News Articles Raises Troubling Questions About The Developer.
Bob Moser who is identified as the owner of Morgan RV Resorts lives here in Saratoga Springs. His company Prime Group Holdings has offices in the Wise Building on Railroad Place.
As best as I can tell, Morgan RV Resorts, of which he was a principal, had offices here in Saratoga Springs on Putnam Street but seems to no longer exist. A google search produced this:
It appears that Morgan RV Resorts evolved into Morgan Vacation Resorts.
According to Seacoast On Line:
…Morgan RV Resorts of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., a business now called Morgan Recreation Vacations at its online website, morganrvresorts.com. In court records, Flagg’s is listed as a Delaware company, and in 2007, was among seven campgrounds Morgan used as collateral toward a $38 million loan from Countrywide Commercial Real Estate Finance Inc.
April 3, 2013
A Google search for Morgan Recreation Vacations did not produce a site.
You don’t have permission to access this resource.
I did find a number of articles searching “Morgan RV Resorts Litigation.”
Among the stories of Morgan RV Resorts legal problems was a story regarding litigation brought by Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakly in 2011 against the company.
Beginning in 2011 Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakly sued Morgan RV Resorts that had offices on Putnam Street here in Saratoga Springs. Coakley told the Cape Cod Times:
“This company took advantage of elderly customers and retirees who invested a significant amount of money in their homes.”
“It is difficult to believe that any business would try to strong arm people who worked and saved their entire lives so they could enjoy their golden years.”
Cape Code Times June 7, 2012
Here are links to two stories detailing the litigation and resulting settlement. Here and here.
The internal report from the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors entitled “Covid Pandemic Compensation” is out and it makes pretty good reading.
The report was crafted by a subcommittee of the County’s Human Resources & Insurance committee and was established to “investigate the decision making, implementation and communication of compensation during the Covid pandemic.” The authors are the same people who were responsible for the pay bonus fiasco so my expectations were quite low. In effect, the suspects were charged with determining their own culpability. The names will mean little to most people but for the record they are Supervisors Jack Lawler (R, Waterford), Alan Grattidge (R, Charlton), and Bill Peck (R, Northumberland).
While the report does not address key underlying issues about mismanagement, it nevertheless admits to errors while downplaying their importance or excusing them as unintentional.
The following are to me most interesting aspects of the report:
Supervisors Outraged and Surprised Over Raises? They knew all along.
I previously reported that in spite of Saratoga Supervisors Tara Gaston’s and Matt Veitch’s apparent outrage over the time and a half raises granted to “essential” county employees in the early days of the pandemic, the minutes of the key meetings and the text of the resolution documented that they in fact knew about them and knowingly voted to delegate the authority to implement them to a special committee. What I did not know was that in addition, prior to the Board of Supervisors meeting where the vote took place, the County Administrator, Spencer Hellwig, had sent the Supervisors an email that explicitly advised that the county was going to increases the salaries for employees by one and a half times. Here is the email.
Who Needs A Board Of Superviors? It turns out that the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors Instituted The Raises On His Own.
According to the report, on Sunday March 15 Chairman Preston Allen (R, Day) met with County Administrator Spencer Hellwig. It was decided that Allen would declare a State of Emergency for Saratoga County. The report states that “On Sunday, 3/15 Chairman Allen and Mr. Hellwig agree to implement the 1 1/2 rate compensation plan under the authority of the forthcoming Emergency Declaration.”
The next day, without authorization from anyone beyond themselves, Hellwig convenes an emergency meeting. “…at that time all department heads were told that all essential staff reporting to work would receive 1 1/2 times compensation for staffing purposes.” The report notes, “This is the first documented official statement to department heads on the issue of compensation.
In a case of extreme irony the report goes on to note “Also on the agenda was the instruction to reduce expenses.”
It was at this point that Hellwig sent out the email (above) advising the Supervisors that the county would be operating “at a reduced staffing level” effective March 16 and those working would be granted the one and a half times pay raise.
The authors of the internal report appear oblivious to questions, aside from the legality, of whether it is prudent for one person to assume the authority to establish a State of Emergency, implement a major reduction of staffing levels, and grant huge raises to those employees of the county still reporting to work.
That is correct, Chairman Preston Allen decided he would declare an emergency and then exercised his authority to grant massive pay raises.
Who Needs A Board of Supervisors? Like King Lear, they gave up their power.
Just to make things crystal clear that they were relinquishing their management responsibilities, the Supervisors, including Tara Gaston and Matthew Veitch, passed a resolution that delegated authority to a five person committee to determine future staffing at the county along with the salaries. The report documents how the resolution the Board of Supervisors passed established a committee comprised of the chairman of the Board of Supervisors, the Vice Chair, the Personnel and Insurance Committee Chair, the County Administrator and the Director of Human Resources.
In the introduction to the report the authors offer that “…for ease of reference this committee will be referred to as the Covid Committee.”
So the committee that was determining what the staffing of our county would be and what the compensation for county employees would be was so cavalierly instituted that it did not even have a name.
The authors of the report do not acknowledge that there was even an issue about wisdom of delegating this kind of authority to a committee of the Board of Supervisors.
Open Meetings Law? Who Cares?
In an earlier post I reported that I contacted the New York State Committee on Open Government who confirmed that because it was authorized to enact material decisions this new committee established by the Board was required to adhere to the Open Meetings Law.
Based on this report it appears that the Covid Committee failed to notify the public of any of its meetings, and it failed to make the meetings accessible to the public either by allowing attendance or broadcasting its meetings.
Apparently not only did the committee fail to post its minutes, it appears it didn’t even keep minutes. [JK: I am assuming that since the appendix of documents for this report included the minutes of two meetings of the full Board of Supervisors and the minutes of Law and Finance Committee, the lack of minutes of the “COVID Committee” was because there were none.]
Early on I emailed Supervisor Lawler, one of the authors of this report regarding the violation of the open meeting law. He wrote back that he would explore my concern and get back to me. He never got back to me. He was aware of the issue but obviously disregarded it as relevant to the investigation.
