[JK: I received the following from Tim Coll, Commissioner of Public Safety.]
Open Letter to Times Union Reporter Wendy Liberatore
When I first ran for office several years ago, I promised to correct the record when necessary, and I will do so yet again.
On August 18, 2026, Times Union reporter Wendy Liberatore mischaracterized a proposed capital plan in the City of Saratoga Springs. Rather than waiting for the presentation on August 19, 2026, she concluded that the City was committing $14 million to a new police facility amid a $5 million deficit.
In fact, as I pointed out during the public hearing, this was a needs assessment in which all City departments submitted their capital needs. It was also pointed out that only approximately $2.7 million of the capital projects presented may potentially be funded. The remaining requests represented identified capital needs.
Yes, Liberatore is correct that the City is facing a fiscal crisis. Former Finance Commissioner Minita Sanghvi left the City with a significant financial mess, and this Council is now focused on correcting those problems while moving the City forward.
I also pointed out during the public hearing that a new joint venture with DPW was initiated and that the City has issued an RFP to retain a commercial broker to assist with the sale of certain City properties and potentially acquire another. If this works out, we may be able to address some of our infrastructure needs without any cost to the taxpayers.
Liberatore’s history of careless reporting and advancing a false narrative critical of our police department needs to stop. Our officers deserve fair, accurate, and responsible coverage, just like everyone else.
The public deserves accurate reporting, not conclusions drawn before all of the facts are presented. I encourage Ms. Liberatore to watch the entire meeting and review the facts before continuing to report on these issues.
The facts matter, and I will continue to correct the record when it is misstated.
Respectfully,
Tim Coll
Public Safety Commissioner
Saratoga Springs, NY
Saratoga Springs Politics 
Hi John,
As a working journalist, I think Coll’s personal attack on the TU reporter was unprofessional and uncalled for. Her story was not wrong. As far as I see, the story in question hasn’t been corrected.
Coll could have given her the details involving the potential funding of the proposed police headquarters when she asked about the capital budget.
If he wanted to provide more context in his letter, he could have done so without the Trumpian term false narrative and unsubstantiated claims of biased reporting.
Larry Edelman
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Liberatore failed to reach Coll before she published her piece. This is a violation of the most basic standards of journalism. What she wrote reflected both her ignorance and her malice. The story was wrong.
I use to catalogue her mean spirited and mendacious reporting. If you do a search of my site you will see them. I stopped bothering some years ago. My readers will also confirm that no other reporter has enjoyed my criticism. It’s not that other coverage is that consistently good but that Liberatore’s inaccuracies are both extreme and click bait.
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Are you with the Boston Globe?
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Yes, I am with the Globe, where I was previously a deputy managing editor and business editor. I’ve also edited at Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal.
She had the document. She talked to the mayor and exchanged emails with the finance commissioner. Coll didn’t return a request for comment. (How much time she gave him I don’t know.)
If I had been her editor, I would have run the story.
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I am troubled that you would approve publishing a story that had critical implications about an individual without being assured that your reporter had met your standards for trying to reach that person for comment.
Now for the weeds.
The document, the capital budget is really a wish list unlike the regular budget that actually commits the city to spending the money. The city does not currently have the funds to purchase a new police department and there are no current plans to bond for it. There has been some discussion about selling the empty senior center along with other properties but that is in the early stages. Coll is acutely aware of the city’s fiscal restraints.
With respect, a person with your background and knowledge of the news industry might show a little more skepticism.
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Let’s agree to disagree on this. But with 40 years in the news business, I’m confident in my judgment. I’m also leery of politicians who attack the press rather than simply state the facts.
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when will Saratoga Springs Politics address John Safford’s proposed changes to the UDO?
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