The libertarian website “Moving Saratoga Forward” has posted a video documenting a bizarre event at the recent League of Women Voters Candidate Forum. In the video, Ron Kim, Democratic candidate for mayor, claims that the most important issue facing Saratoga is that “we don’t have an eastside fire station.” He goes on to claim that when he was Commissioner of Public Safety, Republicans blocked his attempt to build a fire station on the city’s eastside. This is not true.
The facts are that the only time he submitted a proposal to build any kind of public safety facility was at the October 2, 2007, City Council Meeting, and it was not a fire station station (minutes):
The project he proposed was a new facility for the police department, not a fire station. It was to be erectednot on the eastside but on Woodlawn Avenue. This is from the resolution proposed by Mr. Kim: “WHEREAS, the Final Feasibility study recommended as one of the preferred sites, the construction of a 47,000 square foot facility at the City owned lot at the Woodlawn Avenue Parking Lot;”
His proposal was defeated by Democrats, not Republicans. There were no Republicans on the City Council at the time. The cost of his proposed facility was estimated at $17,000,000.00. It lost on a three to two vote. In favor were Mr. Kim (D) and Mayor Valerie Keehn (D). Opposed were John Franck (D), Matt McCabe (an Independent who had been endorsed by the Democrats), and Tom McTygue (D).
When his proposal for the police facility was defeated, Mr. Kim abruptly walked out of the City Council meeting. According to the minutes of the October 2, 2007 minutes: “Commissioner Ron Kim said that sometimes it is important to stand on principle and did not feel the need to spend any more time with the Council. He then pulled the remainder of his agenda and departed.”
The plain and simple fact is that Mr. Kim never submitted a proposal for an eastside fire station during his tenure as Commissioner of Public Safety as he stated at the League of Women Voters event.
It appears that our own local Saratoga Springs Democratic Party is utilizing the very same tactics as Donald Trump in their fervor to win the election.
One of the unfortunate aspects of Donald Trump’s presidency was his unrestrained use of fear and anger. He portrayed the Democrats as enemies of democracy. In spite of the almost uniform rulings by judges across the United States that Joe Biden had legitimately won the presidency, he harped on the myth that a well-funded conspiracy by the Democratic Party involving a variety of tools including tampered voting machines had stolen the election.
It was small wonder then that many of his most ardent followers on January 6 invaded the capital desperate to stop what they saw as an existential threat against American democracy. If you truly believed that the election had been “stolen” of course you would resort to extra-judicial methods to save the republic.
Transforming Into One’s Enemy
It is a grim fact that too often groups in conflict tend to mimic the very methods of their enemies. In the 1950’s we had the McCarthy era when due process and free speech were often sacrificed in our country during the hysteria over alleged communist infiltration. In effect, we used many of the same ruthless methods that Russians employed against their own people.
So now we have the local Democratic party using extreme language and wild accusations to try to win this year’s city elections. Their assertion in their campaign materials that the local Republican endorsed candidates and their supporters are a threat to democracy is eerily reminiscent of the very Trumpian tactics that these same people have condemned.
The Lawn Signs
The Mailers
Are Local Republican Endorsed Candidates Really A Threat To Our Democracy?
Recently the city’s Democratic Committee planted the above lawn signs around town and sent out the above mailers that urge voters to vote Democratic to “Defend Democracy.”
The slickly produced mailers splash images from the January 6 invasion of the capital in an attempt to foment fear among the city’s Democratic voters that somehow the candidates endorsed by the Republican Party locally are going to undermine democracy.
There is nothing subtle about their campaign. “We need your vote to protect democracy” their mailers proclaim. The local Democratic committee has put up signs that simply proclaim, “Defend Democracy. Vote Democratic.”
Which Republicans Are They Talking About?
Does anyone seriously think that if Skip Scirocco is re-elected as Public Works Commissioner he will somehow undermine democracy in Saratoga Springs?
Skip Scirocco is no Margery Tayler Greene nor are any of the other endorsed Republican candidates.
I have polled the Republican candidates, and every one of them affirmed that Joe Biden is indeed the legitimately elected President of the United States.
I sent the following text to Pat Tuz, the chair of the Saratoga Spring Democratic Committee:
In mailers and lawn signs your party asserts that citizens must vote for Democrats to protect Democracy. Could you identify which Republicans running for city office are a threat and how they would use their office to subvert our local democratic institutions?
Text sent to Pat Tuz
Chair Tuz never responded.
Creating Division In Our Community
This city is fortunate to have many thoughtful and caring people. Just because a person is registered as a Republican does not mean that they adhere to the crazy conspiracy theories popular among many Republicans nationwide.
These cynical and inflaming mailers and signs can only seed more suspicion and fear. It is this kind of mindless division that is the threat to our democracy whether promoted by Donald Trump or by our local Democratic Committee.
Domenique Yermolayev, Democratic Candidate for Commissioner of Public Works Takes The High Road
I noticed that the name and image of Domenique Yermolayev, the Democratic endorsed candidate for Commissioner of Public Works, did not appear in either of the mailers above.
I contacted her and asked why she was missing from the mailings.
She sent me the following email in reply:
Hey John,
Yeah…we decided not to participate for a variety of reasons. My campaign is really focused on solving tangible, local issues…this flyer did not align well with our messaging or the “style guide” which Ashley (my campaign manager) and I try to adhere to. I think it is a part of a series actually, and we opted out. I am a NOP with my own line, the “Functional Party” who filled the Democratic vacancy, so there are a number of instances in that last year where Ashley and I…go our own ways from the slate. I thank the Democrats for their continued support in finding a new Comissioner of Public Works that can bring our city into the modern era. We did our own mailer which I think really speaks more to what I am trying to achieve if elected. I attached mockups of it here.
