgets.

In the 2023 Public Safety operating budget the City Council included $190,000 for Fire Fighter Overtime.  Finance now projects that by the end of the fiscal year $533,500 will be spent, this is an astronomical increase of $343,500 over the amount budgeted.

Similarly the Firefighter Compensation Time budget is anticipated to be overspent.  Only $190,000 was earmarked for this line in the 2023 budget but $563,000 is anticipated to be spent by year’s end, a $373.000 overage.

So too is the proposed 2024 Police Overtime and Compensation Time lines grossly underfunded.  Finance proposes to appropriate the rather odd amount of $263,637 for Compensation Time vis a’vis the $483,570 spent in 2022 and the projected $450,000 in 2023.  The 2024 OT line is set at $325,000 against the $507,505 expended in 2022 and  the estimated $450,000 this year.

In the aggregate, Finance is proposing 2024 Police and Fire Fighter OT and Comp Time expenditures totaling $1,338,637 although corresponding 2022 costs were $1,498,271 and projected 2023 expenditures are $1,981,000.

While there may have been unique circumstances that have resulted in higher than normal Police and Firefighter OT and Compensation Time expenditures this year, the proposed 2024 appropriations are well below what will be needed to avoid the necessity of transferring large amounts during the course of FY 24.  

In the Mayor’s office $20,000 was budgeted for outside legal counsel this year but Finance projects that over $92,000 will be spent.  Only $20,000 is earmarked for next year.  Now it appears that yet more outside legal services will be retained to investigate an offending mail.   This is madness. 

These references are not all inclusive.  There are many more questions to be asked and answered.  Why, for example has Code Blue shelter support been cut from the budget.  

There is time to prepare a more realistic 2024 operating budget.  I hope the City Council will do so lest the new Council be bequeathed an extraordinary fiscal challenge.

Lew Benton

Just A Few Highlights From Minita Sanghvi’s 2026 proposed budget.

• Senior citizen center support = zeroed out
• Funding for Judge Vero’s homeless (outreach court) = zeroed out
• Crossing guards for our city schools = zeroed out
• Funding for RISE for the homeless = zeroed out
• Most part-time staff and seasonal staff = zeroed out
• Money for training the planning staff or the building department = zeroed out
• Secretary for the planning board = zeroed out
• The overtime budget for special events = zeroed out
• Uniforms: funding cut from $57,000.00 to $15,000.00, leaving inadequate funds to meet contractual obligations to the union.

Reader, You Were Warned

Under the commission form of government, the Commissioner of Finance is responsible for crafting the budget for the following year. Unless a majority of the Council votes to overrule the Finance Commissioner to amend the budget, the original budget becomes the final budget.

As should be obvious, preparing budgets requires a solemn commitment on the part of the Finance Commissioner to be deeply informed about city finances and to oversee the collection of key information. This is an enormously demanding process.

I have repeatedly warned that Finance Commissioner Minita Sanghvi has been derelict in her duties in running her office. What motivated her was performing in the drama at Council meetings in her role as Commissioner. She has been uninterested in or unwilling to take on the highly demanding job of managing the city’s finances.

Sanghvi’s automatic email response informs whoever has written to her that the Commissioner of Finance position is part-time and that, if the correspondence is important, contact Sanghvi’s Deputy. This is truly emblematic of how she views her job and how we got here.

The critical issue is that unless a majority of Council members agree to a different budget, the one crafted by the Finance Office will be the budget for the following year. This is why crafting a good budget in the first place is so important.

Before Commissioner Sanghvi, the budget was crafted over many months. The Budget Director would meet with the Deputies and their Commissioners to review what they were spending money on, their contractual obligations to vendors and city unions, and the legal limits on the respective departments’ obligations. There was also an analysis by the Budget Director working with the Deputies to project potential revenue for their respective departments. The finance people would also correlate their findings with the budgets from previous years. All of this required multiple follow-up meetings over a protracted period.

Beginning in October, budget workshops were held for each department. The purpose of these budget workshops traditionally was to fine-tune a thoroughly prepared budget. Not with Commissioner Sanghvi; her colleagues at the Council table received a rudimentary document listing slashed items meant to balance the city’s revenues with its expenses.

As it takes a majority vote to amend Sanghvi’s budget, the other Commissioners begin scrambling to negotiate not only with her but also with each other to secure a majority to fix her mess.

Basically, this budget is being written largely from scratch. That is how, in this case, the city got a budget with no money for school crossing guards.

Taking Care of Herself and Her Friend Dillon Moran

What Sanghvi has done over the past three years is to arbitrarily cut items and exaggerate income until she arrives at a budget that appears to balance with the anticipated city income.

These policies have reflected who her allies are.

Consider this chart that shows how much she anticipated each department would raise in income to contribute to her budget. It documents not only her favoritism but also how little she understood the alleged revenue streams for her department and Dillon Moran’s.

For example, her 2024 budget projected that the short-term rental program in the Accounts Department would raise $250,000.00. It raised zero. It budgeted $250,000.00 in cannabis tax revenue. It raised zero. (Not coincidentally, both these projections came from her ally, Dillon Moran)

During her first years in office, when her Democratic party ran the Council, her generosity was breathtaking. Anything that her colleagues, Ron Kim, Jim Montagnino, Jason Golub, and Moran, wanted was no problem.

During this period, Sanghvi showered repeated bonuses on their deputies and funded numerous new positions in their departments and in hers.

