The blogger and his editor would like to thank all of you who have made this project successful.
This blog was first published on June 21, 2015, with a story about a SPAC Little Theater performance by the Lincoln Center Chamber Society.
Over the decade, this blog has had:
Saratoga Springs Accounts Commissioner Dillon Moran’s belligerent and toxic behavior has been documented repeatedly in this blog over the past three-plus years he has been in office. Still, his out of control behavior at the June 16, 2025, City Council pre-agenda meeting descended to new lows.
The trigger for Moran seemed to be an item Mayor John Safford had placed on his agenda removing the language that authorized on-call pay for the city’s deputies. The on-call pay debacle has been documented in earlier posts. It involved among other issues allegations that city documents had been altered, a State Police investigation, and Moran hiring a lawyer for $1,250 an hour that he expected the city to pay for. Safford’s proposal to take on call pay off the books was something Finance Commissioner, and Dillon ally, Minita Sanghvi had called for months ago making Moran’s fury even more bizarre.
In this excerpt from the meeting Moran makes snarky and opaque references to some kind of collusion and other alleged grievances he suffered related to the State Police On Call Pay investigation. Don’t worry if you can’t follow everything he is saying.
Resolutions and actions to be considered at City Council meetings are supposed to be posted on the city website the Friday before the Tuesday meeting. This is supposed to give both the members of the Council and the public time to read and digest the proposed actions to prepare for the Tuesday meeting.
Council members convene on the Monday morning before the Council’s Tuesday night meetings for a “pre-agenda” meeting. At this meeting, they are supposed to be prepared to answer questions about and/or clarify items they have placed on their agendas to further help members prepare for the regular meeting’s deliberations.
Moran has been a serial violator of this policy, presenting resolutions at the Council table that the public and his colleagues are unaware of til the last minute.
At the June 16 meeting, Moran taunted his colleagues (and, in effect, the public) saying that he will not reveal his plans for the regular Council meeting ahead of time. In his fury, he seems oblivious to his responsibility to be transparent so that citizens are adequately informed, and he has no concept of how important courtesy is in properly carrying out the people’s business.
Here are the full unedited sections of Dillon Moran’s rants at the meeting.
There were no fireworks at the Tuesday night, June 17, Council meeting.
At Moran’s request, Mayor Safford pulled from Tuesday’s agenda the resolution to remove On-Call. Moran has indicated for a year and a half that he would craft a repeal of on-call pay. He will get the opportunity to do that at the next Council meeting. Stay tuned.
The thing that is most disturbing about the leadership of the Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee is how cavalier they are about the truth especially when it could damage their target’s personal or professional reputations.
A case in point is a release issued by city and state Democratic Committee member Gordon Boyd. The release announces that he has supposedly discovered, in reviewing election documents, that the signatures of Joe Suhrada, who chairs the county Republican Party, and Jennifer Weaver, secretary of the County Republican Committee, appear to him to be identical. The logic being that the signatures may have been forged. He also writes that Charles A. Foehser, the First Deputy Clerk of Saratoga County, notarized these signatures, meaning that Froehser may have falsely claimed to have observed the signing of the documents by the named officials.
Boyd’s release included letters to the New York State Attorney General’s and Secretary of State’s offices asking them to investigate. The purpose of those letters is to amplify his story and get press coverage.
In an article in the Daily Gazette, Boyd told Tom Dimopoulis:
“When I looked at them, the signatures jumped out to me as way too similar. Being a notary myself, I know you’re not allowed to have signatures on something you didn’t see signed. You have to see a human being sign it and then you can notarize it,” said Boyd. “To my eye, it appears that the same hand signed for both the chairman and secretary of the party. It also appears that the purported signature of the chairman does not look like his official signature on file with the Board of Elections.
The reality is that if Boyd could find a newspaper or television station to publish his unsubstantiated claims, these grave accusations would raise doubts with the public about the integrity of Suhrada, Weaver, and Foehser, and by extension, the candidates named in the documents they signed.
It is no coincidence that three of the documents referenced in his release refer to candidates endorsed by One Saratoga, whom Boyd opposes.
Here are four of the documents that Boyd submitted to the state agencies.
The first two contain what he claims may be forgeries, along with the notarization by Froehser.
I don’t claim to have expertise in handwriting. I would observe, though, that Weaver ends her initials with a long horizontal slash, which is simply my untutored observation.
Mike Brandi, chair of the Saratoga Springs Republican Committee, has written to Boyd, demanding that he retract his letters and release and issue a formal apology.
Brandi included the following documents in his response to Boyd.
Does Boyd have suspicions that Weaver or Suhrada forged each other’s Driver’s licenses?
Does Boyd suspect that Weaver had Suhrada sign her passport?