Ask me more about it on November 3rd…
All the best,
-Domenique
Domenique Yermolayev, Democratic Candidate for Commissioner of Public Works
A Cynical Strategy
Democratic voters enjoy a modest advantage in numbers over Republicans here in Saratoga.
It appears that the strategy of the Democratic Committee and their candidates, except for Ms. Yermolayev, is to write off the Republicans and mobilize Democratic voters through fear.
[Donors who contribute less than $100.00 do not have to disclose their name. This list is in ascending order so the first ones have no name associated with them.]
Contribution Date Amount Contributor Name 7/17/2021 $5.00 7/17/2021 $10.00 9/29/2021 $20.00 5/19/2021 $25.00 6/19/2021 $25.00 7/13/2021 $25.00 7/19/2021 $25.00 8/4/2021 $25.00 7/28/2021 $25.00 7/29/2021 $25.00 7/29/2021 $25.00 8/3/2021 $25.00 8/19/2021 $25.00 8/21/2021 $25.00 9/8/2021 $25.00 9/8/2021 $25.00 9/8/2021 $25.00 9/10/2021 $25.00 9/11/2021 $25.00 9/19/2021 $25.00 9/20/2021 $25.00 9/27/2021 $25.00 9/29/2021 $25.00 9/29/2021 $25.00 9/30/2021 $25.00 10/13/2021 $25.00 10/13/2021 $25.00 10/14/2021 $25.00 10/15/2021 $25.00 10/15/2021 $25.00 10/15/2021 $25.00 5/4/2021 $25.00 Joseph Seeman 7/8/2021 $30.00 8/24/2021 $35.00 5/4/2021 $50.00 6/2/2021 $50.00 6/6/2021 $50.00 6/6/2021 $50.00 6/6/2021 $50.00 6/6/2021 $50.00 6/7/2021 $50.00 6/7/2021 $50.00 6/9/2021 $50.00 7/1/2021 $50.00 7/1/2021 $50.00 7/1/2021 $50.00 7/1/2021 $50.00 7/1/2021 $50.00 7/1/2021 $50.00 7/1/2021 $50.00 7/1/2021 $50.00 7/1/2021 $50.00 7/1/2021 $50.00 7/1/2021 $50.00 7/1/2021 $50.00 7/2/2021 $50.00 7/7/2021 $50.00 7/7/2021 $50.00 7/7/2021 $50.00 7/8/2021 $50.00 7/9/2021 $50.00 7/11/2021 $50.00 7/18/2021 $50.00 7/23/2021 $50.00 8/4/2021 $50.00 7/27/2021 $50.00 8/3/2021 $50.00 8/27/2021 $50.00 8/29/2021 $50.00 9/4/2021 $50.00 9/7/2021 $50.00 9/8/2021 $50.00 9/8/2021 $50.00 9/8/2021 $50.00 9/8/2021 $50.00 9/8/2021 $50.00 9/13/2021 $50.00 9/10/2021 $50.00 9/10/2021 $50.00 9/18/2021 $50.00 9/21/2021 $50.00 9/22/2021 $50.00 9/23/2021 $50.00 9/27/2021 $50.00 9/30/2021 $50.00 10/1/2021 $50.00 10/7/2021 $50.00 10/7/2021 $50.00 10/7/2021 $50.00 10/13/2021 $50.00 10/13/2021 $50.00 10/13/2021 $50.00 10/15/2021 $50.00 10/18/2021 $50.00 10/1/2021 $50.00 7/7/2021 $52.41 Law Offices of Ronald J. Kim, P.C. 7/8/2021 $60.00 7/9/2021 $74.82 Law Offices of Ronald J. Kim, P.C. 7/2/2021 $75.00 7/8/2021 $75.00 7/8/2021 $75.00 8/18/2021 $75.00 8/21/2021 $75.00 8/21/2021 $75.00 8/22/2021 $75.00 8/24/2021 $75.00 8/24/2021 $75.00 8/24/2021 $75.00 8/24/2021 $75.00 8/22/2021 $75.00 9/3/2021 $75.00 6/21/2021 $100.00 Andrew McAdoo 7/13/2021 $100.00 Ann Bullock 10/7/2021 $100.00 Ann Bullock 10/10/2021 $100.00 Barbara Levine 6/28/2021 $100.00 Barbara Rivera 7/25/2021 $100.00 Bernard Mirling 9/7/2021 $100.00 Bernard Mirling 9/13/2021 $100.00 Bill Huyben 6/6/2021 $100.00 Bin Du 6/6/2021 $100.00 Binglin Real Estate, LLC 6/6/2021 $100.00 Chungchin Chen 6/6/2021 $100.00 Cong Li 6/6/2021 $100.00 Daisy Lin 7/1/2021 $100.00 David Mastrianni 7/27/2021 $100.00 Dianna Goodwin 7/1/2021 $100.00 Dillon Moran 7/1/2021 $100.00 Ellen Egger-Aimone 6/6/2021 $100.00 Fei Han 10/7/2021 $100.00 Feng Chen 9/8/2021 $100.00 Friends of Jim Montagnino 2021 6/6/2021 $100.00 Gang Wong 7/8/2021 $100.00 George Carlson Jr. 7/1/2021 $100.00 Guy Roemer 8/3/2021 $100.00 Harry Bucciferro 7/1/2021 $100.00 Helen Schwarz-Lawton 7/8/2021 $100.00 Hollyday Hammond 6/6/2021 $100.00 Inbong Kang 10/7/2021 $100.00 Jack Weekes 7/21/2021 $100.00 Jasper Balsamo-Lack 10/3/2021 $100.00 Jeffrey Pohl 10/6/2021 $100.00 Jennifer Leidig 7/8/2021 $100.00 Joachim Bergmann 9/27/2021 $100.00 John Mcelhenny 8/17/2021 $100.00 John Pautler Jr. 7/8/2021 $100.00 Joseph Seeman 6/6/2021 $100.00 JXC Enterprises LLC 8/22/2021 $100.00 Kathy Daly 8/18/2021 $100.00 Kenneth Ritzenberg 9/24/2021 $100.00 Kevin Chao 8/17/2021 $100.00 Larry Fine 9/2/2021 $100.00 Larry Fine 9/29/2021 $100.00 