Magical Thinking Instead Of Real Analysis

Commissioner Sanghvi’s approach to budgeting is more about chaos than rigorously crafting how the city should spend its money.

This is no exaggeration; it is the grim reality. Each fall, as the budget was coming due, Sanghvi would throw together budgets that ignored contracts, state law, and the lobbying of her fellow Commissioners. If you watch the budget workshops for each department, you will see that Sanghvi relied on these meetings rather than her staff’s own research to identify which budget items violated city contracts, state law, or required the replacement of key equipment.

Forget planning; what followed were crazy events in which the departments tried to reason with Sanghvi about why her appropriations were not workable. Sanghvi, who is truly clueless, would arbitrarily fund some activities while rejecting others.

Take overtime in the Public Safety Department. Sanghvi slashed overtime. This money is essential for special events, as event venues must operate in a safe environment that requires additional police and fire protection.

This is no way to run a city the size of Saratoga Springs. The proof of Sanghvi’s folly is the 2025 budget. This city is running out of money.

Important Deadline Missed

The city’s quarterly financial report is a key document because it provides an ongoing status report on the fiscal condition of the city.

From the city charter:

4.4.9 of the city charter requires that “the commissioner of finance shall submit to the Council, for each quarter, a written financial report on the status of the City’s financial plan. Such financial plan shall include a comparison of estimated and actual income and expenditures to date and shall be submitted within 45 days after the end of each quarter. Each quarterly summary shall be forwarded to the City Clerk’s office and shall be available for public review.

This is a bit in the weeds. The final quarterly report has been routinely delayed for many years beyond the 45-day requirement. It is submitted after the report on the city’s finances to the New York State Comptroller, which is due on April 30 each year. Past Finance Commissioners, upon filing the city’s annual report on its financial condition with the Comptroller, have then submitted the report summary to the City Council shortly thereafter, as required by the charter.

This is an essential report for assessing the city’s fiscal health. It includes the fund balance. The “fund balance” is the amount of money the city has in reserve. It assesses how each department did in staying within its department budget.

This year, Sanghvi never submitted the preliminary financial report (fourth quarter for 2024). Sanghvi quietly posted the report on October 17, 2025, almost 6 months after it should have been submitted to the Council.

This report provides key information on trends in the city’s financial condition. It should have revealed that the city’s spending rate was unsustainable. It should have prompted a serious discussion months ago as to what needed to be done in light of excess spending over revenue.

Hang On!

I have no idea where all this will end up. I am sure there will be a large tax increase (Sanghvi raised taxes in her first two budgets, but for obvious political reasons, she refused to raise taxes when she was running for the state Senate, and now that she is running for Supervisor), and Sanghvi will draw money from the city’s reserves–if she can figure out how much money is there.

On October 20, 2025, the Saratoga County League of Women Voters sponsored a forum for the candidates running for Saratoga Springs Commissioner of Public Works. League guidelines require that candidates must refrain from making statements of a personal nature about other candidates and require respectful and civil discourse.

Following some particularly aggressive personal attacks by candidate BK Keramati on his opponent, current Commissioner of Public Works, Chuck Marshall, the moderator reminded Keramati and Marshall:

“I’m going to remind both candidates we are going to try to keep the discourse around the issue and not at each other.”

After Keramati attacked Marshall again, the moderator offered:

“BK, We’re not going to attack each other tonight”

The League found Keramati’s remarks in his closing statement so problematic that they edited Mr. Keramati’s statement and sent the following email to Mr. Marshall.

From: LWV Saratoga <>
Date: Wed, Oct 22, 2025 at 12:13 PM
Subject: Re: Forum Monday- phone contact needed
To: Chuck Marshall <>

Mr. Marshall,

Thank you for participating in the League of Women Voters of Saratoga County candidate forum.

The following statement has been added to the description of the recording:

Candidates agreed to the League of Women Voters of Saratoga County’s guidelines prior to beginning the webinar. The guidelines were reiterated at the beginning of the webinar. Due to a violation of the guidelines for closing statements, the final statement in the Commissioner of Public Works forum was clipped to remove the objectionable portion.

To stay impartial, we do not consult or discuss with candidates our decisions regarding issues that may arise.

Sincerely,

Lori and Elizabeth

No Humility Here- Keramati Doubles Down

There is nothing apologetic about Keramati’s response to the League on his Facebook page.

On Keramati’s Facebook page, in a video, he falsely accuses Marshall of getting the League to remove his closing statement. He asks the public to contact the League and get them to post his full statement.

He also offers the following in all caps.

BK KERAMTI IS CALLINGON LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF SARATOGA COUNTY TO RELEASE HIS FULL CLOSING STATEMENT OF THE DEBATE ON 20 OCTOBER

Below is the “Cease and Desist” letter I recently received from Jason Golub’s Attorney:

A Classic Way To Threaten

There is a classic tool used by attorneys called Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation. Attorneys try to intimidate advocates challenging their clients by making demands and issuing implied threats of litigation.

From Wikipedia:” Strategic lawsuits against public participation (also known as SLAPP suits or intimidation lawsuits),^[1] or strategic litigation against public participation,^[2] are lawsuits intended to censor, intimidate, and silence critics by burdening them with the cost of a legal defense until they abandon their criticism or opposition.”

Let me be clear. I have no intention of apologizing or of refraining from covering Jason Golub’s use of city employees. For Mr. Golub to resort to this kind of threat only further undermines his own reputation.