It is illegal to grant raises to elected officials: Who Cares?
Under New York State Municipal Law it is illegal to grant raises to elected officials during their current terms of office.
Nevertheless among those granted a time and a half raise by the “Covid committee” was the elected County Sherriff and the elected County District Attorney. The authors of the report acknowledge that municipal law barred these raises. What is lacking is any discussion as to how such a blunder could have been allowed to happen. It is not unreasonable to ask whether Mr. Dorsey, the County Attorney, failed to properly review the plan or whether Hellwig and Allen never requested his review.
Communications? A Matter Of Chance
The report chronicles chaos.
To their credit, the authors of this report honestly document that the county failed to provide many employees with information about the granting of the bonuses, the termination of the bonuses, and the clawing back of the bonuses.
It reports that on March 19, 2020, at 4:34 PM (yes, now they are very precise), Chad Cooke, Spencer Hellwig’s deputy, sent out an email to all department heads advising them that 1 1/2 times raises will continue for all employees reporting to work.
“At approximately 5:30 PM (a little less precise), one hour after Mr. Cooke’s email, the COVID Committee meets and eliminates 1 1/2 compensation for all essential staff other that those in the Command Center. Chad Cooke was unaware of this decision and therefore did not send a correction to his email that same day.”
“It was not until days later later that Mr. Cooke became aware of the Covid Committee’s decision to amend the plan.”
Bear in mind that Mr. Cooke is Mr. Hellwig’s deputy and that Mr. Hellwig was a member of the COVID committee and presumably attended the 5:30 PM meeting.
Again from the report:
“Another example of miscommunication was Mr. Hellwig’s 3/25 email to Supervisor Schopf erroneously advising him that all essential employees reporting to work were continuing to receive 1 1/2 compensation. Mr. Hellwig acknowledged the error in his subcommittee interview and attributed the error to the stress of the moment.“
The report includes the substance of an interview done by the authors of the report with County Administrator Hellwig, H.R. Director Marcy McNamara, and her deputy, Adam Kinowski (the son of Stillwater supervisor Ed Kinowski).
The authors report:
“While neither Mr. Hellwig nor Ms. McNamara could recall the specific date and circumstances, it was approximately on this date that the County Administrator, in consultation with the Covid Committee, directed HR to reclaim all 1 1/2 compensation that had been paid to Department and Deputy Department Heads, elected officials, employees of the County Administrator’s office and employees appointed by local law.”
It is very hard to make sense out of this. They could not remember when or how this decision was made, but it was somehow done in “consultation” with the COVID Committee– whatever that means. One would think a decision such as this would require a formal vote by the committee, but once again there seem to be no minutes of their meetings and thus no written record of how and by whom this decision was made.
According to the report, Marcy McNamara then informed the heads of the three unions that would be affected by their decision. She didn’t bother to notify all the other employees who work for the county. This would include all the non-union employees of which there are apparently many.
An innocent might expect that if the Human Resources Department was going to dock significant moneys from employees checks that they would send out a notice to all employees advising them of this. It does not seem prudent to simply rely on the heads of the unions to get this information out for such an important notice. While the report sees no problem with notifying union employees by speaking to each union’s representative, it did concede that all the other people should have been informed as well.
The report chronicles interviews with a number of department heads in which they relate that the first notification of the docking of pay occurred when they looked at their checks.
“Ms. Haggen (the Saratoga County D.A.) said that she had no advance notice that the county would be reclaiming the 1 1/2 compensation paid to department heads and deputy department heads in the paycheck received on 4/9.”
Drew Blumenberg, the head of the Public Defenders’ Department told the committee, “He further stated that he was surprised, but not upset, that the additional 1 1/2 compensation was subsequently reclaimed in his next paycheck on 4/9.” “Mr. Blumenberg stated that he was not informed that the funds would be reclaimed from his paycheck.“
“Mr. Bayle (director of the Probation Department) said that he had no prior knowledge that 1 1/2 compensation received in his 3/26 paycheck would be subsequently reclaimed from his 4/9 paycheck and was surprised to see that it had been done.”
There are more similar stories but I think this covers it.
Essential Workers? For The County A Meaningless Term
Previously I quoted from an email that County Administrator Hellwig sent to all Supervisors prior to the controversial full board meeting that authorized the establishment of the so-called Covid Committee. He wrote:
“I would add that this action will come with time and a half pay for essential staff.”
The report never really clarifies what was meant by the term “essential staff” but in reading this report it appears to have meant those who were physically coming into work.
While Spencer Hellwig assured the authors of this report that the county continually monitored to insure the proper people were paid, the reader will pardon my skepticism. Many employees continued to work for the county remotely, some I assume worked from home but had to go into their offices from time to time. Given the documented failure to properly inform employees of the terms of the bonuses it appears unclear (improbable?) whether a rigorous system was established to distinguish those employees reporting physically to work and those working remotely.
This skepticism is reinforced by the debacle that occurred when H.R. Director Marcy McNamara was asked to provide just a list of who was receiving time and a half in the “Command Center”.
The report states:
“At this meeting the Committee also discussed a request from Supervisors for a list of employees receiving 1 1/2 compensation. Per Ms. McNamara, that request had not been met due to ongoing difficulties is (sic) securing copies of the daily sign in sheet for employees working in the Command Center and the payroll coding used for employees working in the command center.”
So, one might ask, what system existed for distinguishing employees working from home with those who report to work? How did H.R. handle those staff who predominantly worked remotely but sometimes came on site?
The Amazing Power Of Marcy MacNamara, the county Human Resources Director
The COVID Committee meets on March 19 as public backlash develops over the time and a half compensation plan.
At that meeting the committee reverses its decision on raises and restricts these raises to just the Command Center. The committee “…directs Ms. McNamara to consider alternatives to 1 1/2 compensation and to discuss those alternatives with union representatives.”
“Ms. McNamara telephoned the union representatives to advise them that 1 1/2 was ending effective 3/19/20 and to discuss 4 hours of PT (personal time) for each day an essential employee reported for work. This information was not immediately communicated to the BOS (Board of Supervisors).”