Larry S Fine 6/6/2021 $100.00 Li Zhang 8/20/2021 $100.00 Marcia Smith 5/13/2021 $100.00 Marjorie Martin 8/13/2021 $100.00 Mary Buszuwski 6/22/2021 $100.00 Matthew Cohen 6/6/2021 $100.00 Michael Simon Fondacaro 6/6/2021 $100.00 Minfeng Xu 9/10/2021 $100.00 Nedra S Stimpfle 7/1/2021 $100.00 Otis Maxwell 10/7/2021 $100.00 Pamela Abrams 5/3/2021 $100.00 Patricia Morrison 8/20/2021 $100.00 Patricia Tuz 10/14/2021 $100.00 Paula Keller 9/30/2021 $100.00 Richard Fenton 6/6/2021 $100.00 Ripon Roy 7/11/2021 $100.00 Sarah S Hart 7/8/2021 $100.00 Shaun Wiggins 8/18/2021 $100.00 Terence Diggory 7/1/2021 $100.00 Valerie Cottrell 7/8/2021 $100.00 William McTygue 9/30/2021 $100.00 Zuzia Kwasniewski 4/25/2021 $118.08 Law Offices of Ronald J. Kim, P.C. 7/13/2021 $150.00 Gregory Connors 6/6/2021 $150.00 Jennifer Zhao 6/6/2021 $150.00 Jianzhong Tang 8/24/2021 $150.00 Joachim Bergmann 8/13/2021 $150.00 Pamela Abrams 5/21/2021 $150.00 William McTygue 8/24/2021 $150.00 William McTygue 9/8/2021 $150.00 William McTygue 6/6/2021 $200.00 Aliya Saeed 7/6/2021 $200.00 Bahram Keramati 8/25/2021 $200.00 Bernard Mirling 6/3/2021 $200.00 Cindy Simon Chu 8/31/2021 $200.00 Daniel Chernoff 10/12/2021 $200.00 Janet St. Clair 10/1/2021 $200.00 Jeff Altimari 7/1/2021 $200.00 Jeff Daly 6/14/2021 $200.00 Kerry Conley 8/9/2021 $200.00 Margarita Muinelo 6/6/2021 $200.00 Shaopeng Liu 6/19/2021 $200.00 Susan Cohen 9/8/2021 $200.00 Thomas McTygue 10/7/2021 $200.00 William McTygue 6/12/2021 $220.00 Law Offices of Ronald J. Kim, P.C. 7/21/2021 $250.00 Bonnie O’Connor 8/21/2021 $250.00 CapitalWomen PAC 8/24/2021 $250.00 Carusone & Carusone 8/9/2021 $250.00 Donald Lipkin 9/11/2021 $250.00 Evan Stavisky 5/26/2021 $250.00 Frieda Hammond-Carmer 7/8/2021 $250.00 FRIENDS OF JIM MONTAGNINO 7/9/2021 $250.00 Jaime Butler 7/7/2021 $250.00 Janet St. Clair 9/4/2021 $250.00 Jason Golub 7/22/2021 $250.00 Jeff Cassidy 7/8/2021 $250.00 Joanne Yepsen 9/5/2021 $250.00 John Carter 10/5/2021 $250.00 John Carter 9/29/2021 $250.00 Josh Schwerin 6/5/2021 $250.00 Julie Cuneo 6/6/2021 $250.00 Lili Kuo 6/10/2021 $250.00 Lillian Moy 7/8/2021 $250.00 Lillian Moy 7/13/2021 $250.00 Margie S Van Meter 6/9/2021 $250.00 Martha MacGregor 8/11/2021 $250.00 Martha Strohl 6/6/2021 $250.00 Michelle Ostrelich 9/23/2021 $250.00 Nelvin Joseph Adriatico 6/3/2021 $250.00 Patricia Morrison 8/20/2021 $250.00 Peter Loyola 8/13/2021 $250.00 Rayna Caldwell 5/21/2021 $250.00 Sandra McTygue 7/8/2021 $250.00 Sarah Burger 10/3/2021 $250.00 Sarah Burger 10/7/2021 $250.00 Shafer Gaston 5/21/2021 $250.00 Thomas McTygue 9/7/2021 $250.00 Tony Krackeler 6/21/2021 $250.00 Valerie Keehn 4/19/2021 $250.00 Warren Dart 8/22/2021 $300.00 Buenos Hill Inc. 9/30/2021 $300.00 David Rentschler 9/29/2021 $300.00 Susan Goldberg 4/23/2021 $312.00 Law Offices of Ronald J. Kim, P.C. 5/13/2021 $314.92 FRIENDS OF KENDALL HICKS 9/8/2021 $350.00 Dianne Pedinotti 7/1/2021 $500.00 Al Ormsby 6/7/2021 $500.00 Citizens For Franck 9/29/2021 $500.00 Citizens For Franck 4/7/2021 $500.00 Eleanora Kim 8/24/2021 $500.00 Friends Of Peter Martin 6/8/2021 $500.00 FRIENDS OF PETER MARTIN 6/18/2021 $500.00 Gordon Boyd 9/8/2021 $500.00 Gordon Boyd 6/6/2021 $500.00 Hsinpang Wang 9/12/2021 $500.00 James Towne 5/17/2021 $500.00 Jeff Altimari 7/1/2021 $500.00 Jill Kolbe 7/1/2021 $500.00 Mary Flaherty 6/2/2021 $500.00 Patricia Tuz 6/30/2021 $500.00 Patrick Diggins 8/16/2021 $500.00 Randi Cigelnik 7/1/2021 $500.00 SCH PAC 10/18/2021 $500.00 Steve Heyman 4/30/2021 $515.00 Law Offices of Ronald J. Kim, P.C. 6/6/2021 $750.00 Qun Lin 9/30/2021 $1,000.00 Christopher Hurley 9/23/2021 $1,000.00 Mary Liu 9/8/2021 $1,000.00 Ria Curley 9/28/2021 $1,000.00 Richard Schumaker 8/24/2021 $1,000.00 Sharon Boyd $41,567.23
[Donors who contribute less than $100.00 do not have to disclose their name. This list is in ascending order so some of the first ones have no name associated with them.]