At the September 2, 2025, Saratoga Springs City Council meeting, BK Keramati and Gordon Boyd attacked Commissioner of Public Works Chuck Marshall with the most soaring, exaggerated rhetoric, alleging that he is “hiding” a threat to the city’s water from the city’s residents and the Council. They cite a recent study of the city’s reservoir by Barton and Laguidice (B&L), which they claim Marshall is trying to keep the public from knowing about.

Boyd tries to gin up the threat on his Facebook page with phony dire warnings to support Keramati.

In the video below, Keramati tells the Council that when he read the report on the reservoir, “I couldn’t believe my eyes.” He tells the Council he can’t believe that Marshall had not advised the Council and the public of the looming catastrophe. He offers the same shrill claim in a campaign mailing he has sent out attacking Marshall. The problem is that their colleagues, Accounts Commissioner Dillon Moran and former Public Works Commissioner Hank Kuczynski, were informed by the consulting firm of these very issues over a year ago. So much for hiding threats.

Who Is Hiding This “Catastrophe”?

Unfortunately, Boyd and Keramati leave out of their hysterical narratives the fact that Accounts Commissioner Dillon Moran’s office had received correspondence from B&L in September of 2024, more than a year ago, advising Moran of the very same problems they are now claiming to expose. The DPW Commissioner’s position was vacant, and Moran was overseeing the department. Moran was aware and silent about the very same problems Keramati and Boyd claim Marshall is now supposedly hiding.

In addition, Kuczynski, after becoming Commissioner of Public Works, received an internal email acknowledging the same problems with the reservoir back on December 4, 2024. Using Keramati’s and Boyd’s logic, Kuczynski also”hid” the threat from his colleagues and the public.

Let me be clear, I do not see Moran or Kuczynski as perpetrators of a cover-up any more than Marshall is. This is all a made-up crisis by Boyd and Keramati, unfortunately meant to alarm voters as part of Keramati’s election campaign.

The Studies

Loughbury Lake, the city’s reservoir, has had many challenges. Early in the twentieth century, Loughbury Lake had a variety of manufacturing operations on its shores. The last functioning industrial business on the lake was Congress Gas and Oil. The U.S. Department of Environmental Protection forced this company to remove its dated storage facility in the 1980s.

Studies dating back to the 1980s have warned of potential problems with Loughbury Lake. Back on May 2, 2024, the city hired the consulting firm Barton and Laguidice (B&L) to again study this source of water for the city.

All the studies have identified problematic trends in the lake’s declining capacity. Due to toxic metals in the lake’s sediment that must not be disturbed, the reduction in the reservoir’s capacity also reduces its safe yield. The lake must maintain a certain volume to prevent stirring up the bottom.

It would have been helpful if Boyd and Keramati had acknowledged that, while the report recommends we pursue additional water sources, the water we do have is safe.

The Saratoga County Water Program Staff offers similar findings.

Marshall Has Been Vigorously Seeking A Long-Term Solution

Soon after Marshall was sworn in as Commissioner of Public Works on March 4, 2025, he met with representatives of B&L (the final report had not yet been completed) and, at B&L’s prompting, issued an RFP on March 7 for a study of actions the city could take to address the need for additional water. The consulting firm CT Male was awarded the contract for the work on June 3,2025.

Marshall is working with CT Male as they seek other sources of drinking water.

The Attack

When I asked Boyd on his Facebook page why Marshall would “hide” the report from the public, Boyd responded, “Good question, perhaps you might ask him.” This shows the depth of Boyd’s cynical, cavalier attitude toward making accusations without proof. Boyd did not care whether his attacks were fair or true; the point was to damage Marshall to promote his candidate, Keramati.

The only thing Keramati offered as he addressed the Council (see video below) was that the report should have been made public before work on the 2026 budget began. What Kermati failed to grasp was that the B&L report revealed the problems in the reservoir but not the solutions. Without proposed solutions, it is impossible to determine a cost to use when crafting the budget. It is hard to believe that, given his engineering background and that he had read the B&L study, he does not grasp that, without a proposed plan—the purpose of the current study by CT Male—it is impossible to determine what correcting the reservoir problems will cost.

A Sober Look

Among the many false claims Boyd makes on his Facebook page is that Marshall issued the RFP for actions the city could take to address the city’s water issues on February 13, “weeks before, not after, the B&L report was handed in last March.”

Indicative of the way this whole business was thrown together, Boyd does not even have the correct date. The RFP was issued on March 7 and not February 13. Marshall was not even in office on February 13. He was sworn in by Judge Vero on March 4.

The actual date the B&L report was delivered to the city, despite Boyd’s odd concern about the alleged date conflict, is not important. As the city engineer’s correspondence above makes clear, B&L was in close communication with the city about the issues it was uncovering during its research.

When the city has an agreement for a study like the B&L one, there is regular communication between the consultants and the city, well before the final report is issued.

Working On A Solution

Marshall won his seat on January 28, 2025. Five weeks later, and only days after being sworn in, after consulting with B&L, he issued the RFP to pursue a solution to the city’s water issues.

Unfortunately for the city, the watershed that sustains the reservoir is in Wilton and Greenfield. Marshall’s staff has been meeting with officials from these municipalities to discuss what they might do to help address toxins in groundwater that flows into the reservoir.

Commissioner Marshall told me that before any dredging or other actions can be initiated regarding the reservoir, the work on the new dam for the reservoir must be completed. When driving along Excelsior Avenue, you can see the Bast/Hatfield signs along the protective fence. The heavy equipment behind the fence is being used for the new dam.