Did Weaver sign Suhrada’s tax form?
I wrote to Gordon Boyd asking what research he did to substantiate his suspicions other than observing a handful of forms.
His disingenuous response:
I have made no such determination. I have merely asked the Secretary of State to investigate. If you were a real journalist and not such a party activist, you probably would have read more carefully.
gmb
One key question that Boyd might have considered was what the motive would have been to forge these documents. The fact that there was no apparent explanation should have at least raised the need for further investigation before going to the press if Boyd’s concerns were sincere.
It is not totally unreasonable for him to seek help from state agencies if he was indeed truly concerned about these signatures. The logic, then, would have been, though, to wait for their opinion before going to the press
Of course, this would mean he was interested in the truth rather than an opportunity to smear these three people and make it into the news cycle. It also would have meant that he maintained a high ethical standard by not wishing to bring undue embarrassment to these people if they were innocent.
It should be noted that Michele Madigan immediately enthusiastically congratulated Boyd on his press release, praising him, saying, “Nothing gets by Gordon Boyd.”
This incident is just another example of why this city needs One Saratoga.
Tom Dimopoulos wrote a story for the Daily Gazette in which he quoted Boyd on his “suspicions.” He also quoted city Republican chair Mike Brandi, who asserted that Boyd’s allegations were false.
Journalists are not supposed to be uncritical stenographers. Good journalists investigate so they can assist their readers in determining the truth between conflicting claims.
In this case, all Boyd had was a suspicion. It is incredible that the Daily Gazette would print a story with virtually no serious proof to support it. This is not journalism. It is a quest for clicks.
According to the article, Dimopoulos’s only additional investigation was an unsuccessful attempt to reach Joe Suhrada. What about the other two people being accused? Didn’t they deserve to tell their side of this story? Couldn’t Dimopoulos have asked for other documents with signatures that might have shed light on this story?
It is instructive that no other major media newspaper or television station viewed Boyd’s allegations as deserving of coverage. Even Wendy Liberatore didn’t bother. Only the Gazette.
Brandi has provided the documents disproving Boyd’s claim to the Daily Gazette, which was once an excellent newspaper. It is discouraging that they will leave Boyd’s story standing without printing Brandi’s rebuttal and evidence.
On May 22, 2025, Courtney DeLeonardis, chair of One Saratoga, filed petitions with the Saratoga County Board of Elections to get a ballot line for its endorsed candidates to run in the upcoming November city elections. The following day, May 23, 2025, Otis Maxwell, chair of the Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee, filed a general objections form, challenging the validity of One Saratoga’s petitions. Maxwell had six days to register specific challenges to individual petitions. Dillon Moran began telephoning people who had and signed or witnessed One Saratoga petitions questioning them in an attempt to uncover fraud. He failed. On May 29, Ms. DeLeonardis was advised by the Saratoga County Board of Elections that no challenges to individual petitions had been filed. One Saratoga’s seven candidates would be on the ballot.
Gathering signatures has become increasingly difficult every year. Ring doorbells and the general degrading of civil society has meant that citizens are increasingly reluctant to open their doors. [Full disclosure I participated in gathering signatures, and I can testify to how many doorbells one must ring to get a signature, so the success of One Saratoga is truly extraordinary.]
Here are the total number of signatures collected by the city’s two major political parties and those collected by One Saratoga.
Democrat 641
Republican 375
One Saratoga 1,156
So, One Saratoga’s fifty volunteers gathered more signatures than the two main parties combined. This is further proof of One Saratoga’s strength and commitment.
For Immediate Release
June 2, 2025
Courtney DeLeonardis
One Saratoga Secures an Independent Line on November Ballot
One Saratoga chair Courtney DeLeonardis announced that more than 50 volunteers from all political persuasions gathered nearly 1,200 signatures to successfully secure an independent line on the November 2025 ballot for the Saratoga Springs city elections. The number of signatures gathered far exceeds the 631 required to secure the line and was more than that obtained by the major political parties in the city combined.
Since its formation in 2019, One Saratoga has always endorsed the best qualified individuals to govern Saratoga Springs, regardless of their party affiliation. With their non-partisan line on the ballot, they seek to provide an alternative for those who may be discouraged by the divisiveness and rancor of partisan politics.
One Saratoga has always held firm to the idea of “City before Party” and their endorsed candidates include Democrats, Republicans, and a candidate with no party affiliation.
DeLeonardis said, “It is not because of their political affiliation that we chose them but, instead, because they are the best individuals to lead, and because they will always put service to our great City before any political party.”
One Saratoga’s endorsed candidates are:
John Safford for Mayor;
JoAnne Kiernan for Commissioner of Finance;
Jessica Troisi for Commissioner of Accounts;
Chuck Marshall for Commissioner of Public Works;
Tim Coll for Commissioner of Public Safety;
Sarah Burger for County Supervisor; and
George Ehinger for County Supervisor.