It is not clear whether the PT was to be granted retroactively to cover the days that had been compensated with time and a half. It is also not clear whether this benefit is still in effect and if so for whom.
On March 25 the COVID Committee meets and “reaffirms” the decision to pay the “Command Center” 1 1/2 times compensation and the other employees the 4 hours per day personal time.
The authors own analysis of Ms. McNamara’s role is instructive.
In the FAQ section they asked: When and By Whom Was the Decision Made to Offer PT (personal time) to all essential staff?
The answer:
The subcommittee’s interview with members of the Covid-19 Committee indicates the decision to consider alternative compensation in lieu of 1 1/2 compensation was made by the committee at their initial meeting of 3/19. The committee directed Ms. McNamara to consider and discuss alternatives with the union representatives.
Report
Consider and discuss alternatives? Does that sound to the reader like a decision? I think this question and answer pretty much sums up the vacuum that existed in terms of thoughtful and carefully planned action. Petty details about whether personal time for a bonus was appropriate and if so, how much was apparently something that could be delegated to Marcy McNamara. I don’t call that either a decision or the answer to the FAQ question.
Putting In Perspective The Personal Time bonuses
County employees work a thirty-five hour week. So if they show up to work they are granted more than half a work day in time off as a bonus under the new compensation plan adopted by the Covid Committee. I would call that a huge bonus. I guess the logic was that rather than the additional half of their pay, they are getting an additional half of their work day in time off instead.
On April 8 the Covid Committee switches the Command Center staff from time and a half compensation to the daily four hours of PT .
The report includes a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions). It explicitly addresses the question “When exactly did the 1 1/2 compensation end?” Conspicuously missing is the question of when did the personal time benefit end or has it?
As far as I can determine most of the employees in the “command center” are still receiving this benefit.
One has to wonder what the impact on overtime may be in the future to meet the county’s staffing needs? An employee appearing for work (that is the standard– not completing a days work) during the twenty-two week days in the month of April would be eligible to take eleven days off in the future in addition to whatever personal, sick, vacation days they are already entitled to.
If they showed up for work every day for the months of May and June as well, on July 1 they would have accrued thirty-three personal days. That calculates to six and a half weeks of additional time off.
It adds up.
H.R. Director Attempts To Explain Her False Claim That The State and Other Municipalities Were Paying Time and A Half To Essential Employees
At the March 17 meeting of the Board of Supervisors Law and Finance Committee, Marcy McNamara was asked whether the state and other municipalities were paying time and a half to essential employees. She told the Board that yes they were.
The report attempts to explain this misinformation as follows:
Ms. McNamara specifically mentioned during the meeting that the City of Saratoga Springs and the Towns of Milton, Greenfield, and Wilton were planning to offer 1 1/2 compensation. Ms. McNamara responded that there was a miscommunication with Mayor Kelly and Administrator Hellwig. She said that she was apparently unclear in her question regarding plans to pay 1 1/2 compensation. She intended to ask if these municipalities were intending to pay 1 1/2 for every hour worked and now realizes that the responses she received were 1 1/2 rate would be paid for overtime. Ms. McNamara did point out that Washington County, Delaware County and Wayne County approved a 1 1/2 compensation plan and the town of Wilton did the same for some highway employees.”
Supervisor Report
So coincidentally, all four municipalities misunderstood her and thought she was simply asking about their regular overtime policy? Apparently the authors of the report didn’t see the need to pursue her confusion about New York State employees who she also incorrectly stated were receiving time and a half extra pay.
Supervisor Kusnierz, the person who asked Ms. McNamara the original question about the state and other municipalities, called for Ms. McNamara to resign at the March 27, 2020, Board of Supervisors meeting.
Interestingly, in the supporting documents to the report is an email exchange involving Kusnierz and McNamara.
Ms. McNamara wrote to the Board on March 26 (the day before Kusnierz called for her to resign) that any requests directed to the Human Resources Department by Kusnierz now be addressed to the County Administrator, the County Board Chair, or the County Attorney. She notes, “I have never made a request like this during my professional career.”
She assert that:
Supervisor Kusnierz has been extremely offensive and retaliatory during our recent conversations.
The issue of “additional pay” is not as simple as it would seem on its face. In addition to labor relations, there are numerous State and Federal regulations that need to be considered. We have been adjusting the payroll daily to balance these factors.
I value my relationship with all of you and am available whenever to discuss the details. You can reach me in my office or at anytime on my cell phone.
Marcy McNamara
Not to be out done, Supervisor Kusnierz, responded to her:
As a separate matter, since you brought up your job performance in relation to COVID19, I would be happy to discuss your job performance prior to the outbreak as well with any and all.
Regards,
Todd
Supervisor Kusnierz
An interesting note about Ms. McNamara is that she has hired two sons of sitting Supervisors as her deputy during her tenure
The Saratoga County Deputy Sheriffs’ Police Benevolent Association Declines to Play
One of the supporting documents to the report is an email from the consulting agency representing the county’s sheriffs.
He asserts that:
The statement that this union was advised that the time and a half rate of compensation for all hours worked by members of this union would cease on March 19th, 2020 is factually incorrect.
Secondly, on advice from our counsel, we respectfully decline the invitation to discuss COVID19 labor management relations for purposes of an internal investigation due to potential litigation arising out of this issue. We will consider providing that information if, and when, requested by the outside counsel/investigation of E. Stewart Jones Hacker Murphy LLC.
Dan Sisto, Kairos Consulting LLC
It is interesting that they summarily dismiss cooperating with the “internal investigation” but are open to cooperating with the “independent investigation.”
The Authors of the Report Do Make Some Recommendations
Meeting minutes of all committee and subcommittee meetings should be kept contemporaneously during the meeting to clearly document proceedings and actions taken.
I assume this substantiates my assumption that the Covid Committee did not bother to keep minutes and under scrutiny Allen, Hellwig, et al had to reconstruct what they thought happened.