Cheap Shots

So, Marshall has been proactive in addressing the watershed issue. In talking to the Commissioner, he told me that any public discussion of the water issue cannot be informed without the benefit of the second study on what can be done. He sees his role as analyzing both studies and submitting a proposal to the city for action supported by the two reports. Publishing the report on the problems is not helpful without some idea as to what the city must do. It is important to remember that, contrary to the false alarm Boyd and Keramati are promoting, the B&L report, as well as the County, have confirmed there is no immediate threat and the city’s water is perfectly fine to drink.

You may agree with Keramati about releasing the report earlier, or you may be happy with what Marshall has done.

What is, though, troubling are the shrill attacks by Boyd and Keramati assailing Marshall for “hiding” the study. This suggests a maliciousness on Marshall’s part that does not hold up under any kind of scrutiny. Boyd and Keramati would like to fool the public into thinking there is some sort of scandal that does not exist.

As noted earlier, there is no apparent motive for Marshall not to have brought the report to the Council. When Keramati requested a copy of the report, Marshall gave it to him immediately. Marshall could have required Keramati to FOIL for it, in which case Keramati would not have gotten a copy until after the election. Marshall is being open and transparent to his opponent.

Keramati and Boyd offer no proof or even speculation as to why Marshall has not yet published the report publicly. Keramati and Boyd do not acknowledge the possibility that Marshall was simply gathering all the information to both understand the scope and nature of the problems and their solutions before presenting the Council with what the city should do.

Instead, the two men try to exploit the situation by spreading fear among the city’s citizens, claiming that Marshall has a darker purpose. It is disappointing that Keramati has adopted this as his primary campaign strategy.

The Videos

I have included four videos. The first is Keramati’s presentation to the City Council. The second is Boyd’s statement to the Council, the third is Commissioner Marshall’s response. The fourth is Gordon Boyd’s yelling about his right to respond to Marshall despite the Council’s rules on public comment.

Note that Keramti asserts that the city should be using the B&L report to take action, and he is “at a loss” as to why it has not. The answer is that the B&L report only identified problems, but not solutions. It is the second RFP issued by Marshall, which is intended to produce a set of options for the city to address the issues identified by B&L. Only when the city has identified a solution to its water problems can it begin to determine the cost.

I was curious about how the leadership of the Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee and their candidates would respond to the guilty verdict in the Dillon Moran case, their candidate for Commissioner of Accounts. Apparently, it has had no effect on their loyalty to him and their support for his candidacy.

Saratoga Springs Democratic Chair Otis Maxwell, Democratic mayoral candidate Michele Madigan, and Democratic committee member Jim Thompson all used the public comment period at the September 2, 2025, City Council meeting to oppose censuring Moran.

Censure

The impetus for their attendance at this particular City Council meeting was an item on Democratic Public Safety Commissioner Tim Coll’s agenda to censure Dillon Moran in light of his conviction.

The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) defines censure as:

A formal statement of reprimand, disapproval, or condemnation of a person, action, etc., typically as a form of disciplinary action by a legislative body, professional organization, etc.

The full resolution appears at the end of this blog. The only other time I am aware of when the City Council voted to censure one of its members was in the case of a former mayor. In that case, that mayor was found to have violated the city’s ethics code by soliciting employment from Saratoga Hospital while the hospital had business pending before the Council.

In this case, Moran was found guilty of even more serious misconduct with his conviction on three counts of violating the New York State Penal Law. City Court Judge Jeffrey Wait found that Moran had willfully and knowingly signed three false certifications in which he swore he did not have documents being sought under the Freedom of Information Law, which he, in fact, possessed.

The censure resolution asserts the further seriousness of Moran’s actions, given that, under our charter, as Accounts Commissioner, he is responsible for the integrity of the city’s records.

The resolution passed three to two with Moran and Finance Commissioner Minita Sanghvi voting against the motion. I wrote to Commissioner Sanghvi asking why she opposed the censure, but consistent with the past, she did not reply. Moran’s decision to participate in the discussion and vote was clearly a conflict of interest.

Supporting the resolution were Commissioners Coll and Public Works Commissioner Chuck Marshall, and Mayor John Safford.

The Tortured Arguments Against Censure

Democratic chair Otis Maxwell sent out an appeal for Dillon supporters to turn out at the Council meeting to protest the censure resolution. Only two people showed up to speak about that at the meeting’s public comment period. Otis and Democratic Committee member Jim Thompson were joined by Democratic mayoral candidate Michele Madigan, who left her seat at the Supervisor’s table to take to the microphone on Dillon’s behalf.

The following videos are of what they said at the public comment period. Each is three minutes long.

Jim Thompson, Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee Member

Rather than addressing the charges against Moran, Mr. Thompson began his remarks by characterizing the proceedings in Judge Wait’s court as a “spectacle” involving the judge, court personnel, the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Department, and the DA’s office, among others. According to Thompson, “all engaged in a spectacle engineered by the chair of the Republican Party against Dillon Moran.”

For Mr. Thompson, Moran is simply the victim of one giant conspiracy. Judge Wait is a Democrat and a thoughtful jurist. The idea that he is a tool of the Republican city chair is quite amazing.

Otis Maxwell, Chair of the Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee

Chairman Maxwell began his remarks by praising Mr. Thompson for his “very eloquent summary of what happened last week at that trial.” He continued to promote the narrative that Moran was simply the victim of a vast conspiracy, ignoring evidence that came out in court, such as Moran’s use of two cell phones to try to circumvent FOIL.