More information about One Saratoga’s endorsed candidates can be found at realonesaratoga.org.
I would like to acknowledge the courage of two Saratoga Springs Department of Public Works employees who dared to be whistleblowers about corruption in the department.
In the summer of 2024, Department of Public Works Supervisor J.J. Nichols supervised the paving of Grand Avenue and a few connecting streets. Funding for this was to come from the federal C.H.I.P.S. program. During this project, Mr. Nichols abused his position by directing city employees to do work on his own driveway. This is not in dispute. In addition, he did work on two other private driveways at a cost of thousands of dollars. The improper work done on these two driveways appears to have been conveniently ignored by the Department of Public Works, which was under Commissioner Jason Golub at the time. Any work done by city employees on private property requires a signed contract with the city. There are no contracts for these ghost houses. One improperly paved house is not even located on the streets designated for the grant.
The city police began investigating Nichols, but the investigation was halted when the city’s Human Resources Department advised that the situation had been investigated and that the responsible individual had been disciplined.
In fact, based on city documents obtained under FOIL, there are no records in the Department of Public Works of any investigation being carried out. In addition, then acting Public Works Commissioner Hank Kuczynski’s “discipline” of Nichols was a painless gesture whose main impact was to allow the police to consider the matter dealt with. The result was that the events, including the established wrongdoing by Nichols, remained hidden from the public.
This blog is meant to report on what has occurred and document the many serious, outstanding questions that remain unanswered today.
Several months ago, following his temporary appointment as DPW Commissioner, I texted Hank Kuczynski to inquire about his plans to address Nichols’ misuse of city personnel and materials to work on private property in the city. I referred him to an earlier post on the issue.
He did not respond.
On December 10, the Saratoga Springs Police Department began investigating the improper work by interviewing a DPW worker who had delivered the paving material to one of the private residences.
On February 4, Police Department Lieutenant Paul Veitch reported that he had met with Kuczynski and Human Resources Director Christy Spadoro and had agreed to pause the Police investigation pending an internal city investigation, as that would lead to quicker results.
Veitch’s report indicates that on January 15, Human Resources advised him that the matter “was investigated and discipline meted out.” Veitch then communicated this to the Assistant District Attorney, who decided not to pursue the case further.
The problem is that there was no formal investigation that would have involved all the properties that Nichols illegally did.
The FOIL documents I received included forms, affidavits, and an actual summary showing that the Police had begun what a reasonable person would characterize as an actual “investigation.” In contrast, according to the FOIL request, no such documents were available from the Department of Public Works. (See the FOIL documents provided at the end of this post)
The city FOIL produced:
What’s missing are records of who did the work on the three driveways, the amount of time devoted to this work, or the amount of city-owned and federal grant-funded materials used. In addition, the city could not produce any contract authorizing the work. Without this information, it is difficult to determine precisely how much public money was improperly expended.
Based on the city’s $20.00 per square foot standard for paving, my rough calculations show that the cost of this work could be north of $25,000.00, not including Nichols’ driveway. This dramatically surpasses the $1,000.00 minimum required to raise this to a felony level.
In the entire investigation of this incident, there is evidence that only one person was interviewed, the employee whom the Police interviewed who drove a truck that delivered some of the paving material to the private homes. There is no record of the police or anybody else questioning the whistleblowers, the homeowners, or even Mr. Nichols.
So, the SSPD and the Saratoga DA’s office halted investigations based on Kuczynski and the Human Resources Department’s false assurance that the matter had been fully investigated.
The Department of Public Works can perform work on private property. For example, a homeowner can contract with the city to put in sidewalks and adjust where their driveway meets the street. If the city is culpable for damage to private property, the homeowner may not be charged.
However, any work the city does on privately owned property requires a contract with the owner. This contract minimizes the city’s liability and establishes a clear record of what the city has agreed to do.
An example of such a contract is one approved at the April 1, 2025, City Council meeting.
These kinds of contracts are routine.
The following is a sample page from another contract. This contract page spells out the cost and scope of work. According to this document, the city currently charges $20.00 per square foot for paving.
So, why are there no contracts for Nichols’ driveway and the two additional private properties Nichols had paved?
If the work was really required to address problems on the homeowners’ properties caused by the city paving, why didn’t Nichols request the mandatory contracts? It’s simple enough to do.
Nichols, who has worked for the city for decades and has risen to a supervisory position, had to know why contracts were required and how simple it would be to comply.
In the meantime, who is responsible for paying for this work? What were the owners of these properties told as to why the city was paving their driveways? There are no records that any of this was pursued.