With respect, what does it say that the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors and the County Administrator needed to be urged to implement something like this.
2. The County Administrator, in consultation with the HR Committee, should create procedures for communicating with all county employees during emergencies.
Again, does the County Administrator really need to be told this as a recommendation?
3. HR took responsibility for payroll from the Treasurers Office in March 2019. Through the interviews the subcommittee noted confusion regarding payroll practice. The subcommittee recommends that consideration be given to training the HR Director, the Deputy Director, and appropriate staff on best practices and payroll laws.
Again, does the Human Resources Director of an organization the size of our county need to be made aware of this need?
4. The subcommittee takes no position on the disposition of the issue, but does recommend that the BOS consider what, if any, actions it should take regarding the failure to comunicate the decision to reclaim 1 1/2 compensation from department and deputy department heads. It should be noted that every department head interviewed indicated that they did not want this extra compensation.
One of the items missing from this report is an explicit identification of who was responsible for the failure to properly notify the employees. It seems axiomatic that the Director of Human Resources was culpable and some might well include the County Administrator.
For an “internal investigation” the lack of identifying who should be accountable seems like a glaring omission.
No One Will Be Held Accountable
I always find it amusing when self described conservatives rail about the permissiveness of liberals but when it comes to disciplining their own their standards go into free fall.
This was a massive, self inflicted, debacle. One might find some sympathy for someone like Marcy McNamara who was apparently totally over her head in trying to cope with all of this. I have to feel less sympathetic, however, knowing that she has twice hired the sons of Supervisors as her deputies suggesting that she is in this position more because she is smart enough to engage in crude patronage rather than because she is a competent administrator who hires staff based on merit.
Is it any wonder how badly administered our county is when this kind of self dealing is business as usual?
In her July 9, 2020, Times Union story on the termination of Karen Gregory by Shelters of Saratoga (SOS), Wendy Liberatore wrote:
Exit interviews of former employees who were spoken to [Emphasis added] before Gregory left in late June describe her leadership as hostile, confrontational and unprofessional, according to copies of the documents the Times Union downloaded after they were published on https://www.saratoga-springs.org earlier this week.
Liberatore, July 11, 2020 Times Union
The downloaded documents do not support what Ms. Liberatore asserts. There is nothing in the documents that shows that the employees were actually “spoken to.” The documents are simply printouts of questionnaires sent out to persons who had left employment at SOS during the previous year and a half.
An unsuspecting reader of her story would have assumed that the employees were actually interviewed when they left the agency as they would be in a proper program designed to explore why employees leave an organization
What Is An Exit Interview?
The exit interview is a tool used by organizations to determine why employees are leaving them. Used properly it explores whether weaknesses in the organization’s operation may have contributed to unnecessary attrition.
The website Entrepreneur has a helpful discussion about the value of exit interviews.
Exit interviews are prime opportunities to figure out why someone is leaving your organization. (If you’re firing someone, of course, you don’t need to know why they’re leaving, so exit interviews aren’t necessary in this case. [JK: emphasis added]) Effective exit interviews can help improve your bottom line by reducing turnover and the associated costs of hiring and training new employees. Bear in mind, too, that nobody is likely to speak more candidly and knowledgeably about you and your company’s failings than an employee who knows what’s going on and has nothing to lose by talking. You may get some important tips about the problems and issues that are causing your employees to leave.
Entrepereneur
The SOS survey included at least one person who had been fired.
The article concludes that a questionnaire can be part of the process but it states “Finally, have a face-to-face or phone meeting the final day.”
I do not understand why SOS all of a sudden decided to go back to the past and send surveys to past employees rather than work to design a professional procedure to be used with employees leaving the agency going forward.
Given the documented problems with the termination of the executive director, it does not seem unfair to speculate that sending out a survey to past employees was a fishing expedition.
It is a testimony to the ineptitude of the SOS board that their survey didn’t even produce results that a reasonable person would consider sufficient grounds for summary termination. The survey only produced twelve returns. Of the twelve, only four were critical of Ms. Gregory. Two were actually positive and six reported they left to return to school or were fearful of infection by the virus.
I incorrectly reported the Payroll Protection Program loan would be forgiven if they used it to pay employees. A reader wrote to me that they are allowed to use the money to pay for additional items such as rent, utilities, etc. The requirement was originally that they use 75% of the money for payroll. It was subsequently reduced to 60%.
This is a list of local companies that received money from the Federal Payroll Protection Program.
It is important to note that this money did not go into the pockets of the owners of these companies. In order for these to be grants, the moneys must go to pay the salaries of employees.
LoanRange
BusinessName
Address
b $2-5 million
FINGERPAINT MARKETING INC
395 Broadway
b $2-5 million
FOUR WINDS OF SARATOGA, INC.
30 Crescent Avenue 0.0
b $2-5 million
PRIME GROUP HOLDINGS AND AFFILIATES
85 Railroad Pl
b $2-5 million
THE CHURCH AID OF THE PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH
390 Church St
c $1-2 million
AIROSMITH DEVELOPMENT
318 West Avenue
c $1-2 million
BONACIO CONSTRUCTION, INC.
18 Division Street Suite 401
c $1-2 million
INBOX HOLDINGS, INC.
19 RAILROAD PL STE 204
c $1-2 million
INTEGRATED STAFFING CORPORATION
463 Maple Ave
c $1-2 million
SARATOGA MOTORS INC.
3402 ROUTE 9 PO Box 797
c $1-2 million
STAT STAFF PROFESSIONALS, INC
18 Division Street Suite 311
d $350,000-1 million
ADELPHI HOTEL PARTNERS LLC
365 BROADWAY
d $350,000-1 million
AGILIS DELIVERY INC.
26F Congress St
d $350,000-1 million
AGROCHEM, INC.
26 FREEDOM WAY
d $350,000-1 million
ALLERDICE BUILDING SUPPLY, INC.