He argued that Moran had already initiated an appeal, and that while the appeal is pending, no action should be taken regarding censure as, he incorrectly states, “facts can change on appeal”.

Michele Madigan, Candidate For Mayor

Madigan begins by claiming she is motivated to speak by Jim Thompson’s remarks. She then quickly segues into complaining that Mike Brandi had just contacted two of her friends that week, seeking texts and emails they may have sent or received from Madigan that might damage her.

I contacted Brandi, who dismissed her allegations. I contacted Madigan to ask whether she could provide the names of the two people he allegedly contacted. She responded with the single word, “No.”

Martha Devaney, Saratoga County Democratic Committee Chair

The most disturbing and unusual comments came from Saratoga County Democratic chair Martha Devaney, who spoke at the public comment period at the next City Council meeting on September 16. I have never heard a chair of either party publicly say, particularly at a City Council meeting, that one of their party’s endorsed candidates was “an embarrassment to the city.” The individual who drew this public rebuke was not Dillon Moran, who had just been convicted of violating the penal code and who has many other pending allegations, but Democratic candidate and current Public Safety Commissioner Tim Coll. In her eyes, his most egregious offense was calling for Moran’s censure and asking the Governor to review Moran’s actions.

Devaney’s public remarks followed an email exchange she had with Cole that appears in its entirety at the end of this post.

On September 7, 2025, Devaney wrote to Commissioner Coll, asking why Moran’s conviction was not sufficient for him and why it was necessary to censure him. Coll promptly responded to her that day. He reminded her that Moran’s conviction was directly related to his official duties. He quoted from Judge Wait’s verdict:

“Commissioner Moran had a second telephone for the very purpose of concealing reviewable records. He then signed, sworn certification which stated that the records did not exist when he knew that to be false.”

Judge Jeffery Wait

Coll reminded her that Moran claimed that a contribution to the candidacy of Joe Seeman by someone named “Jack MeOff” had originated with Moran’s PayPal account. Moran claimed, without providing evidence, that somehow someone had “hacked” his account.

Coll also reminded her that it is within the Governor’s authority to remove elected officials from office when appropriate. The censure resolution included language requesting that Governor Hochul review the case.

During the public comment period for the September 16, 2025, Council meeting, Devaney read a subsequent letter she had written to Coll.

Chairperson Devaney, reading from her letter, expressed surprise that Coll would seek censure for Moran beyond his conviction. She accused him of “grandstanding” and asserted that Coll sought censure because of his dislike of Moran. What she fails to do is address and rebut the arguments Coll provided in his email to her for censure.

Most disturbing (and bizarre) is her allegation in her letter that Saratoga County Administrator Steve Bulger contacted the Governor’s office and told them that Coll’s actions were “ridiculous.”

One has to ask: Why would Steve Bulger, a Republican, contact the Democratic Governor’s office over this matter? More so, why would Bulger characterize Coll’s behavior as ridiculous?

Mr. Bulger has apparently written to Ms. Devaney, stating that her information regarding his involvement is false and requesting that she acknowledge this. He also asked for the name of the person in the Governor’s office whom she alleges he talked to. I understand Devaney told Bulger she would not provide the name.

I emailed Devaney asking who in the Governor’s office reported that Bulger said this. She wrote back to me that she would not provide a name.

(Devaney’s email, along with Coll’s response can be viewed at the bottom of this post).

The Cenure Resolution

RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL

OF THE CITY OF SARATOGA SPRINGS, NEW YORK

Censuring Commissioner of Accounts, Dillon Moran, for violations of the New York State Public Officers Law, New York State Penal Law, and the Saratoga Springs City Charter

WHEREAS, the right to request and access records maintained by government agencies is essential for a functioning democracy and has long been established as a basic obligation necessary to ensure transparency and accountability and to allow for a more informed and trusting public; and

WHEREAS, such right is codified in Article 6 of the New York State Public Officers Law, known as the “Freedom of Information Law’\ which declares that “government is the public’s business” and the public’s right to an open and accessible government “should not be thwarted”; and

WHEREAS, Section 240.65 of the New York State Penal Law renders it unlawful for a governmental official to intentionally prevent public access to records subject to FOIL through willful concealment or destruction; and

WHEREAS, on August 29, 2025, following a multi-day trial, Saratoga Springs Commissioner of Accounts, Dillon Moran, was found guilty by the Honorable Jeffrey D. Wait, Saratoga Springs City Court, of three (3) separate counts of New York State Penal Law Section 240.65, and did unlawfully prevent public access to records; and

WHEREAS, the unlawful actions of Commissioner Moran are, in addition to the New York State Penal Law, in violation of the City Charter, Section 2.2; demonstrate incompetency in and maladministration of his office, and constitute a breach of official duty and of the public trust; and

WHEREAS, the City Council recognizes both its responsibility and its limitations in addressing such misconduct under the City Charter and New York State Law and intends, therefore, to request appropriate review and action by the governor of the State of New York, pursuant to Section 33 of the Public Officers Law, in addition to those actions of the City Council as set forth herein.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Saratoga Springs as follows:

1. The City Council hereby censures Commissioner Moran and rebukes his unlawful prevention of public access to records in violation of Section 89 of the New York State Public Officers Law, Section 240.65 of the New York State Penal Law, and Section 2.2 of the City Charter.
2. The City Council hereby requests that the New York State Governor, review and investigate the unlawful conduct of Commissioner Moran as described herein and to take all actions deemed necessary and appropriate under Section 33 of the Public Officers Law.
3. The Mayor shall cause a copy of this resolution to be forwarded to the New York State Governor indicating the Council’s request for the aforesaid review and investigation.