Judging by my discussions with the whistleblowers, Nichols’s improper work was widely known within the department. A key question is who, if anyone, in management beyond Nichols was aware of this?
According to the documents I received, Nichols was found to be violating, among other policies, multiple sections of the city’s Ethics Code. In an agreement reached by Kuczynski with Nichols, Nichols admits that he “purposefully directed city employees…to use blacktop to patch potholes in his own private driveway on city time using city resources…” The City’s Human Resources Handbook states that an employee found to have committed these actions is subject to “corrective action, up to and including termination of employment.” Kuczynski punished Nichols by docking him one day’s pay ($330.00) and $75.45 “to reimburse the city for the cost of misused materials.”
Even here, Kuczynski cut a corner for Nichols. A ton of the paving materials cost $75.45, but Kuczynski conveniently forgot that it had to be delivered by a heavy dump truck. If you need a ton of paving materials delivered to your driveway, it will cost you more than $75.45.
On February 16, 2025, I emailed Commissioner Kuczynski asking how he arrived at Nichols’s punishment. He never acknowledged my email.
As though the punishment was not weak in the first place, it includes language that if Nichols avoids any future disciplinary actions for the following six months, the record for his malfeasance will be expunged, and his actions in this matter cannot be used to determine future discipline. This clause displays how casually Kuczynski took Nichols’s theft of city resources and how much he protected him.
Apparently, if Nichols did this again after six months under Kuczynski, Kuczynski could issue another minor slap on the hand because he would have to pretend that this second violation of the city trust had no precedent.
Unfortunately, the charter gives Commissioners broad authority to discipline employees in their departments; therefore, Kuczynski’s mishandling of this corruption does not violate the city charter. Given the formal agreement sanctioned by Nichols’ union, it appears the punishment for his improper work on his own driveway cannot be reconsidered. It is unclear, though, whether the additional two houses can be considered for further action against Nichols.
Kuczynski’s failure to thoroughly investigate Nichols’s actions, culminating in basically no punishment, sent a chilling message to the Public Works Department employees, in general, and, in particular, to the two whistleblowers. That message is that if you enjoy the right status, you can ignore the city’s basic policies and procedures and use city resources for your own private gain or those of others who may be your friends or relatives without fear of significant consequences.
There is an interesting link between Nichols and one of the homes whose driveway he did. The fortunate homeowner grew up living next door to the Nichols family.
The report by Lieutenant Paul Veitch included in the FOIL documents, offers a dubious defense for the paving of at least one of the private driveways.
“During the investigation, I spoke with supervisors in DPW that stated the work done on the [dedacted] driveway was needed to repair a sidewalk issue that was caused by workdone by DPW on the sidewalk. The reason that work would have been done on the [redacted] direveway was to account for the change in the roadway and having a water pooling issue if not corrected. [emphasis added]”
Bear in mind that there is no existing contract to do work on any of the properties that would establish the “reason” offered by DPW and accepted by Veitch. Notwithstanding what the police were told, there are no records regarding why or what work was done on the additional two houses. One of the houses was not even on a street to be paved.
The poverty of Veitch’s review is disheartening. He conveniently accepted the assurances without any skepticism. What adds to the questions surrounding this ugly business is that Paul Veitch is the brother of Mike Veitch, the highest-ranking full-time employee in the Department of Public Works. One must wonder whether he spoke of his brother when he wrote, “I spoke with supervisors in DPW. “
A picture from Google Earth (below) was taken of one of the driveways back in 2007. It documents that the driveway had severe drainage problems then. Was the paving ordered by Nichols to correct an issue that is possibly at least seventeen years old?
As noted earlier, if the city is responsible for damage to private property, it is liable for the repair. It is important to note that work done paving a street can create problems with the fringes of driveways where they intersect with the street, in which case, there is a legitimate reason for the city to correct them. For example, new paving could cause cars entering a driveway to bottom out.
But if this was a legitimate issue, why didn’t Nichols apply for a contract to fix it? Unfortunately, there are no records of the work done on these driveways, nor a formal explanation for why they were paved. It is important to remember that the city can legitimately do necessary work, but there needs to be a contract with the homeowner approved by the City Council. There is no record of a contract for this work.
Here is the Google Earth Image of one of the driveways and a photograph this blogger took of the other.
Below is a photo taken by Google Earth back in 2007. It documents that this driveway had drainage problems seventeen years ago. How is it that the city is addressing a problem that is at least seventeen years old?
The area that was paved roughly measured 36′ by 21′.
At $20.00 per square foot, the cost would be $ 15,120.00.
The owner of this house is a person whose family lived next door to the Nichols family. Nichols is roughly the same age as this person.
This is the house that is not on a street to be paved, displaying the new driveway surface and new sidewalk. There is no record of the city having a contract to perform this work.
