Month: May 2026

Lew’s First Email To Saratoga Springs Public Works Commissioner BK Keramati

From: Lew Benton <l>
Date: Wed, May 20, 2026 at 6:23 PM
Subject: Congress Park Veterans Walk Condition
To: BK Keramati <>
CC: John Safford <>, JoAnne Kiernan <>, Tim Coll <>, Jessica Troisi <>, Matthew Veitch <>

Commissioner,

This year, as last and with Memorial Day around the corner, I ask PW to repoint the granite curbing flanking the Veterans Walk in Congress Park. Bricks should be power washed.

The attached photos taken today clearly show the Walk’s state of disrepair.

Last year I made the same suggestion to the then commissioner. Regrettably it was ignored. In the interim the Walk’s condition has further deteriorated. 

Ultimately all bricks should be removed, thoroughly cleaned and relaid on an appropriate level base allowing good drainage. Engraved bricks no longer legible should be replaced.

I am confident that many who are named on the Walk, their families and others would gladly help underwrite the improvements.

Hundreds of the community members names and service dates are inscribed on the Walk.  Some  attest to the multi-generational service of Saratoga families and to those KIA.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Lew Benton

Lew’s Second Email

To:BK Keramati

From: Lew Benton

Commissioner,

Several days ago I sent via email photographs of the deteriorated condition of the Veterans Walk.

Perhaps you did not receive my note. So here again are some recent photos.  I hope they will encourage PW to initiate the necessary improvements: i.e., granite curbing repointing, brick cleaning and leveling, replacement of worn bricks and those with illegible names.

I noted in my original email that the same request had been made last year prior to Memorial 

Day but no action was taken. I trust you agree that the current condition is untenable and an affront to those whose service is memorialized there. 

Thank you.

L. Benton

Lew’s Third Email

Commissioner (BK),

Thank you for your response to my recent emails detailing the deteriorating condition of the Veterans Walk in Congress Park.

I appreciate your comments regarding budget constraints. It’s a never-ending battle.  And I am well aware that the current City budget, as those of the last three or four years, is likely to be in deficit.  In fact, the Council should have been well aware that the 2026 budget advanced by Finance was seriously out of balance.

However, as I mentioned in my initial note, I see no reason why the repointing of the granite curbs lining the walk and  removing, cleaning and relaying the bricks could not be done by force account or city labor. While labor intensive, I doubt that there would be any material costs.

I note that the 2026 Park and Casio Operating Budget includes $370.009 for labor, $15,000

for “Other Supplies,” $8,500 for “Landscaping” and $5,000 for “Professional Services.” Is there nothing to be found in these lines and other PW operating lines that could be transferred to the 

Veterans Walk budget account?

And regrettably the Veterans Walk operating line has been zeroed out.  That is all the more disturbing because the Walk’s current advanced stage of deterioration has been well known for some time. 

In my nearly 40 years experience in local, county and state  government and eight years on the City Council, I know even in the leanest of times there is $ to be found to address such needs. This is particularly true if the need is real, low cost, and the proposed improvement would remove, as in this case, a rather ugly blemish and a potential trip hazard. Of course not to finally act degrades the service of those whose names are inscribed in the Walk and mirrors the neglect of other Park amenities such as the Reservoir.

Finally, and as I mentioned in my initial email, I’m sure that private donations earmarked exclusively for Walk restoration would be made available if requested. And I am certain that some veterans and others would be willing to solicit same.