Devaney/Coll Exchange

On Sun, Sep 7, 2025 at 10:14 AM Martha Devaney <> wrote:

Hi Tim,

I hope you had an enjoyable summer.

I would like to touch base regarding your recent Resolution to censure Commissioner Moran. 

Specifically, I would like to understand why you felt it necessary to take this action.

And, further, why you brought this to the Governor’s office.

Judge Waite tried and issued a sentence on this matter. Why was this not sufficient?

I do not understand:

1. Judge Waite’s handling of the matter was not sufficient for you

2. what  your motivation was to initiate and issue a censure against a fellow Commissioner

3. how or why you think sending the censure to the Governor’s office could be beneficial to the city 

Please reply to help me understand. Thank you.

Martha, chair

Saratoga County Democratic Committee

From: Tim Coll <>
Date: Sun, Sep 7, 2025, 11:33 AM
Subject: Re: Questions
To: Martha Devaney <>

Martha-

As I have stated publicly, Commissioner Moran’s actions were egregious. He was convicted (beyond a reasonable doubt) by a judge for conduct directly related to his official duties, which clearly demonstrated fraud. In Judge Wait’s words: “Commissioner Moran had a second telephone for the very purpose of concealing reviewable records. He then signed, sworn certification which stated that the records did not exist when he knew that to be false.”

Commissioner Moran is the official record keeper of the City, and I believe his actions, along with other troubling behavior, such as the false allegation that his PayPal account was “hacked” to send money under the moniker Jack Meoff, make him unfit for office. Many in our community share this belief.

According to our City Charter, Section 2.8, the only person who has the authority to remove him from office is the Governor. That is why I have submitted the matter to the Governor so she may decide whether or not to remove him.

Finally, as I have told him, in the public domain, he is an embarrassment to the city and it just never stops.

Additionally, I plan on having follow up conversations with Bobby Logan and this will be one of the items I will discuss with him.

Hope that helps.

Tim

Saratoga Springs mayoral candidate Michele Madigan’s recent Facebook post is the latest chapter in this year’s Democratic playbook, whose theme is to falsely convince voters that One Saratoga is a front for Elise Stefanik. Or as Michele puts it, “Real One Saratoga=Maga Machine.” This, despite the fact that the city’s Democratic Committee endorsed two of the candidates running on the One Saratoga line. But don’t confuse her with the facts.

Here is Madigan’s rant:

From Michele Madigan’s Facebook Page

Lies and Disinformation

It’s hard to know where to begin. I have been following city politics for decades and have never seen this level of disinformation from a candidate of either party before. Here is some fact-checking:

Falsehood #1: City and County GOP Are Funding One Saratoga

At the bottom of this post is the financial report filed by One Saratoga with the New York State Board of Elections this year. There are no records of contributions by the city or county Republican Committees to One Saratoga.

Falsehood#2: One Saratoga spent $4,000+ on GOP mailings.

Again, Madigan seems to be just making this up. There is no record of this. See One Saratoga’s financial report filed with the New York State Board of Elections (below). Madigan also mysteriously points to One Saratoga running ads in “Republican-friendly outlets,” which she doesn’t name.

Falsehood #3: Richard and Bonnie Sellers Are “GOP Mega Donors” Who Are Underwriting One Saratoga and Engaged in Money Laundering!

(To be fair, Michele did not include the money laundering thing in her rant. That was included in a letter sent by Democratic chair Otis Maxwell to the NY State Board of Elections. But more about that later.)

Here is Richard Seller’s reply:

My wife and myself have been criticized for following Board of Election regulations and contributing to One Saratoga and the candidates it supports, which obviously has the best slate of candidates for Saratoga Springs.

The underhanded nature of this criticism is one of the reasons I recently sent a letter to editors which included: “I don’t care if my elected officials are Republicans, Democrats, or Martians. But I do care if they show up, do the work and treat each other (and us) with basic respect” which obviously is not practiced by the City Democratic Committee, which again is sending slimy communications.

By continuing to throw around the word MAGA, a national term, in a local election, the City Democratic Party embarrassingly mischaracterizes our contributions to One Saratoga and the candidates on its line. It also reveals a lack of a Democratic platform this election to run on against superior people.

Here are the facts:

1. We’ve been involved supporting local candidates for 15 or more years and have always closely followed the Board of Election rules. Therefore, we wrote multiple checks to be sure that no candidate received more support than is allowed, $1,000, including the funds given to One Saratoga.
2. These were written early in the campaign which by BoE rules are public, which we were aware of. Therefore, the only confusion is by the City Democratic Party for either not knowing how election funding is regulated and publicized or ignoring this to attempt to smear One Saratoga supporters.
3. We are not as accused, a “front organization.” All money came from our checking accounts with no reimbursement from anyone. In past campaigns, we have given almost as much several times, which the writers are aware of.
4. My wife is a Republican and I am what’s termed a No Party, neither a Democrat nor Republican. In fact, over the years, we’ve each voted for local candidates for both parties many times.
5. A complaint was that these checks were written in one day. I’m asking, why is this a problem?
6. Michelle Madigan just jumped on social media to inaccurately call us a GOP mega doner although we’ve contributed a total of $100 to the Republican party since 2007. Just more mud.

I hope that voters will realize that any party which slings unfounded accusations and makes up conspiracies does not deserve their vote.