Contribution Date Amount Contributor Name 5/23/2021 $4.00 Robin Dalton 10/17/2021 $10.00 Ann Fantauzzi 9/27/2021 $10.00 Harrison Becker 9/30/2021 $10.00 Jen Pasek 8/20/2021 $10.00 Matthew Taylor 5/23/2021 $10.00 Robin Dalton 10/12/2021 $10.00 Ryan Brower 6/1/2021 $10.00 Wendy Taylor 4/26/2021 $20.00 Robin Dalton 6/9/2021 $25.00 Barbara Capone 7/10/2021 $25.00 Charles Donath 6/17/2021 $25.00 Gayle LaSalle 6/9/2021 $25.00 Kathleen Wilson 6/9/2021 $30.00 7/12/2021 $50.00 David Rockefeller 8/5/2021 $50.00 Elizabeth Beauregard 6/17/2021 $50.00 Frank Spensieri 9/16/2021 $50.00 Liana Doyle 6/4/2021 $50.00 Mollie Kavanagh 8/14/2021 $50.00 Valerie Collins 9/26/2021 $75.00 George Cain 9/26/2021 $75.00 Nancy Cain 9/16/2021 $100.00 Andrea Lakian 6/9/2021 $100.00 Andrea Larlan 10/17/2021 $100.00 Andrea Larlan 6/9/2021 $100.00 Angelo Calbone 10/8/2021 $100.00 Deidre Ladd 9/16/2021 $100.00 Eileen Finneran 10/7/2021 $100.00 Eileen Finneran 8/20/2021 $100.00 Elizabeth Beauregard 10/12/2021 $100.00 Eric Mumford 6/24/2021 $100.00 Jenny Mirling 6/9/2021 $100.00 Joanna Zangrando 9/16/2021 $100.00 John Lakian 10/18/2021 $100.00 Lawrence Novak 6/22/2021 $100.00 Liana Doyle 6/23/2021 $100.00 M. Kathryn Gorman 6/9/2021 $100.00 Martha Jane Weihe 7/6/2021 $100.00 Meagan Lyons 6/23/2021 $100.00 Miriam Scarborough 6/23/2021 $100.00 Miriam Scarborough 9/22/2021 $100.00 Richard Lofstad 10/17/2021 $100.00 Taunia Kipp 10/11/2021 $100.00 Tom Federlin 6/10/2021 $150.00 Forward Ventures, LLC 8/26/2021 $155.00 Robin Dalton 6/4/2021 $200.00 David Appel 6/9/2021 $200.00 Eileen Finneran 5/23/2021 $200.00 Jerry Redfield 10/12/2021 $200.00 John Lakian 10/12/2021 $200.00 Zaven Yarmunian 10/14/2021 $250.00 Cara Milde 10/7/2021 $250.00 Cynthia Corbett 7/18/2021 $250.00 Giovanna DOrazio 6/23/2021 $250.00 Martha Strohl 6/9/2021 $250.00 Matthew Jones 10/13/2021 $250.00 Matthew Jones 10/12/2021 $250.00 Rachel Uccellini 8/13/2021 $250.00 Steven Greenblatt 10/12/2021 $250.00 Tamie Ehringer 8/23/2021 $275.00 John Baker 10/8/2021 $282.00 Adam Israel for Finance 6/17/2021 $300.00 Caragh Dalton Fahy 4/28/2021 $300.00 Zaven Yarmunian 7/29/2021 $500.00 Andi Staffan 6/9/2021 $500.00 Gloria Dalton 8/24/2021 $500.00 Matthew Dalton 7/6/2021 $500.00 Megan Durckman 5/23/2021 $1,000.00 Amy Cantanucci 6/17/2021 $1,000.00 Christopher Dolinsky 7/11/2021 $1,000.00 David Myers 5/23/2021 $1,000.00 Jared Cantanucci 5/23/2021 $1,000.00 Josh Doyle 5/23/2021 $1,000.00 Liana Doyle 8/8/2021 $1,000.00 Patty Riggi 10/15/2021 $1,000.00 Peter Quinlan 8/8/2021 $1,000.00 Vincent Riggi
Earlier this year I posted regarding Ms. Owen West’s July report on contributions. I noted at the time that she had received very few donations from the development community.
Her October report to the New York State Board of Elections is quite different. She received more extensive donations from the development community in this later report.
[Donors who contribute less than $100.00 do not have to disclose their name. This list is in ascending order so the first ones have no name associated with them.]