As the road in front of the house was not to be paved, it is nonsensical to attribute faulty road work to explain the need to do the driveway.
Putting that aside, there is absolutely no way to explain why the city paved the area of the driveway above the sidewalk. How could the paving of the street (that was not to be paved) have had any impact on that area?
As documented earlier in this post, the city charges private property owners $20.00 per square foot for working on driveways.
A surveyor would be required to calculate the paved area accurately. This blogger did a rough calculation of the driveway. Regarding House #2, the apron in front of the walk, I estimated it at 12′ by 12′. At $20.00 per square foot, the cost would be $2,880.00.
The area above the walk is roughly 15′ by 25′, costing $7,500.
This would put the total for this job at roughly $10,380.00.
It is unclear when the walk that crosses the new paving was done. As recently as 2024, there was no sidewalk. If Nichols also did the sidewalk, that would add to the total.
The arrows mark the beginning and end of the new sidewalk.
So, when was this new sidewalk installed, and who paid for it? The documents I received do not provide any information.
The city spent roughly $25,500.00 on these two houses, plus whatever it cost to do Nichols’s driveway.
Regrettably, it is more than likely that if the two whistleblowers had not exposed Nichols, nothing would have happened to him, and this kind of corruption would simply continue.
This does not reflect badly on the many city workers who keep our streets clean and our water running. The failure was in leadership.
With charges also brought against former Public Works Commissioner Jason Golub for misusing city employees, there appears to be a culture of tolerance for abuse.
The people of this city deserve the truth about what happened. The facts need to be reinvestigated thoroughly and transparently, and individuals responsible for any malfeasance held accountable.
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The bulk of this post was completed several weeks ago. Below are some recent developments.
As it turns out, while the city performed the work on Grand Avenue and St Charles Place back in July of 2024, they have yet to submit a claim for reimbursement. The CHIPS program is federal money, but it is managed in New York by the New York State Department of Transportation. The city still has an eighteen-month window to seek reimbursement, so plenty of time remains. The question to consider is, if these properties were improperly done using CHIPS money, how would this impact the city’s eligibility for funds in the future?
I spoke with current Public Works Commissioner Chuck Marshall several times about this. Commissioner Marshall has been both available and transparent. He looked at the issue of the two houses that were done in addition to Nichols’s.
He acknowledged that there were no contracts for the work done on these driveways, and they were not included in DPW’s original investigation. He told me that it was essential that the city determine how much was spent on the driveways and ensure that these costs are not included when the city applies for the CHIPS money.
I sent a release to Wendy Liberatore at the Times Union, including this post’s text. She responded,
“I spoke to my editors.
We will not pursue as it happened nearly a year ago and no one, but you, seems overly concerned by the resolution.”
Of course, it’s an old story because it was successfully hidden from the public and never pursued by the press in all this time.
Michele Madigan’s campaign for Mayor of Saratoga Springs has focused on a narrative that Mayor John Safford wants to imprison the homeless rather than work with RISE and other groups to address their condition.
In an email blast, Madigan wrote, “…our email that went out today calling out Mayor Safford for believing incarceration is the best cure for our homeless.”
This is a stunning allegation for which Madigan has been unable to provide any documentation.
When pressed by this blogger to substantiate this very serious accusation, the best she could do was to text me a reference to a Wendy Liberatore article from the May 8, 2025, Times Union. She wrote:
You are deliberately being obtuse on this issue. Here is the quote from the Times Union and I know you’ve had this corroborate off the record,but that’s not good enough for you.
Times Union May 8: “On Tuesday, however, the mayor said at the City Council meeting that he was only in favor of incarceration if an unhoused person was not willing to get help from RISE after appearing in homeless court.”
Text from Madigan
The homeless court referred to is the Outreach Court presided over by Judge Francine Vero. This court exclusively deals with homeless persons who have committed some kind of violation or crime. The court’s goal is to link the defendants with RISE services rather than send them to jail. Unfortunately, it is not always possible for RISE to assist defendants. In a case on the day I observed the proceedings, the RISE representative told Judge Vero that her organization had tried to work with a person but without success, and therefore, a referral to them was not possible. Judge Vero then had no choice but to sentence the person to jail. The defendant has the right to refuse to work with RISE, but that would mean Judge Vero sentencing them to jail.
So Madigan’s claim that the TU reference she cites proves Mayor Safford believes that “incarceration is the best cure for our homeless ” is just bizarre and doesn’t make sense. Is Madigan critical of Judge Vero for resorting to sending people to jail who have committed some kind of crime, who, for some reason, RISE cannot help because this is exactly the process the TU quotes the Mayor being in favor of?