Finally, we are supporting 3 registered Democrats, 3 registered Republicans, and 1 No Party. In fact, two of these candidates will also be on the Democratic line: Tim Coll and Sarah Burger. To restore civility and professionalism in City Hall, please vote for One Saratoga candidates.

Disinformation and Distortions

In addition to out-and-out lies, Madigan includes information that she suggests is somehow evidence of some nefarious activities on the part of One Saratoga.

For instance, Madigan wants us to think it is somehow significant that Republicans Chuck Marshall, John Safford, and George Ehinger contributed to One Saratoga. But they are all One Saratoga endorsed candidates. One Saratoga asked all of its candidates to contribute to the organization to help fund the campaign. Both the Republican and Democratic Committees have also requested similar contributions from their candidates. What Madigan omits is the inconvenient truth that all the One Saratoga candidates contributed, including the Democrats One Saratoga has endorsed. But that would not fit her narrative.

Heidi Owens-West Attacked

Madigan also points to a contribution to One Saratoga by Heidi Owen-West as evidence that “One Saratoga is Elise Stefanik’s Trojan Horse for MAGA politics in Saratoga Springs.”

Heidi was the endorsed Republican candidate for Mayor several years ago, but Ms. Owen-West is not a registered Republican. She is not registered with any party. In a release, Democratic chair Otis Maxwell gave to the media, he included speculation that there was some sort of problem (never clear) about Owen-West’s contribution to One Saratoga that Madigan highlights on her Facebook Page. There was no problem. Here was her response to the allegations.

It has come to my attention that a recent communication [JK: Maxwell’s release to the media] contained inaccurate and misleading information regarding my campaign committee filings. I feel it’s important to set the record straight.

 I have always been an independent voice in this community—someone who supports candidates based on their ability to make the best choices for Saratoga Springs, its residents, and its small businesses. I was born and raised here, raised my family here, and have run businesses here for nearly four decades. My commitment has always been, and remains, to this city—not to partisan politics.

Second, regarding campaign finance filings: my committee, Heidi for Mayor, has always filed reports accurately and on time. The October filing was due on October 3rd and was submitted on that date. The $1,000 contribution to Chuck Marshall’s special election campaign and the $900 contribution to One Saratoga were made using funds from previous campaign donations. Those donations, along with the original contributions, were properly reported and filed with the Board of Elections. Any suggestion otherwise is false and misleading.

Our community deserves truth, accountability, and respect—not false narratives and divisive attacks. Saratoga Springs is stronger when we work together, not when misinformation is used as a political weapon.

—Heidi Owen West

Maxwell, Boyd, and Kuczynski File False Claims with NYS Board of Elections

Madigan’s screed on Facebook follows and amplifies claims made by Saratoga Springs Democratic chair Otis Maxwell and committee member Gordon Boyd to the New York State Board of Elections recently.

In their letter to the Board of Elections, they claim that the Real One Saratoga appears to be hiding the identity of donors. Their accusation is based solely on the fact that Bonnie and Richard Sellers wrote several separate checks to One Saratoga, all on the same day. As Richard Sellers points out in his earlier reply to this post, this was the legal way to contribute to multiple candidates, something that Maxwell and Boyd likely knew or should have known before they wrote their letter. I would also note that if the Sellers were seriously involved in money laundering, it is unlikely that they would call attention to themselves by writing numerous checks at the same time. The letter to the Board of Elections was, of course, accompanied by a press release (see below) sent to all local media outlets, no doubt in the hope that they could secure some coverage, despite the lack of validity in their claims.

The Big Lie

Finally, One Saratoga is clearly not “Elise Stefanik’s Trojan Horse for MAGA politics in Saratoga Springs” as Ms Madigan claims repeatedly in her statement. Such dishonesty reflects the Dillon Cult’s (Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee) fear that people will vote based on the quality of the candidates, rather than their party affiliation, and that the Democrats will lose this election despite their substantial enrollment advantage.

What One Saratoga truly is is a group that abhors the kind of politics that Maxwell’s, Boyd’s, Kuczynski’s, and Ms. Madigan’s attacks represent. It focuses on local politics around which people of all political persuasions can agree upon to protect our beautiful city. Thus, what Madigan ignores is that One Saratoga has received numerous donations from Democrats, independents, and Republicans alike, as they are truly a bipartisan group.

It has endorsed seven candidates for the November election. Three are Republicans, three are Democrats, and one is not registered in any party. In fact, two of the One Saratoga endorsed candidates are also endorsed by the Democratic Party. How can this slate possibly be MAGA?

There is also an amazing level of hypocrisy demonstrated by Madigan, Maxwell, and the rest of the Dillon Cult (AKA Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee). At their annual fundraiser only a couple of months ago, Michele Madigan presented their Starbucks award to Matt Veitch. Matt is the long-serving representative of the city on the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors. He is also a registered Republican.

The Dillon cult wants this year’s race to serve as a referendum on what is happening in Washington. They shrilly denounce One Saratoga for including three Republicans among their seven endorsed candidates. According to the Dillon Cult, if One Saratoga supports a Republican for office, then they are adherents to the MAGA wing of the Republican Party and want to overthrow our democracy. The fact that none of the Republicans endorsed by One Saratoga supports the narrative that Biden stole the election, nor do they condone the violence on January 6, means nothing to the Dillon Cult. When it suits their cause, they honor Republicans like Matt, but when they want to sow fear, they condemn One Saratoga for daring to endorse three local Republicans who One Saratoga believes will do the best job for the city.