Amount Contributor Name Filer District $10.00 $10.00 $10.00 $10.00 $20.00 $25.00 $25.00 $25.00 $25.00 $25.00 $25.00 $25.00 $25.00 $25.00 $25.00 $25.00 $25.00 $25.00 $25.00 $25.00 $25.00 Cate R Brizzell $25.00 Claudina R Ashelman $30.00 Mary E Clark $35.00 $35.00 $35.00 $40.00 $40.00 Anne L Van Acker $45.00 $50.00 $50.00 $50.00 $50.00 $50.00 $50.00 $50.00 $50.00 $50.00 $50.00 $50.00 $50.00 $50.00 $50.00 $50.00 $50.00 $50.00 $50.00 DANIEL R Kumlander $50.00 John P Carroll $50.00 Lezlie R Dana $50.00 Michael G Caimano $50.00 Ninki R Carroll $50.00 Robert L Tarrant $52.00 $60.00 Mike Smith $70.00 $70.00 $70.00 $75.00 $75.00 $80.00 Nick Wilock $95.00 $95.00 Nancy E Dwyer $99.00 $99.00 $99.00 $99.00 $100.00 Barbara Hodge $100.00 Barbara Hodge $100.00 Bruce H Bradigan $100.00 Chris Hebert $100.00 Dale Cotton $100.00 David Barry $100.00 Debra C Dann $100.00 Donald Briem $100.00 Donnellan Law, PLLC $100.00 Elizabeth Macy $100.00 Geriann Eddy $100.00 Gillian Hirsch $100.00 Jack Ashelman $100.00 James Grande $100.00 James Grande $100.00 James Lee $100.00 James M Hill $100.00 Jessica Richer $100.00 John Carroll $100.00 Joseph Sirianni $100.00 Keith Cavayero $100.00 Kim Teator $100.00 Kitty Tally $100.00 Laura Furo $100.00 Lawrence Ambrosino $100.00 Mark Cacozza $100.00 Mark Laskey $100.00 Mary Lou Doyle $100.00 Maureen R Lewi $100.00 Melissa R Zieker $100.00 Michael R Woytowich $100.00 Nancy Trimbur $100.00 O’Donnell’s Irish Imports, Inc. $100.00 Peter R Copeletti $100.00 Raymond O’Conor $100.00 Roderick Sprattling $100.00 Shauna Sutton $100.00 Sheila Sperling $100.00 Steven Bulger $100.00 Steven Dolinsky $100.00 STEWART’S FEDERAL CREDIT UNION $100.00 Thomas Di Palermo $100.00 Total Fitness Solution LLC $100.00 Walsh & Walsh, LLP $100.00 William Armstrong $105.00 Deborah Garnsey $125.00 Dorthy Foster $125.00 Michael R Billok $150.00 Angelo Calbone $150.00 Jo Ann White $150.00 Judy A Harrigan $150.00 Mary Wheeler $200.00 Carol V Gurney $200.00 Friends Of Kathy Marchione Committee $200.00 Mary Lou R Wait $200.00 Matthew Dorsey $200.00 Patricia Millens $250.00 Alessandra R Hall $250.00 Ally Meyers $250.00 Amber Briscoe $250.00 Augie Vitiello $250.00 Brien Hollowood $250.00 Chris Martell $250.00 Cliff Van Wagner $250.00 Craig Hayner $250.00 Dmitriy Yermolayev $250.00 Douglas Comer $250.00 Elizabeth O’Brien $250.00 Ferradino Firm, PLLC $250.00 Frank Parillo $250.00 Jeannette Liebers $250.00 Jeffrey Altamari $250.00 John Munter $250.00 John F Baker $250.00 Kathleen Sanvidge $250.00 Michael Munter $250.00 Michael Zurlo $250.00 Noel Smith $250.00 PAtty Hasbrouck $250.00 Peter Elmendor $250.00 Richard Sellers $250.00 Robert Saba $250.00 Rod Sutton $250.00 Ronald Owen $250.00 Rory Whelan $250.00 Rudy DeFelice $250.00 Sandra Duffy $250.00 Scott Varley $250.00 SD Atelier – Architecture, LLC $250.00 Sean Fitzgerald $250.00 Spoken Botique LLC $250.00 Stacy Gorman $250.00 Todd Baright $250.00 Tom L Lewis $300.00 David Quinn $300.00 John Celeste $300.00 Matt Amodeo $350.00 Lance Plumbing LLC $350.00 Mike Okby $350.00 Walbridge Building Inc. $500.00 Almeda Riley $500.00 Anthony Maney $500.00 B & B Plumbing Inc. $500.00 Balzer Tuck Architecture, PLLC $500.00 Belmonte Builders Llc $500.00 Brandi Insruance Brokerage LLC $500.00 Brian D Brumley $500.00 Caroline Ray $500.00 Charles Cronin $500.00 David Bauer $500.00 Delores Parillo $500.00 DZ Restraurants, Inc. $500.00 Eddie Dubrawski $500.00 Frank Zilka $500.00 James B Dorsey $500.00 Joey Gullion $500.00 Keith Tanny $500.00 Lee Pokoik $500.00 Linda Toohey $500.00 Marini Services, Llc $500.00 Michael Phinney $500.00 Michael Toohey $500.00 Mind Genomics Advisors, LLC $500.00 New Colony LLC $500.00 Peter Copeletti $500.00 Raymond Apy $500.00 Richard Higgins $500.00 Robert Manz $500.00 Ronald F Owen $500.00 Saratoga Springs PBA $500.00 Stephen Obermayer $500.00 Terrace Corporation of NY $500.00 Thomas Gardner $500.00 Tom Beck $500.00 Tom Roohan $500.00 Tom Roohan $500.00 Tracy Schwab $500.00 Vinny Dimartino $500.00 W. J. Morris Excavating, Inc. $500.00 Witt Construction, Inc. $520.00 9 Miles East Saratoga LLC $750.00 550 Restaurant, LLC $750.00 David Catalfamo $750.00 Domonic Trimarchi $1,000.00 240 Fitch LLC $1,000.00 30 Year Farm, LLC $1,000.00 343 Second Avenue LLC $1,000.00 37 Greenfield LLC $1,000.00 421 Broadway, LLC $1,000.00 A.L.L. Wood Floors, LLC $1,000.00 Andrea Spungen $1,000.00 Anthony Ianniello $1,000.00 Avalanche Strategies, LLC $1,000.00 Betsy West $1,000.00 Bonnie View LG LLC $1,000.00 Brian Hart $1,000.00 Broadway & Spring Restoration LLC $1,000.00 CHARLES V WAIT $1,000.00 Donna Wardlaw $1,000.00 Edward Mitzen $1,000.00 Gloria Menustik $1,000.00 Hampstead America, LLC $1,000.00 Hoffman Development Corporation $1,000.00 Jeff Levy $1,000.00 John Behrendt $1,000.00 Joseph L Gullion $1,000.00 Judith Needham $1,000.00 Julie Chlopecki $1,000.00 Kathryn West $1,000.00 Keeley Ardman Desalvo $1,000.00 Keith J Powers $1,000.00 Kris E Herchenroder $1,000.00 Lemery Greisler Llc $1,000.00 Mackey Automotive, LLC $1,000.00 Mario Martinez $1,000.00 Mark Haworth $1,000.00 Martin G Ferrillo Do $1,000.00 Matthew Esler $1,000.00 Matthew Jones $1,000.00 Morgan Construction Services LLC $1,000.00 Old Saratoga Restorations, Inc. $1,000.00 Old World Roofing, LLC $1,000.00 Pamela N Abrams $1,000.00 Patricia Jenkins $1,000.00 Peter Rosecrans $1,000.00 Ryan Venezia $1,000.00 Sandra Lewis $1,000.00 Sandra R Eng-Caulfield $1,000.00 Schermerhorn Residential Holdings, L.P. $1,000.00 Stephen Sullivan $1,000.00 Sue Allerdice $1,000.00 Teakwood Builders, Inc. $1,000.00 W.P. Dake $1,000.00 William R Morehouse $1,500.00 Tom Hoffman $2,490.00 Screen Designs Inc. $5,000.00 John R Hendrickson