41 WALWORTH ST
d $350,000-1 million
B & B PLUMBING, INC
18 DIVISION ST
d $350,000-1 million
B TRIBE REALTY DEVELOPMENT, LL
54 Seward St.
d $350,000-1 million
BRANDXADS INC
60 Railroad Pl Ste. 203
d $350,000-1 million
CAMOIN ASSOCIATES, INC.
120 West Ave – Suite 303
d $350,000-1 million
CHRIS R BARKYOUMB AND HILLCRES
217 EDIE RD
d $350,000-1 million
CONBOY & MANNION CONTRACTING, INC
36 Philia Street, Suite 1
d $350,000-1 million
DAVID LEIGH LLC
408 BROADWAY
d $350,000-1 million
DEATH WISH COFFEE COMPANY LLC
260 Broadway
d $350,000-1 million
DRUTHERS BREWING COMPANY, INC.
381 BROADWAY
d $350,000-1 million
EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS, INC.
500 UNION AVE
d $350,000-1 million
FADEN ENTERPRISES, INC.
29 LIZ ANN DR
d $350,000-1 million
GARNET RIVER LLC
60 RAILROAD PL STE 501
d $350,000-1 million
HANEHAN FAMILY DAIRY, LLC
340 County Route 68
d $350,000-1 million
LEMERY GREISLER LLC
50 RAILROAD PL
d $350,000-1 million
LOGISTICS ONE TRANSPORT INC
33 CADY HILL BLVD
d $350,000-1 million
LOGISTICS ONE WAREHOUSING INC
33 CADY HILL BLVD
d $350,000-1 million
M KLETTER DMD & A LEVINE DDS, PC
286 CHURCH ST
d $350,000-1 million
MAG AUTOMOTIVE HOLDINGS OF SARATOGA, LLC
3002 ROUTE 50
d $350,000-1 million
MEGAMACS VII OF SARATOGA, INC.
50 SEWARD ST
d $350,000-1 million
MILLENNIUM MEDICAL IMAGING P.C.
188 CHURCH ST
d $350,000-1 million
MILLS ENTERTAINMENT LLC
468 BROADWAY
d $350,000-1 million
MIRBEAU OF RHINEBECK LLC
433 Broadway Suite 203
d $350,000-1 million
NEMER TRANSPORTATION OF LLC
617 Maple Ave
d $350,000-1 million
PRIME AT SARATOGA NATIONAL, LLC
458 UNION AVE
d $350,000-1 million
R.M. DALRYMPLE COMPANY INC
15 Gracemoore Rd
d $350,000-1 million
SARATOGA IMPORTS, INC.
3002 New York 50
d $350,000-1 million
SARATOGA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
108 AVENUE OF THE PNES
d $350,000-1 million
SARATOGA SPRING WATER COMPANY
11 Geyser Road
d $350,000-1 million
SHADE TREE ADVISORS LLC
268 Broadway Suite 101
d $350,000-1 million
SYRACUSE GC, INC
17 OLD GICK RD
d $350,000-1 million
THE GUYSON CORPORATION OF USA
13 Grande Blvd
d $350,000-1 million
THE LA GROUP LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AND ENGINEERING, P.C.
40 Long Alley
d $350,000-1 million
TRANSITIONAL SERVICES ASSOCIATION INC.
127 UNION ST
d $350,000-1 million
TURBINE SERVICES LTD
41 Old Gick Road
d $350,000-1 million
UPSTATE TRANSIT OF SARATOGA, LLC
207 Geyser Road
d $350,000-1 million
VAN JAN CABARETS, INC.
123 MAPLE AVE
d $350,000-1 million
WEST SIDE MANAGEMENT OF SARATOGA, LLC
18 DIVISION ST
e $150,000-350,000
ALBANY INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
PO Box 3549
e $150,000-350,000
ALCOHOL AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE PREVENTION COUNCIL, INC.
125 HIGH ROCK AVE
e $150,000-350,000
ASCENT WEALTH PARTNERS, LLC
16 Lake ave
e $150,000-350,000
BALZER + TUCK ARCHITECTURE PLLC
468 BROADWAY
e $150,000-350,000
BBYRNE DMD PLLC
454 MAPLE AVE
e $150,000-350,000
BOXLEY’S SERVICES, INC
22 Westbury Drive
e $150,000-350,000
BRAIDWOODS LLC
252 Chestnut Ridge Rd
e $150,000-350,000
BRYAN & NATE KING INC
465 MAPLE AVE
e $150,000-350,000
CAPITAL DISTRICT PROPERTIES, LLC
8 Paddocks Circle
e $150,000-350,000
CAPITAL INDEX CORPORATION
12 HILLCREST LN
e $150,000-350,000
CHURCH STREET RESTAURANT ASSOCIATES OF SARATOGA, LLC
15 CHURCH ST
e $150,000-350,000
CLASSICAL CONCEPTS SALON AND S
323 BROADWAY
e $150,000-350,000
CRITERIUM INC
358 BROADWAY
e $150,000-350,000
CUDNEY’S LAUNDERERS & DRY CLEANERS, INC
5 ALETTA ST
e $150,000-350,000
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE & RAPE CRISIS SERVICES OF SARATOGA COUNTY
480 BROADWAY
e $150,000-350,000
DZ RESTAURANTS, INC
63 Putnam Street
e $150,000-350,000
ECS PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES, P.C.
210 Church St
e $150,000-350,000
ELAN PLANNING, DESIGN, & LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE, PLLC
18 DIVISION ST Suite 304
e $150,000-350,000
ELAN PLANNING, LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AND ENGINEERING, DPC
18 DIVISION ST
e $150,000-350,000
EMPIRE MEDIA NETWORK INC
422 Broadway
e $150,000-350,000
FITCH BROS LTD
19 CAROLINE ST
e $150,000-350,000
FOURSTARDAVE, LLC
18 DIVISION ST
e $150,000-350,000
G. L. SARATOGA, INC.
185 BALLSTON AVE
e $150,000-350,000
GALARNEAU BUILDERS, INC.
526 MAPLE AVE
e $150,000-350,000
GCP SARATOGA, LLC
125 South Broadway
e $150,000-350,000
GREENFIELD MANUFACTURING INC.