Report To the New York State Board of Elections By Real One Saratoga

Letter Sent By Otis Maxwell, Chair of the Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee, To Area Media

From: Otis Maxwell <otis.maxwell@saratogadems.org>
Sent: Thursday, October 2, 2025 4:31 PM
To: Aaron Shellow-Lavine <alavine@wamc.org>
Subject: Has One Saratoga (OS) become a Money Laundering operation for MAGA?

Aaron,

Attached is a letter we submitted this week to the New York State Board of Elections Enforcement Counsel questioning suspect donations made by two Saratoga Springs residents to the One Saratoga campaign. 

We are concerned that One Saratoga is being used as a MAGA front organization, hiding the real donors, washing money through candidates’ campaign coffers, and standing ready to do the bidding of the big developers when it comes to planning, zoning and building activity. The activities described in the letter are one concern, but there are others.

On August 13, Bonita and Richard Sellers wrote 14 checks to OS from their own accounts, and on September 10, Richard Sellers donated an additional $100 in cash.  The total donations from the Sellers adds to $6,400.  They had previously given $500 each to the campaigns of Republicans Chuck Marshall (Commissioner of Public Works) and George Ehinger (Supervisor).

Our question is “why so many checks from one couple on one day to one campaign?”  Are they trying to hide the true source of the funds?  We have asked the BOE to investigate, and to take any appropriate legal action, which could include ordering One Saratoga to disgorge the funds.

In addition to the possible breach of campaign financial law by One Saratoga, MAGA’s influence over OS is evident in other ways:

• Rep. Elise Stefanik donated $1,000 on May 17 to the OS candidate for Public Works, Republican Chuck Marshall, who then passed $500 on to Jess Troisi, OS’s Accounts Commissioner candidate on July 8. It is worth noting that the DPW Commissioner controls the City Engineer’s permitting office for new developments, while the Accounts Commissioner controls property assessments, i.e. taxes that big developers would pay. 

• The OS candidate for County Supervisor, George Ehinger, has paid more than $2,800 to Stefanik’s PAC, Save New York Now, which has a Wilton address. It seems reasonable to ask what Ehinger is paying her PAC to do for him, while Marshall has taken $1,000 from Stefanik.   

• (Footnote: Stefanik’s Save New York Now website Join our fight to Save New York! boasts of her “flipping the city of Saratoga Springs, a longtime Democrat stronghold, to Republican control. Her fundraising efforts and her political team are critical to numerous victories for Republicans across New York.”)

• Heidi Owen West’s committee, Heidi For Mayor, has donated $900 to One Saratoga but has failed to file her committee’s report with the Board of Elections, as of October 2.  Her committee’s previous report in July reported “no activity,” so it is reasonable to ask what was the source of funds she used to make such a substantial donation to One Saratoga.   Her January 15 report showed her $1,000 donation to Marshall’s Special Election campaign, but showed no donations so that voters could determine where the money came from.

One Saratoga has a worthy tradition extolling “city before party,” but it has been usurped by MAGA.  The voters of Saratoga Springs expect and deserve transparency from their candidates and the campaigns, and the actions above are anything but. 

Our letter to the NYSBOE is self-explanatory.  If you have any questions, please reach out to me by email or by phone or text to 415-515-8240.

Thanks,

Otis Maxwell, Chair

Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee–

Hank Kuczynski
Kuczynski Associates
153 Spring Street
Saratoga Springs, N.Y. 12866
518-376-1298

[Lew Benton has asked me to post the following.]

John,

It Can’t Happen Here is a 1935 dystopian political novel by Sinclair Lewis. Set in a fictionalized 1930s United States against the backdrop of ascending fascism in Europe and the rise of Nazi Germany, it follows an American politician, Berzelius “Buzz” Windrip, who quickly rises to power to become the country’s first outright dictator (an allusion to Adolf Hitler’s rise to power at the same time), and a newspaper editor who sees Windrip’s fascist policies for what they are.

The novel describes the rise of Windrip, a demagogue who is elected President after fomenting fear and promising drastic economic and social reforms while promoting a return to patriotism and “traditional” values, a’ la Donald Trump.

He campaigned on a populist platform, promising to restore the country to prosperity and greatness, and promising each citizen $5,000 per year while portraying himself as a championof “the forgotten man” and “traditional” American values. Sound familiar?

After his election, Windrip takes complete control of the government via self-coup and imposes totalitarian rule with the help of a ruthless paramilitary force and cowering sycophants. He outlaws dissent, incarcerates political enemies, eliminates the influence of the Congress, curtails women’s and minority rights and corrupts the court system.

Of course, then, It Can”t Happen Here seemed a fantastical nightmare. But now, ninety years on, it is happening and in broad daylight and for all to see. It is getting worse everyday. The VA health care system has been hobbled by layoffs, the National Guard is dispatched to quell nonexistent civil disturbances, the House Speaker is totally emasculated and the military is ominously rebranded and renamed. Trump lives vicariously through the military because he was deemed “unfit” to serve by his draft board in 1968.

Is Trump the contemporary “Buzz” Windrip, the demagogue and fascist leaning politician portrayed by Lewis in “It Can’t Happen Here.” It is now as plain as day. But Trump is worse. A convict, a sexual predator, a petty, vicious ‘man’ who revels in calling others names, taking health benefits from the marginalized and, now, shutting down the government.

The Country seems to have passed the tipping point and we have no one to blame but ourselves if we standby and do nothing.

Lew Benton