Lew Benton

7110 PARK & CASINO

A3537111 51900 LABORER 297,177.02 382,900.00 393,484.81 319,346.85 393,484.81 328,715.00 ________

A3537111 51960 OVERTIME 24,709.26 12,000.00 22,148.26 24,137.92 12,803.13 15,000.00 ________

A3537111 58030 SS CITY PO 23,873.23 30,209.85 30,209.85 25,734.42 30,209.85 26,294.20 ________

TOTAL PARK & CASINO 345,759.51 425,109.85 445,842.92 369,219.19 436,497.79 370,009.20 ________

7110 PARK & CASINO

A3537114 54110 OFFICE SUP 296.55 200.00 200.00 200.00 200.00 .00 ________

A3537114 54140 JANIT SUPP 6,910.18 4,500.00 6,195.25 6,195.25 4,500.00 4,500.00 ________

A3537114 54160 UNIFORMS 3,978.25 4,800.00 4,400.00 5,211.42 5,211.47 6,000.00 ________

A3537114 54180 OTHER SUPP 30,297.00 18,000.00 21,148.00 21,147.74 19,500.00 15,000.00 ________

A3537114 54320 TOOLS 198.98 150.00 150.00 28.49 150.00 .00 ________

A3537114 54330 REP MAN EQ 6,196.00 5,000.00 1,988.27 1,984.30 2,500.00 3,000.00 ________

A3537114 54510 REP MAN VE 2,000.00 1,250.00 1,250.00 1,245.76 1,250.00 2,000.00 ________

A3537114 54610 REP MAN BU 25,731.39 24,000.00 25,058.48 25,585.50 24,527.02 24,000.00 ________

A3537114 54650 UTILITIES 57,760.36 60,000.00 67,900.00 67,859.48 60,000.00 65,000.00 ________

A3537114 54670 PHONES 1,300.00 1,300.00 1,635.75 1,167.90 1,450.00 1,300.00 ________

A3537114 54680 LANDSCAPIN 10,000.00 10,000.00 10,000.00 10,000.00 10,000.00 8,500.00 ________

A3537114 54720 PROF SER 4,832.56 5,000.00 7,805.50 14,216.43 11,410.93 5,000.00 ________

TOTAL PARK & CASINO 149,501.27 134,200.00 147,731.25 154,842.27 140,699.42 134,300.00 ________

As readers may recall, Gordon Boyd and others strenuously opposed changing the language in the Saratoga Springs city charter pertaining to the County Supervisors as recommended by the city’s Charter Commission. At the May 18 pre-agenda meeting, the Saratoga Springs City Council rejected Boyd et al.’s claim that the city was jeopardizing its representation at the county. In the following video clip from the meeting, Public Works Commissioner BK Keramati explains why he agreed with his colleagues on the Council that the language should be changed.

[JK: Mike Brandi, former chair and now vice-chair of the Saratoga Springs City Republican Committee, sent the press release below. After an investigation into a bizarre donation to Democrat/Working Families Party candidate Joe Seeman’s unsuccessful Assembly campaign, the New York State Board of Elections found that former Saratoga Springs Accounts Commissioner Dillon Moran used a gross sexual name when he entered a false name as a donor to Seeman’s campaign. Moran claimed that the donation was the result of a pernicious hack, but the Board determined that Moran was the source of the improper donation.]

For immediate release. From the desk of Mike Brandi.

New York State Board of Elections finds Dillon Moran was the source of the funds of illicit “Jack Meehoff” donation; No Evidence of Hacking.

Records obtained through a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request to the New York State Board of Elections reveal that the failed Assembly campaign committee of Joe Seeman accepted an illegal campaign contribution submitted under a fictitious and lewd pseudonym tied to former Saratoga Springs Commissioner of Accounts Dillon Moran.

In its 27-day post-election filing, the Seeman campaign reported receiving a $100 contribution on October 31, 2024, from a contributor identified as “Jack Meehoff,” listing an address of 177 Lake Avenue and an employer of “City of Saratoga Springs.”

That address belongs to Dillon Moran.

Campaign finance records further show that Moran had previously donated $200 to the Seeman campaign under his real name using the same address.

Shortly thereafter, the New York State Board of Elections Enforcement Counsel contacted the Seeman campaign and advised that it had reported a contribution under a fictitious name. Enforcement Counsel instructed the campaign that it was required to disgorge the contribution by donating the funds either to the State or to a legitimate charitable organization.

On January 10, the Seeman campaign’s treasurer informed the Board of Elections that she had “done some sleuthing” and determined that the “Jack Meehoff” contribution had in fact come from Dillon Moran, who allegedly claimed that he had been “hacked.” The treasurer then asked whether the campaign could simply amend the filing to replace “Meehoff” with Moran and retain the contribution.

In response to the hacking allegation, Enforcement Counsel requested additional information in order to properly assess the matter.

Following an investigation, the Public Campaign Finance Board determined that the illicit contribution did in fact originate from Dillon Moran and that the contribution was submitted from a network associated with other contributions Moran made to political committees. The Board found no evidence that either Moran or the Seeman campaign had been victims of hacking.

New York Election Law prohibits political committees from accepting contributions made in any name other than the true name of the contributor.

The Board of Elections ordered the Seeman campaign to disgorge the $100 contribution within 30 days or face a $350 civil penalty. In the alternative, the campaign could have provided an affidavit from Moran admitting that he was the true source of the contribution. No such affidavit was ever provided.

On January 9, 2026, the Seeman campaign ultimately disgorged the unlawful contribution by donating $100 to charity.

The facts are clear: Dillon Moran made an official political contribution using a lewd pseudonym. Not only was this unlawful, but it was wildly inappropriate and unbecoming of a public official.

A healthy democracy requires elections conducted transparently and in accordance with the law. Moran’s cavalier treatment of campaign finance requirements demonstrates precisely why Saratoga Springs voters made the right decision in rejecting him in 2025.