25 FREEDOM WAY
e $150,000-350,000
HIGH ROCK TELEVISION, INC
393 Church Street
e $150,000-350,000
HILLCREST TRUCKING & STORAGE INC
217 Edie Road
e $150,000-350,000
JAGDAMBA II CORP
17 OLD GICK RD
e $150,000-350,000
JAGDAMBA III CORP
17 OLD GICK RD
e $150,000-350,000
JAGDAMBA INC
17 OLD GICK RD
e $150,000-350,000
JAGDAMBA V, INC.
17 OLD GICK RD
e $150,000-350,000
JAGDAMBA VI, INC
17 OLD GICK RD
e $150,000-350,000
JBA RESTAURANT CORPORATION
45 PHILA ST
e $150,000-350,000
JOHN C. HERZOG, DO, PLLC
31 Myrtle St.
e $150,000-350,000
JOLT CONSULTING GROUP, LLC
112 SPRING ST Suite 301
e $150,000-350,000
JOSEPH E. MATRIANNI, INC.
11 Federal Street
e $150,000-350,000
KENNEDY PROPERTY MAINTENANCE LLC
201 Maple Ave
e $150,000-350,000
KUMLANDER, DONOFRIO, HAY & PEHL, CPAS, LLP
2715 Route 9, Suite 101
e $150,000-350,000
LEGACY TITLE SERVICES, LLC
18 Division St
e $150,000-350,000
LOGISTICS ONE BROKERAGE INC
33 CADY HILL BLVD
e $150,000-350,000
LOGISTICS ONE INC
33 CADY HILL BLVD
e $150,000-350,000
M. T. MINOGUE INC.
16 WEST AVE
e $150,000-350,000
M.S. SENECA LLC
17 DIVISION ST
e $150,000-350,000
MCGREGOR MEDICAL – GEORGE KNAPP DBA
520 MAPLE AVE
e $150,000-350,000
MEGAMACS INC.
50 SEWARD ST
e $150,000-350,000
MICHAEL R. PHINNEY, ARCHITECT, PLLC
142 Grand Ave
e $150,000-350,000
MIRBEAU HOSPITALITY SERVICES LLC
433 Broadway Suite 203
e $150,000-350,000
MONTGOMERY INNOVATION PARTNERS AND ASSOCIATES
29 Ashleigh Lane
e $150,000-350,000
N H PLAY.COM, INC.
11 MAGNOLIA DR
e $150,000-350,000
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF RACING
191 Union Ave
e $150,000-350,000
NICHOLAS JAMES CHAUVIN DDS PC
403 LAKE AVE
e $150,000-350,000
NORTHEAST DINING & LODGING INC
17 OLD GICK RD
e $150,000-350,000
ON CALL, LLC
99 Walworth St
e $150,000-350,000
OSTERIA DANNY LLC
26 Henry Street
e $150,000-350,000
PANZA HOSPITALITY GROUP, LLC
129 South Broadway
e $150,000-350,000
POMPA BROS., INC.
5 PETRIFIED GARDENS RD
e $150,000-350,000
POUGHKEEPSIE GC INC
17 OLD GICK RD
e $150,000-350,000
PRIME CONSTRUCTION SERVICES LLC
85 railroad place
e $150,000-350,000
PRIME STORAGE SHETLAND
85 Railroad Pl
e $150,000-350,000
PULMONARY PHYSICIANS OF SARATOGA LLP
59 Myrtle Street Suite 300
e $150,000-350,000
PUTNAM MARKET, INC.
431 BROADWAY
e $150,000-350,000
ROOT CANAL EXPERTS DMD’S PC
18 DIVISION STREET SUITE 411
e $150,000-350,000
SALT & CHAR SARATOGA LLC
353 BROADWAY
e $150,000-350,000
SARATOGA ARMS., LTD
497 BROADWAY
e $150,000-350,000
SARATOGA ASSOCIATES LANDSCAPE
21 Congress Street Suite 201
e $150,000-350,000
SARATOGA CENTER FOR THE FAMILY
359 BALLSTON AVE
e $150,000-350,000
SARATOGA COUNTY ORAL & MAXILLOFACIAL SURGERY ASSOCIATES, PLLC
4 Care Lane
e $150,000-350,000
SARATOGA DENTAL CARE, PLLC
75 Weibel Ave 0
e $150,000-350,000
SARATOGA HOSPITALITY
466 BROADWAY
e $150,000-350,000
SARATOGA HOSPITALITY @ GAFFNEYS
16 CAROLINE STREET
e $150,000-350,000
SARATOGA INDEPENDENT SCHOOL
459 Lake Avenue
e $150,000-350,000
SARATOGA NATIONAL GOLF CLUB, INC.
458 Union Ave
e $150,000-350,000
SARATOGA OPTOMETRIC ASSOCIATES LLC
235 Washington Street
e $150,000-350,000
SHELTERS OF SARATOGA INC.
14 WALWORTH ST
e $150,000-350,000
SPA HOTEL II, LLC
11 EXCELSIOR AVE
e $150,000-350,000
SPA HOTEL, LLC
295 EXCELSIOR AVE
e $150,000-350,000
SPERRY’S RESTAURANT GROUP, LLC
30 1/2 CAROLINE ST
e $150,000-350,000
SQH INC
110 EXCELSIOR AVE
e $150,000-350,000
ST. CLEMENT’S REGIONAL CATHOLIC SCHOOL
231 LAKE AVE
e $150,000-350,000
STONE INDUSTRIES, LLC
4305 ROUTE 50
e $150,000-350,000
TEAKWOOD BUILDERS, INC.
75 CHURCH ST
e $150,000-350,000
TECH II BUSINESS SERVICES INC
2914 ROUTE 50
e $150,000-350,000
TESSA LEIGH LLC
430 BROADWAY
e $150,000-350,000
THE CORPORATION OF YADDO
312 UNION AVE
e $150,000-350,000
THE LOCAL 3 LLC
142 GRAND AVE
e $150,000-350,000
THE STADIUM CAFE ON BROADWAY,
112 CONGRESS ST
e $150,000-350,000
THOROUGHBRED RETIREMENT FOUNDATION, INC.