I don’t see how you get from the Times Union quote to the idea that Safford wants to just put all the homeless in jail. This quote does not support her claim that Safford is a heartless official who just wants to punish the homeless, yet this is the only evidence they have produced to support the theme being repeated by Madigan and her campaign.
For me, the best response to Madigan’s campaign came from her fellow Democratic Committee member, Patty Morisson.
I’ve been very quiet on this issue, sitting back and watching the misinformation. I did myself the favor of picking up the phone and asking Mayor Stafford his position as the word on the street is Mayor Stafford aligned with incarceration.
In our conversation I learned nothing could be further from the truth. In fact he wants to see more services available for those who are incarcerated for short intervals. They need help when they get out.
I’m not here to pick sides. I’m commenting because I don’t like when I know the truth and it’s not reported correctly. Call me principled, but the facts and truth matters to me.
The mayor is committed to providing housing and services that support long-term stability for our most vulnerable residents.
If you have any doubt please do us all a favor and call the Mayor yourself, and stop politicizing this topic. Thank you.
Patti Morrison responding to Michele Madigan and Gordon Boyd on Boyd’s Facebook Page
Blogger: You have repeatedly made accusations like this: “…our email that went out today calling out Mayor Safford for believing incarceration is the best cure for our homeless.” Can you cite where Safford has advocated jail over RISE or other services? And you wrote: “I mean I’m not the one who believes homeless should be incarcerated for at least thirty days so they’re forced into the county substance-abuse program, that would be Safford.” Could you cite supporting evidence that Safford advocated this?
Michele: Yes, the Times Union. You may also wanna call RISE. I have nothing more to say on the topic. It’s true he believes incarceration is the right way forward for our homeless. Thank you. Goodbye.
Blogger: Where in the Times Union? Please identify the date of the article. Do you have some document from RISE?
Michele: On Tuesday, however, the mayor said at the city council meeting that he was only in favor of incarceration if an unhoused person was not willing to get help from RISE after appearing in homeless court. RISE sent a letter to all elected officials about elected official believing incarceration of the homeless is the answer.
Blogger: There is nothing in the Times Union that says the mayor believes “incarderation is the best solution for the homeless.” No where in the RISE letter is this claim made. The mayor did observe that if a defendant in Vero’s court declines RISE services she will, if appropriate, sentence them to jail. This is a fact. This has nothing to do with promoting jail time over RISE.
Michele: That’s your opinion, thank you. What he s says is clear. You can talk to RISE for more info and ask them for the letter they sent to council. Wanting to lock people up because they refuse services also isn’t the answer.
I have long admired the work of Rise Housing and Supportive Services in addressing the needs of the most vulnerable in our community. I was stunned when Sybil Newell, the executive director of RISE, issued an ultimatum to the city on April 29, stating that unless the city committed to funding them in 2026, they would shutter their shelter on June 3. This is despite its contract with the city that runs until the end of 2025 and requires a sixty-day cancellation notice. Of course, June 3 is the day before the “Belmont Stakes Festival” begins in Saratoga Springs.
As observed by a May 10, 2025, Daily Gazette editorial, RISE was, in effect, weaponizing its clients. They also stumbled into a partisan mess, as evidenced by how Mayoral candidate Michele Madigan grabbed and abused the issue. (Madigan’s involvement in this matter will be covered in a future post)
Ms. Newell was not shy about why she chose June 3 to abruptly close the RISE shelter.
Sybil Newell, executive director of RISE, told the Gazette:
“…Newell said, deciding on a June 3 closure date was intentional in part because it wouldn’t potentially leave unhoused individuals scrambling during the winter months, but also because of the proximity to the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival and coverage of the event.”
Daily Gazette May 8, 2025
The optics of this are bad enough, but worse, it entangled RISE in Michele Madigan’s campaign for Mayor. Madigan has gone over the top, falsely attacking her opponent, current Mayor John Safford, through social media, accusing him of prioritizing jail rather than services for the homeless. Madigan’s intemperate and outlandish representations will damage her credibility and the mud-generated splatters on RISE.
As if all of this were not bad enough, RISE seemed oblivious to the city’s requirements set forth by its charter and procurement policies. These provisions guaranteed that their threat would fail to achieve their goal of obtaining a commitment from the city to fund them through 2026.
As Department of Public Works Commissioner Chuck Marshall observed, any pledge the city might make now to fund RISE in 2026 will not be enforceable.
The city charter requires that the city identify the funding for any item before it can be purchased or contracted for. This process is typically done through the budgeting process for the following year.
Section 4.4.13 of the city charter reads:
Payments prohibited.