When confronted, Moran resorted to the now-familiar “I was hacked” excuse — an explanation that collapsed under scrutiny after investigators concluded there was no evidence of hacking and determined that Moran himself was the source of the illegal contribution.

Gordon Boyd, along with his colleagues at the Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee, has launched a disinformation campaign to undermine the credibility of the Charter Commission appointed by Saratoga Springs Mayor John Safford. They are attempting to spread the falsehood that the Charter Commission seeks to weaken the city’s representation in Saratoga County government by changing the charter language stating that the city has two Supervisors.

Briefly, Saratoga County’s government, not the city, has the authority to determine how many representatives each municipality within its jurisdiction is allowed. The county establishes the number of representatives, called Supervisors, each town/city is allotted based on its population size. Every municipality has at least one representative. Clifton Park and Saratoga Springs, due to their larger populations, currently have two.

If, in the future, the population growth in the county and the city were to increase sufficiently, the county might decide that the city might merit a third representative. Raising or lowering the number of Supervisors representing Saratoga Springs or any of the other municipalities in the county is solely the prerogative of the County. The wording in our charter will have no effect on that decision.

I don’t know how to make it any clearer, and this has been explained to Mr. Boyd and his colleagues repeatedly. THE CITY HAS NO AUTHORITY AS TO HOW IT IS REPRESENTED IN COUNTY GOVERNMENT. That is the prerogative of the county government.

There was no controversy among the Charter Review Commission members in their discussions about changing the language in the existing charter clause referring to two representatives to the county. The current charter, under Title 2, states that the city has two supervisors. The recommended new language would read that the City has “One or more Supervisors, as may be established by County Law,” a simple statement of fact.

They observed that if the county legislature were to grant Saratoga either more or fewer representatives, the current charter language would be invalid. The proposed language merely allows for flexibility should the county make any changes in the future.

To suggest that the Charter Commission wants to reduce the number of representatives to the county is simply false.

Some History

Mayor John Safford established a bipartisan charter review commission chaired by Vince DeLeonardis. The group, which includes several members who have previously served in city and county government, has been meeting for about a year. DeLeonardis previously served as the Saratoga Springs City Attorney and chaired an earlier charter commission established under former Mayor Meg Kelly.

The current charter, under Title 2, states that the city has two Supervisors. The recommended new language would read that the City has “One or more Supervisors, as may be established by County Law.”

On February 24, 2026, Gordon Boyd, along with several others, spoke at the Charter Review meeting. They opposed the language modifying the charter as it pertains to “supervisors.”

This is an extract from the February 24 meeting minutes, in which Boyd and his posse bizarrely claim that the Commission is proposing to reduce the city’s representation in county government.

At this meeting, DeLeonardis and other Commission members (including Matt Veitch, who served as one of Saratoga’s County Supervisors for 18 years) attempted to explain that the proposed change in language would not reduce the number of Supervisors allotted to the city and to discuss the reasoning behind the proposed changes. (I have included more extensive remarks made by DeLeonardis at a different meeting at the end of this blog.) Unfortunately, it appeared that for whatever reason, the explanation from Commission members had little effect on Boyd and his followers. On March 3, Boyd and someone named Robin Baxter appeared at the City Council meeting and repeated the same disinformation during the public comment period.

On May 5, 2026, the past chair of the Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee, Otis Maxwell, used the City Council public comment period to again offer the same made-up concerns. Here is Maxwell speaking and DeLeonardis’s response that night.

Stunning Cynicism

Boyd and his compatriots should be uncomfortable about criticizing the language proposed to handle the Supervisor issue. In February,2017, an earlier Charter Review Commission of which Boyd was a member, not only acknowledged the county’s authority to determine how municipalities will be represented, but also recommended removing any language about Supervisors from the city’s charter.

Vince DeLeonardis’ Full Analysis

At the March 16, 2026, pre-agenda meeting of the City Council, DeLeonardis gave a thorough analysis of the Supervisor controversy.

It’s Coming: Lufthansa Cancels 20,000 Flights

As readers of this blog may know, I have generally remained focused on local issues. The purpose of this site is to improve our city government.

While the war in Iran is clearly a national issue, it is also an issue with profound implications for our city. I have set up an online petition to oppose our country putting boots on the ground in Iran and for this country to de-escalate the conflict (below).

The full economic impact of this war has not yet been fully felt in this country despite the rising cost of gasoline. The rapid expansion of this war threatens the entire global system because it depends not only on oil from that region but also on other raw materials that are critical to farmers, industry, and computer chip manufacturing.

There is already an economic crisis in Asia, but due to the interdependence of global markets, it will spread to America.

The purpose of the petition is to initiate a citywide conversation about the threat this war poses and the need for citizens and their representatives to urge a reconsideration of the continuation of the Iran conflict.