10 LAKE AVE
e $150,000-350,000
THREE GROUP HOLDINGS INC
18 Division St Suite 409
e $150,000-350,000
TOWN & COUNTY BRIDGE AND RAIL, INC.
7 Laura Ln
e $150,000-350,000
TURF PARILLO LLC
25 Lake Avenue
e $150,000-350,000
TURF PIONEER SOUTH BROADWAY LLC
3368 ROUTE 9
e $150,000-350,000
TURNING POINT DAIRY LLC
229 COUNTY ROUTE 67
e $150,000-350,000
UNCOMMON GROUNDS COFEE & TEA,
402 BROADWAY
e $150,000-350,000
VALOGIX LLC
27 Division St Suite 2
e $150,000-350,000
W J MORRIS EXCAVATING INC
210 OLD GICK RD
e $150,000-350,000
WALDORF SCHOOL OF SARATOGA SPRINGS
122 REGENT ST
e $150,000-350,000
WEST POINT THOROUGHBREDS INCORPORATED
2 SMITH BRIDGE RD
e $150,000-350,000
WHITMAN BREWING COMPANY, LLC
20 LAKE AVENUE
e $150,000-350,000
WILTON EMERGENCY SQUAD, INC.
1 HARRAN LN
e $150,000-350,000
WITT CONSTRUCTION, INC.
563 BROADWAY
e $150,000-350,000
WOW RESTAURANTS INC
440 BROADWAY
e $150,000-350,000
ZINTER HANDLING INC.
4313 ROUTE 50
and 953 companies/individuals received less than $150K
[JK: This story involves three articles written by Wendy Liberatore that appeared in the Times Union newspaper on June 30, July 9, July 11]
Karen Gregory who had been the executive director of Shelters of Saratoga (SOS), was summarily terminated in a manner that raises serious questions about the competence and ethics of the SOS board of directors.
The recent coverage by the Times Union raises additional questions about the role played by Supervisor Tara Gaston in this unfortunate business.
The board of SOS declined an inquiry by Ms. Liberatore regarding the basis for Ms. Gregory’s termination, but the article asserts that Ms. Gregory was terminated for two reasons.
“…those who are close to the situation say that Gregory…was dismissed…because of her poor working relationship with staff as well as officials in Saratoga County government, which funds its Cold [sic] Blue winter shelter.”
TU June 30, 2020
Supervisor Gaston is the only cited source for the article, and she is quoted extensively. Gaston has been a regular source for Wendy Liberatore and has a history of conflict with both Gregory and Mayor Kelly in Liberatore stories.
Gaston met with the executive committee of the SOS board on at least one occasion as part of their inquiry leading to Ms. Gregory’s termination. It is more than a bit disingenuous for Liberatore to present Gaston as entirely ignorant of the events as she does when she writes that Supervisor Gaston didn’t “… know what happened with Gregory, but she is hoping her predecessor [sic] will work with the county” and quotes Gaston as saying “‘I assume the board made the best decision for them as a board as a whole.’”
In fact, in this article Liberatore repeats the thoroughly debunked narrative promoted by Gaston that “By not working with the county, Gregory lost her opportunity for FEMA reimbursement” for expenses related to housing the homeless in the Saratoga Springs Holiday Inn.
In earlier posts I have documented that this story, promoted by Supervisor Gaston and reported on by Wendy Liberatore, is grossly inaccurate. This narrative portrays Supervisor Gaston and the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors as champions of the homeless frustrated by the intransigence of Ms. Gregory and Mayor Kelly.
It fails to acknowledge that Ms. Gregory entreated both the Saratoga County Commissioner of Social Services (the welfare department) and the Director of the County Health Department to assist in housing the homeless early on. Ms. Gregory was told by both that they could not provide help except to persons with confirmed cases of the virus. I would remind the readers that this is the same county government that also exploited the pandemic by awarding hundreds of thousands of tax dollars to its employees as time and a half bonuses. Saratoga County apparently easily found the discretionary money to dramatically increase the pay to many working for the county including some of its top administrators but was unwilling to spend money to house the homeless safely during a pandemic
To site “….a poor working relationship….with officials in Saratoga County…” as a reason for Ms. Gregory to be summarily terminated from her job as director of SOS makes no sense. It would be more fitting to terminate the employment of those at the county who continually refuse to address the needs of the most neediest amongst us and those on the County Board of Supervisors who oversee and condone this practice.
The SOS Board’s Termination Of Gregory Is Tainted By A Broken Process
I admire people who volunteer to serve on community boards. They donate their time to causes they believe in.
This however does not absolve them of the responsibility to oversee their respective organizations in a professional manner.
Poorly trained boards are prone to capricious actions and gross mismanagement because informality invites trouble.
I have been told by a number of sources that Karen Gregory’s termination consisted of a brief telephone call and a followup email.
Ms. Gregory was never afforded even the most minimal opportunity to address the allegations that resulted in her termination as far as I can determine.
That’s right. The board’s “deliberations” did not include seeking Ms. Gregory’s responses.
The evidence for the allegations about her problematic management style came from a survey of past employees done using Survey Monkey.
In a July 9, 2020 article, Ms. Liberatore reported that the TU had secured a copy of the employee questionnaires. Apparently, in error, the surveys were uploaded to the Saratoga Springs city website. They remained there for four days before the mistake was uncovered and the surveys were taken down. She writes:
While some of those interviewed [JK: They were not “interviewed.” They responded to a survey designed by a member of the SOS board] cited the pandemic and returns to school as reasons for leaving, four of those interviewed said Gregory’s leadership style drove them away.
Liberatore article of July 9, 2020
Bear in mind that according to the TU, the survey went out only to past employees. According to the Times Union the survey had only twelve responses and of those only four were critical.