It shall not be lawful for any City employee to incur or contract any expense or liability for or on behalf of the City, unless the Council has made an appropriation concerning such expenses. No payment shall be made or obligation incurred against any allotment or appropriation except and unless the Commissioner of Finance first certifies that sufficient funds are or will be available to cover the claim or meet the obligation when it becomes due and payable. Any authorization of payment or incurring of obligation in violation of the provisions of the Charter shall be void.
So, to be clear, the city cannot simply pass a resolution funding RISE for next year. The City Charter requires the Commissioner of Finance to certify that the city will have the funds to pay RISE for whatever amount they seek in 2026. At the May 6, 2025, City Council meeting, Mayor John Safford asked Finance Commissioner Minita Sanghvi if she could provide a guarantee.
At the Council table, Commissioner Sanghvi attempted to confuse the issue by reeling off all the income she thought (hoped?) the city would have next year to cover the cost of what RISE is asking for. Unfortunately for Sanghvi, when pressed by the Mayor on whether she could guarantee that the city would have the money in 2026 to fund RISE and meet the city’s other obligations, she admitted she could not give such an assurance.
Sanghvi’s response, as seen in this video from the meeting, is to oddly try to put words in the Mayor’s mouth, suggesting he doesn’t want to fund RISE in 2026. After admitting that he had said no such thing, she concedes that she will not be making any financial projections until she makes the budget in October.
In this second video, City Attorney Tony Izzo explains the charter provision.
In her letter on behalf of RISE, Sybil Newell wrote
Despite public declarations that addressing homelessness is a priority, it has since been made clear to RISE that the City either will not or cannot continue funding the Adelphi Street shelter past this year.
Sybil Newell April 29, 2025
I could find no public record of any of the Council members precluding funding for RISE for next year.
I spoke to Mayor Safford about this. He told me that he met with Ms. Newell and conceded that he expressed reservations to her about how much, if any, the city could fund RISE for next year.
Mayor Safford told me he was reluctant to commit for next year outside of the budgeting process because of his concerns. This is consistent with Commissioner Sanghvi’s unwillingness to certify that there is money until the budget for next year can be crafted.
RISE has a contract with the city that runs through 2025. Unfortunately, the contract has no renewal clause. Without such a clause, city purchasing practices require that when the contract ends, to continue the services, the city must issue a new Request For Proposals (RFP)to select a vendor competitively.
This means that the city cannot commit to RISE until it has published a Request for Proposals (RFP), received proposals from interested vendors, and selected a winner.
Making matters even more fraught, RISE’s lease for its current shelter location expires on December 31, 2025, and it does not contain a provision for a renewal. In fact, at the May 20 council meeting, Dillon told his colleagues that RISE would be unable to use its existing site next year. It would make no sense for the city to contract with RISE without some assurance that they have a secure location for next year.
So without:
the city cannot agree to RISE’s ultimatum. This blogger cannot understand why Ms. Newell would create this level of controversy and tension when any thoughtful analysis would have made clear her demands could not be met.
At the May 20 Saratoga Springs City Council meeting, Accounts Commissioner Dillon Moran announced that he had issued an RFP for an agency to operate a shelter for 2026. The worst-kept secret in the city is that the RFP is designed for RISE, but because an RFP is supposed to be competitive, Moran plays fast and loose in describing it.
The ten thousand pound guerrilla in the room is that RISE has no location to run a shelter after the end of this year. The RFP says that the city will select a location. Public Works Commissioner Chuck Marshall asks Dillon where this location is. The result of his question is classic Dillon Moran. Moran responds with a series of non-sequiturs and then simply tells Marshall the conversation is over. He never addresses Marshall’s question.
It is important to note that the city’s RFP, which has just been issued, has a response due date of June 10. Without a secured facility beyond December 31, how can RISE calculate the costs of maintaining a future facility? If there is rent, how much would that rent be? If they were to own a building, how much would it cost for electricity, heat, etc.? How can they submit a budget responding to the RFP with so many unknowns?
At the meeting, the Council members talked about working toward a solution, but no one stated that the city would agree to RISE’s demand to fund them in 2026.
Despite this, RISE claims a victory lap. It told the Saratogian:
“RISE extends our sincere gratitude to the City of Saratoga Springs for hearing our concerns and taking meaningful action at a critical moment,” RISE said in the release. “RISE is also appreciative of the community for standing behind this essential work. Together, we are shaping a more inclusive and compassionate future for all.”
Saratogian May 20, 2025
Representatives from the Mayor’s Department and the City Council have been meeting with representatives from RISE and Shelters of Saratoga (SOS) to try to develop a sustainable program for 2026 to meet the complex needs of the homeless. SOS has an agreement to provide emergency housing to the homeless in the winter as part of the Code Blue program. Code Blue was set up by the state following the death of a young woman in Saratoga Springs who died of exposure during a winter some years ago. Saratoga County has purchased land across from Market32 on Ballston Avenue for the SOS shelter. SOS has successfully raised money to build a facility on the land. The county has agreed to fund the operation during the winter using funds received from the state. The hope is to bring these two organizations together to develop a comprehensive solution that the Council can work with.