City Democrats issue second complaint to New York State Board of Elections regarding a handout promoting citizens to vote for Republican endorsed candidates on the United Saratoga ballot line.
New York State election law requires that items paid for by political committees include the information about who paid for them.
I contacted Chris Obstarczyk, the Saratoga Springs Republican chair.
I would note that in spite of my criticisms of him on this blog, he takes my calls and is always courteous. Readers may recall that I harshly criticized him for being unwilling to criticize the local take over by Republicans of the Working Families Party and his attack on Robin Dalton in a recent Times Union story.
In contrast, the Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee chair does not respond to my texts and emails.
In a text to me, Mr. Obstarczyk wrote:
“The provisions of the Election Law are subject to interpretation on whether palm card is exempt under the statute.”
My understanding is that the law is quite clear and when I pressed him to provide the legal basis for his assertion, he told me that he did not have time given the pressures of the campaign.
The Democrats claim that the “paid for” was left out in order to hide the affiliation of the candidates to the Republican Party. I am skeptical. Most everyone knows that these candidates are endorsed Republicans.
One of the purposes for getting an independent line like United Saratoga is to allow people who do not want to vote Republican to be able to vote for a Republican without appearing to support their party.
I think the Republicans would have been better served to just admit leaving the “paid for by” off was an oversight and move on.
Saratoga Living has done a nice profile of Dan De Federicis who is the publisher of Saratoga Report. Mr. De Federicis scours the web looking for news stories, letters to the editor, video, and relevant blog posts related to Saratoga Springs for his site. If you subscribe, you receive a daily email linking to the stories.
I find it a great resource. I also like Dan very much. He is a thoughtful observer of our community and he champions the importance of allowing the diverse opinions of everyone to be heard through his site.
Below are two images. One is from the office of the Governor announcing a visit to get out the vote and support the local Democratic candidates. The other is from an advertisement from the Ron Kim campaign regarding the event. An innocent person might construe from the advertisement that Mr. Kim has been endorsed by our Governor, Kathy Hochul. Such a person would be wrong.
In fact Governor Hochul had explicitly announced to the press that she would not be endorsing any local candidates. This stems from the fact that India Walton, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America defeated the Democratic incumbent Byron Brown in the Buffalo Democratic mayoral primary. Governor Hochul apparently privately supports Brown who is running as a write-in candidate. In order to avoid endorsing Walton she chose to officially eschew endorsing any local candidates statewide.
In Mr. Kim’s advertisement he and the Governor appear to be standing together and the announcement explicitly states that she is coming to Saratoga to support him along with the other candidates. I do not think it unfair to observe that this gives the impression that she is endorsing Mr. Kim.
Below it is what the governor’s office actually issued. Someone has doctored the original document.
My sources tell me that the Governor learned of this and she was not amused.
I grant that the original states that she is coming to “support” the local candidates and does not use the word endorsement but given the Governor’s strong position that she is not endorsing candidates, this doctored image strikes me as misleading. Others may see it as lawyerly true. I leave it for my readers to decide.
I attempted to find out from Mr. Kim and Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee Chair Pat Tuz who doctored the image. Neither responded.
[JK: With 17 candidates running for City Council positions on nine party lines, the non-partisan group One Saratoga decided to develop a candidate questionnaire to try to help voters sort through the myriad choices voters have this year. Here is a release from One Saratoga explaining where to find out what the candidates who responded (only one candidate on the Democratic line responded, all Republicans and independents responded) to their questionnaire think about taxes, police, homelessness and more.]
One Saratoga is a non-partisan coalition of local residents that seeks to have the best qualified people governing Saratoga Springs regardless of partisan affiliations. They came together in 2019 out of concern for the City’s well-being. They include committed people who keep close tabs on our City’s governance and are willing to devote effort to this project. Their watchword is, “City before party,” they seek to unite the community, avert partisan rancor and extremism, and encourage serious candidates for public service.
One Saratoga decided not to endorse candidates for this local election season but has instead chosen to be a candidate informational resource.
Courtney DeLeonardis, Chair, of One Saratoga said, “With so many third-party lines and numerous candidates for each of the positions, we felt it would be most helpful to provide community members with accurate information on where the candidates stand on important issues that affect Saratogians.”