At the end of this post is a link to an online petition.

It’s Not Just Oil

The Middle East is a major source of fertilizer, and must use the Strait of Hormuz to ship the product to world markets. With over two months into this war, the blockage of traffic through the strait by Iran means farmers are already facing rising fertilizer costs just as the planting season begins.

As documented in the following video, the war also threatens the supply of helium, which, it turns out, is critical for many agricultural and industrial applications.

Qatar is a major source of liquid natural gas. Qatar has the world’s largest LNG processing facility. Qatar has had to shut down this facility, radically reducing its availability globally. Even if the conflict were to end today, restarting this facility will take many months. While the most immediate impact will be on Asian countries, the price impact will also be felt here in the US. Countries like South Korea, Japan, and India depend on LNG from Qatar. With the global integration of markets over the last decade, the impact on key trading partners will affect the US.

A Colossal Disaster

Iran has threatened that if the United States and Israel escalate the war, they will target desalination plants, the key facilities that make life possible for the countries that use the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea for shipping.

So, if the regional desalination plants were destroyed, a number of key oil-producing countries would have to literally be evacuated. Some would run out of water in days. It would take many years to rebuild these plants, so their destruction would be catastrophic not only for the citizens of these countries but also for the rest of the world.

As far as can be told, President Trump has no contingency plans for the mortal threat facing the Gulf nations on whom the world depends.

Supporting The Men and Women Of Our Military

For two hundred and fifty years, the men and women of our armed forces have honored their duty by obeying the call of our leaders to risk their lives on behalf of our citizens. On too many occasions, our leaders have abused that trust by ill-considered and politically motivated adventures that needlessly sacrificed our soldiers’ lives. Worse, these wars have too often needlessly continued because our country’s leaders lacked the courage to admit their errors in judgment even when their folly became cruelly obvious.

We seem to have learned nothing from our experiences in Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Yet again, we appear ready to risk the lives of our men and women for reasons that remain ever-changing and unclear.

President Trump’s public statements have done little to inspire confidence that this war was merited and that its cost in blood and public resources is worth it. He has failed to lay out a compelling case for such a massive risk. He has continually contradicted himself regarding his objectives. As just one example, he has claimed that, as a country, we do not care about the Hormuz Strait and then threatened annihilation if the Iranians do not open it.

We owe it to our military not only to hold their lives dearly but also to do all we can to ensure that their sacrifices would be truly worth the cost.

A Thoughtful Analysis Of The War In The Context Of The American Military

Lawrence B. Wilkerson (born June 15, 1945) is a retired colonel from the United States Army. Colonel Wilkerson is a veteran of the Vietnam War, where he logged 1100 combat hours as a helicopter pilot. He taught at the Naval War College and served as deputy director and then director of the Marine Corps War College. Wilkerson also served as Executive Assistant to Admiral Stewart A. Ring, United States Navy Pacific Command. Wilkerson served for some years in the United States Navy’s Pacific Command in South Korea, Japan, and Hawaii. General Colin Powell selected him as his executive assistant when Powell was the National Security Adviser to President Ronald Reagan. He went on to serve as General Powell’s Chief of Staff during the Gulf War. He went on to serve as Powell as his Chief of Staff when George W. Bush appointed Powell as his Secretary of State. Following his retirement from government, he has taught at William and Mary College and George Washington University.

Wilkerson is currently a Senior Fellow at the Eisenhower Media Network, a group of former military, intelligence, and civilian national security officials who described themselves as offering “alternative analyses untainted by Pentagon or defense industry ties” and countering “Washington’s establishment narrative on most national security issues of the day.

Wilkerson is a registered Republican.

Beginning A Dialog

The purpose of this petition is to engage this community, through our City Council, in a dialogue about the war and the actions citizens might take to convince Washington to end it.

I know that many of my conservative friends believe that the Iranian regime oppresses its people and needs to be changed. They fear that Iran may succeed in building a nuclear bomb, which would be a threat to Israel, and even potentially to our own country. They hold that the Strait of Hormuz must be opened and only force, not diplomacy, can open it.

Many also believe that the City Council should focus on local issues, and that taking positions on national issues invites toxic public battles.

These are all valid concerns, but given the enormous implications of this war for both our local economy and the lives of those who serve in our military, I have faith in our citizens that a civil dialogue is possible, one that will benefit all of us.

The President’s Remarks

As proof of the need for dialogue, the president’s recent remarks are so disturbingly intemperate that they simply re-emphasize the need for real discussion.

Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day. all (sic) wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the Fuckin’ Strait,you crazy basteards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah. President DONALD J. TRUMP.

Link To Petition

Click here to sign the petition to be sent to the city council.