It pains me to criticize RISE. Their work is enormously important. I want them to continue this important work, especially with Judge Vero’s Outreach Court and their help in embedding peer to peer counselors with the police who interact with the homeless.
I encourage readers to look beyond this unfortunate business and to continue to support RISE. They have helped so many people recover their lives. They provide critical housing to an important population.
This is an excerpt from the May 19, 2025, Saratoga Springs City Council pre-agenda meeting. I don’t believe Accounts Commissioner Dillon Moran or Finance Commissioner Minita Sanghvi were serious about whether the city needs a local police department. This is just an example of how they can wander into the most bizarre stream of consciousness in their rush to question other city officials. It’s the “throw it at the wall and see if it sticks” level of critical discussion.
In this case, their comments were meant to pick at Public Safety Commissioner Tim Coll. Coll as always, never loses his cool and responds courteously.
The non-partisan organization One Saratoga held an event to meet their endorsed candidates for Saratoga Springs city offices at the Principessa Elena Society on Thursday, May 8, 2025 . The turnout was great.
Current Deputy Mayor and Candidate for Finance Commissioner JoAnne Kiernan, Sharon Dominguez, Dan Charleson, Deputy Commissioner of Public Safety
Former City Attorney Vince DeLeonardis , former Public Safety Commissioner Chris Mathiesen, former Mayor Meg Kelly
Chris Mathiesen and Joanna Zangrando
Candidate for Finance Commissioner JoAnne Kiernan addresses the attendees
Candidate for Commissioner of Accounts Jessica Troisi speaks
Jessica Troisi and Commissioner of Public Safety Tim Coll
Carol Joyce, Vince DeLeonardis, John Kaufmann
Commissioner of Public Safety Tim Coll addresses those gathered
One Saratoga treasurer Kathy Wilson and candidate and current Commissioner of Public Works Chuck Marshall
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According to their literature, “One Saratoga is a non-partisan coalition that wants the best-qualified people governing Saratoga Springs.” Their motto is “City before Party”. This year they have endorsed three registered Republicans, three registered Democrats, and one independent who is not registered in any party.
Their candidates are:
John Safford for Mayor
Chuck Marshall for Public Works Commissioner
JoAnne Kiernan for Finance Commissioner
Jessica Troisi for Accounts Commissioner
Tim Coll for Public Safety Commissioner
George Ehinger and Sarah Burger for the two County Supervisor seats
They are currently circulating petitions to get their candidates on the November ballot.
If you wish to know more about One Saratoga and their candidates go to their website at https://realonesaratoga.org or their face book page at facebook.com/RealOneSaratoga
For almost two years, Saratoga Springs Finance Commissioner Minita Sanghvi has wasted thousands of city dollars by failing to implement the software the city has purchased that would meet the New York State Attorney General’s key demand that the city properly archive text messages on the phones of city employees and officials.
This blog has covered Sanghvi’s mismanagement of the city’s IT Department extensively. In May of 2024, this blog published a post about Sanghvi’s chronic failure to implement much needed archiving software. Now, a year later, this problem just continues to drag on.
Mayor Ron Kim announced with great fanfare the purchase of software called SMARSH back in 2023. This software would capture all texts from city cell phones and save them in a manner that would make the archive of texts easily searchable. At the time the goal was to help address the city’s Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) requests backlog. The SMARSH software took on additional importance when in February, 2024, Attorney General Letitia James included in her report the recommendation that the city maintain records of city officials’ communications.
It has now been over a year and a half, and Commissioner Sanghvi, who oversees the city’s IT department, has been unable to implement the SMARSH software. That means the city spent $12,942.21 during a year when the software went unused.
At one point Sanghvi informed the Council that deployment of SMARSH was delayed because she was developing procedures and standards for archiving. The question is why would you purchase the software before establishing the standards necessary for its operation especially if that is going to take over a year and a half during which time the software goes unused.
In any case here, here is Sanghvi in February of 2024 (five months after the city purchased the software), strangely claiming falsely that the city is using the software.
It is unclear if the city renewed the contract with SMARSH when the contract was up last October as there are no public records that I could find regarding a renewal of this software.
If the contract was renewed in October of 2024, the city would have now spent over $20,000.00 so far with still nothing to show for that money.
It is quite extraordinary that Commissioner Sanghvi would allow something that, by her own statements urgently needs to be implemented, sit idle.
You would think Sanghvi would be embarrassed about this failure, but she seems oblivious.
Saratoga Springs Politics 