One Saratoga has been using its Facebook page and Webpage to share responses to a questionnaire sent to Saratoga Springs City Council Candidates. The questionnaire focused on seven core issues facing the city. The issues chosen reflected input One Saratoga solicited from Saratogians across the political spectrum.
One Saratoga received a total of ten responses from the candidates who are running for City Council.
A hard copy of the questionnaire was sent to every candidate in the mail, an electronic copy was emailed to each candidate, as well as to the city Democratic and Republican Chairs. Reminder emails were also sent to the city candidates.
Unfortunately, One Saratoga received no responses from four of the endorsed Democratic Candidates or four out of five of the Working Families Party candidates.
Candidates who DID NOT complete the Questionnaire
Democratic Party : Working Families Party:
Ronald Kim-Mayor Maxwell Rosenbaum-Mayor
Minita Sanghvi-Finance Sierra Hunt-Finance
James Montagnino-Public Safety Donald Reeder-Public Works
Dillon Moran-Accounts David Labate-Public Safety
One Saratoga has been sharing responses from candidates who participated in the questionnaire since September and will continue to do so up until the election on November 2. They release answers to questions focusing on a different core issue each week.
To find out more about One Saratoga and to see the questionnaire results, go to One Saratoga’s Facebook page at- facebook.com/RealOneSaratoga or go to their website at- https://realonesaratoga.org/
Both the Republican and Democratic parties have sent out postcards attacking their endorsed candidates’ opponents. Below are the allegations made in the mailings and the information I turned up looking into the charges the parties have made about two of the candidates running for mayor in this year’s election.
Allegations By Republicans Re Ron Kim
1. Allegation: “Ron’s Primary Residence Is Queensbury”
The allegation includes an image from a 2017 edition of the Post Star Newspaper that shows the following quote:
“He [Kim] and his wife purchased a home in Queensbury in 2008, which is now their primary residence…’It’s sort of an empty nester thing as our lifestyle has changed.'”
“Republicans said Kim’s actions amounted to voter fraud, and it said the city deserved a full-time resident’s service.”
Mr. Kim owns homes both in Queensbury and Saratoga Springs. He sought the Democratic endorsement to run against Elise Stefanik in 2018. In order to run for this position he had to live in her district, and he gave his Queensbury home as his primary residence.
According to the Gazette, Mr. Kim voted in Warren County in 2018, 2019, and 2020 before switching his voter registration to Saratoga Springs when he lead the charter change campaign to replace Saratoga’s form of government with a city manager and ward system.
Mr. Kim responded to this allegation by noting that his children both attended the Saratoga Springs schools.
Kim told the Gazette that , “…he divides time between the two communities to relieve his mother of caring for his father. He said the needs of his father, a Korean War veteran, increased during the pandemic.”
The New York State Board of Elections is very tolerant when it comes to a candidate’s residence.
Past Public Works Commissioner Tom McTygue owned both a horse farm in the town of Saratoga and a house in Saratoga Springs. For years the Republican Party sought to have him disqualified from running in Saratoga Springs alleging that in reality his farm in the town of Saratoga was where he lived. It never found traction with the New York State Board of Elections.
I spoke to Saratoga Springs Republican Chair Chris Obstarczyk about the residency issue. He told me the issue was not over a violation of election law but over Kim’s not being a full time resident of Saratoga Springs.
2.Allegation: “Court Forced Ron To Pay 5-figures in Unpaid Rent.”
Mr. Kim was sued by the landlord of his law office for failure to pay rent.
Mr. Kim’s lease on his law office on Long Alley expired in August of 2008, but he remained in that space until August of 2016. Mr. Kim had signed an agreement that should he stay in that office after his lease expired, he would pay a substantial increase in rent (from approximately $1,700.00 increased to $2,800.00). Instead of paying the $2,800,00 as required by the agreement he simply continued to pay his landlord the lower amount he had been paying when his lease was in effect.
When he finally left those offices the landlord initiated the suit for the difference between what Kim had agreed to pay should he stay in these offices after his lease expired and what Kim actually paid. The landlord calculated that the amount Kim owed him in back rent during the eight years was a total of $61,000.
Kim’s requirement to pay the $2,800.00 is crystal clear. Here is the relevant section from his lease. Note “Thirty-sixth (Holdover Tenant).
See thirty-sixth Holdover
The following is from the “pleadings” in the lawsuit and show how they arrived at the figure of $61,000.00.
The suit was settled for $16,000.
An article in the Gazette quoted Kim: “’I think there is a big difference between 16 and 60,’ Kim said, pointing out that at some point it makes more sense to settle than continuing to pay lawyer’s fees.“
Mr. Kim’s settlement was, to say the least, very much favorable to him at the expense of his landlord. It appears that it wasn’t he who decided it wasn’t worth the legal expenses to pursue the case but his landlord. I guess some might view this as a shrewd business move by Mr. Kim, while others would characterize it as a dubious legal move that shafted his landlord.
3.Allegation: Served with multiple unpaid tax warrants
The New York State Department of Labor and Department of Taxation issued warrants regarding unpaid taxes for the third quarter of 2018 and the first quarter of 2019. The total including fines came to approximately $3,000.00 which he eventually paid.
In his interview with the Gazette he explained:
For his part, Kim explained the late payments as stemming from a period of time of unexpected financial strain after a fuel tank spilled in his basement, forcing him and his family to relocate as they absorbed the cost of cleanup while litigating for years who was responsible for the spill.
“We were under some extreme financial pressure at that time,” he said of the late tax payments.
Daily Gazette September 5, 2021
4. Allegation: And Ron Still Owes The State Thousands in Workers’ Comp Taxes
[Kim] has said that he did not have any employees during that period of time and did not need to carry the insurance, and on Friday he said he was fighting the penalty.
The workers’ compensation penalty stemmed from a period during 2016 when the state said Kim failed to carry needed workers’ compensation insurance from February to July. The state board in August 2019 issued a final notice to Kim to pay $7,000 in the matter, and a court judgment was filed in October 2019 declaring Kim had still not paid the penalty.
Daily Gazette September 5, 2021
It is true that if a business owner has no employees they are not required to carry Workmen’s Compensation Insurance, but it is hard to fathom what is going on here. The judgement goes back to 2019 and according to the state he has still not resolved the issue.
One possible scenario is that Kim had employees prior to 2016 and failed to advise the state as required that they were no longer with him thus incurring the fine. It is also possible that in spite of his statements to the press he may have had employees for at least part of the period in question. I have spoken to an accountant who indicated that if he in fact had no employees it is very possible to negotiate a resolution that would reduce the fine, and it is odd that it has not been resolved by now.
I have emailed Mr. Kim asking whether he has been in touch with the Workmen’s Compensation Board on this matter and what they are saying. I have not yet received an answer from him.
Bottom line is that the issue remains unresolved and without some explanation from Mr. Kim as to why the state continues to pursue the penalty in spite of his claim about no employees we cannot know the full truth.
Allegations By Democrats Re Heidi Owen West
Allegation: Owen West sued the city of Saratoga Springs to block the building of an Eastside Public Safety Building.
It is true that she participated in the suit. It is also true, as alleged by the Democrats, that the city had to pay significantly to defend against the suit. What they leave out is that she withdrew from the suit (it was subsequently dismissed by the court) and has repeatedly assured the public that, if elected, she will follow through on the currently designed project to make it happen.
2. Allegation: “Owen West tells Democrats she’s an independent while attempting to win Trump supporters by refusing to acknowledge Biden won the election.”
They cite a story by Lucas Willard of WAMC.
West, who has the endorsement of the Saratoga Springs Republican Committee, was also asked via text message if the event featuring Scott Presler and endorsed by Representative Stefanik gave her any pause, and if she believed President Biden won the 2020 election fair and square.
The owner of three downtown clothing stores responded:
“If the other candidates running for mayor want to nationalize this race, that’s fine. But that’s not what I’m doing in my race. Those questions, and this event, have nothing to do with accomplishing my goals I’ve set out to achieve once I become mayor of Saratoga Springs,” said West.
Lucas Willard, WAMC August 26, 2021
I contacted Ms. Owen West and asked her to respond.
Here is the text of her message:
“I don’t know how to be any more clear, Joe Biden won the election and he is our president, fact! Attacks and fictitious rumors about me are distracting, misleading for voters and not what our citizens are looking for. Let’s focus on the real issues facing Saratogians.”
Heidi Owen West
This particular attack by the Democrats is particularly cynical given that the Chair of the Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee solicited Owen West to Run as a Democrat.
Apparently the Democrats did not believe that Ms. Owen West was a Trump acolyte when then city Democratic Chair Sarah Burger repeatedly tried to persuade Ms. Owen West to head up their ticket.
Although Ms. Burger and others have recently tried to deny this, I have come into possession of the texts below in which Ms. Burger repeatedly solicited Ms. Owen West to run for mayor on the Democratic line.
The texts from Ms. Burger to Ms. Owen West begin in mid-February, 2021. I have selected representative texts from a lengthy exchange. Sarah Burger’s texts are black letters against a white background. Heidi Owen West’s are white letters against a black background.
3. Allegation: “Owen West is not making affordable housing a priority and indicated there is not a problem with the amount of affordable housing in the city”
This allegation is based on an exchange during the League of Women Voters Forum and specifically references as its source the October 5, 2021, story in the Foothills Daily. Given the content it is hard to understand how the Democrats could make such an allegation. Here is the text from the Foothills Daily:
Owen West: “I believe the…community development office actually has done a great job of working with builders and real estate firms to secure housing for residents in the city. I think a lot of what happens is, we’re not aware of all the opportunities. Right now the city’s on target to exceed units more than twice what HUD requires, so I think part of it is really getting the message out there and the knowledge about the programs that are available so that everyone is insured a place in Saratoga Springs.”
Kim response: “I don’t hear anyone saying we’ve got enough affordable housing. To the contrary, what I hear is that this is an absolute need that has to happen.”
Dalton response: “It insults residents to say that we’re just not aware of all this low income or affordable housing. So I just wanted to point out, it is a huge priority of mine…And that means creating more workforce and affordable housing, and it does not exist right now.”
Owen West response: “So I didn’t say that I that…there was enough affordable housing, I said I would start by making sure people were aware of what we have, what’s in the pipeline…I just wanted to be sure that people understood that we were at twice the limit of the HUD requirements so that we are doing a great job, but we can always do better. I did not say there was enough.”
To claim, based on this exchange that Ms. Owen West does not support additional affordable housing can be characterized as, at the very least, disturbingly misleading.
4. Allegation: “Owen West is backed by thousands of dollars from big developers and she’ll be in their pocket when it comes to key city appointments”
In July, Ms. Owen West reported to the New York State Board of Elections on the contributions she had received. There were ninety-six contributors. The only contributors whose names I recognized as developers or whose names appeared to imply that they were related to the development industry were Tom Roohan who is the owner of Roohan Realty, a Mike Morgan who apparently owns Morgan Construction Services, and a Brett Balzer with Balzer Tuck Architecture.
I would also observe that because a candidate receives contributions from a developer does not always mean that they have been bought. Our current Mayor has received donations from members of the development community and her two terms do not reflect any prejudice on their behalf.
The flyer also trumpets an ethics complaint the Democrats made to the New York State Board of Elections against Ms. Owen West. The allegations are as dubious as the others in this flyer but as nothing will happen before the election they are yet another example of campaign abuse.
Saratoga Springs Politics 