Even assuming that the criticisms in these four responses are true, they come from “ex-employees”, and while they merit investigation should not in and of themselves be the basis of immediate, summary termination. As someone who has been a manager (I was the executive director of the Saratoga County Economic Opportunity Council for sixteen years) these responses illustrate why information like this is better gathered in structured face to face exit interviews where issues can be explored more extensively rather than web based surveys.
The article also reports:
Not everyone disliked Gregory. Two former employees referred to her kindly with one saying “I love working with Karen” while another said that they were happy Karen was available for the team training.
Times Union July 19, 2020
So apparently one of the two reasons Ms. Gregory was terminated was because four of the twelve past employees who responded to a survey were harshly critical of her. We have no idea what the history of these employees is. For example, we do not know if they voluntarily left the agency or were terminated for cause.
The only way I could understand such a minimal number of complaints requiring the summary termination of Ms. Gregory would be if she had been accused of something egregious. Things like sexual harassment, discrimination based on race or gender, or documented theft could merit such an extreme board action but this was not the case.
What I cannot fathom was that the board did not responsibly investigate these complaints properly which would have included discussing them with Ms. Gregory.
As someone who was the executive director of an agency and who has served on boards, I find all of this simply stunning. It raises fundamental questions about the competence of the people involved.
I wrote to Peter Capazzola who is the president of the SOS board. I asked him whether it was true that the board had not allowed Ms. Gregory a formal venue to address the allegations against her. I also asked for a copy of the SOS personnel policies. I noted in my inquiry that I was not asking about the particulars of why she was terminated which would appropriately be privileged. My question was about board procedure. Responding to these two requests would not violate their responsibility to Ms. Gregory regarding privacy.
He responded with an email stating, “As this is a personnel matter, the board will refrain from comment at this time.”
I do not believe that SOS is subject to the Freedom of Information Law. I do believe that as an organization that depends heavily on public support, transparency is important.
To me Mr. Capazzola and the SOS board are abusing the principle of privacy in order to avoid answering some uncomfortable questions.
His unwillingness to answer a simple question about board procedure or to provide a copy of their personnel policies only serves to add weight to skepticism regarding the integrity of the SOS board’s handling of this dismissal.
Addendum: Liberatore Publishes Additional Article
Following the July 9 article, Ms. Liberatore wrote an additional article for the July 11 edition of the Times Union.
In the July 9 article she obliquely referenced Lisa Shields, Deputy to the Mayor. In this most recent article she outs Ms. Shields as the person who mistakenly posted the SOS employee surveys. Ms. Shields had been a member of the SOS board during the events surrounding the termination of Karen Gregory and resigned the night of the firing.
In this latest article’s version of the events Liberatore writes that the documents “…painted a damning portrait of its former Executive Director…”
So the four questionnaires out of twelve that were critical of Ms. Gregory have now morphed into a “damning portrait.”
SOS board president, Peter Capazzola, who had heretofore refused to discuss anything associated with the termination has also experienced a change of mind. In this article he responds to Wendy and reveals that Ms. Shields resigned from the board the same night the board terminated Ms. Gregory.
Unfortunate Comments From John Franck
In the article, Commissioner Madigan, who the director of IT reports to, told Ms. Liberatore that the posting “…was an unintentional and unfortunate accident.”
Liberatore also contacted John Franck who, regrettably, expressed skepticism that the posting of the surveys on the city website had been an accident and expressed concern about the potential for legal liabilities.
I assume that the timing of Ms. Shield’s resignation was precipitated by her differences with the SOS board over the termination. It makes no sense that she would intentionally post the surveys on the city’s website.
I find Commissioner Franck’s speculation that inferred that Ms. Shields had acted maliciously extremely disturbing.
Over the Mayor’s tenure in office I have met with Ms. Shields on numerous occasions. Politics too often attracts people who enjoy intrigue and conflict. I expect the people who read this blog have observed this kind of person more than most of us would like.
Lisa Shields is the very opposite of this kind of person. She is quiet spoken. She is a listener and a consensus builder. When you meet with her it becomes clear that she truly wants to know what your concerns are and clearly wants to find a way to address them. One hardly ever sees her name in the media because she is really a modest person.
Knowing her as I do, I feel badly that her regrettable error has become entwined in the very intrigues and publicity that she has so carefully eschewed.
I respect John Franck. He is one of the smartest elected officials I have met over the years. Still, I think in this case he owes Ms. Shields an apology.
I recently received two comments from a person who identifies himself as Eddie Lehman. He was quite upset about what he viewed as the danger posed to Saratoga Springs by Black Lives Matters (BLM). He characterized them as Marxists who would use violence against the community. His comments contained inaccurate information and the tone of the two emails was sufficiently harsh that I emailed him asking that he rewrite his concerns using a more temperate tone.
I subsequently received an email from him which I have included at the end of this post. He has toned it down and it is sufficiently temperate that with a few minor edits I am publishing it as part of this post. Readers should understand that I am more tolerant of commenters when their target is me. Were this an attack on someone else, it would not have been accepted.
As to his claim that BLM is some kind of a dangerous Marxist organization, just because someone finds value in insights offered by Karl Marx does not make them a potential threat to others. Biographies of the four women who founded Black Lives Matters on the BLM website make no reference to Marx, however. In fact the emphasis is more on cultural issues around being artists, issues of gender, and of course, issues of race.
Most of the people participating in the demonstrations about the murder of George Floyd are young people who are concerned about the problem of racism in our country and the excessive use of force by police in many communities.
During the most recent demonstration in Saratoga Springs participants at times marched in the street and even sat down at intersections blocking traffic to draw attention to their message. There was no vandalism nor indication that they were interested in fighting with the police. Some parents had brought their children to this march.
I applaud Public Safety Commissioner Robin Dalton and Police Chief Shane Crooks for the way they have handled these challenging situations.
I know that some people will argue that the demonstrators were breaking the law and should have been arrested. This fails to consider that thoughtful law enforcement officers are often flexible in dealing with incidents they encounter. For example, people are not usually arrested for jay walking.
Last year when I was on vacation in Louisiana my friend who was driving was speeding well above the speed limit. A deputy sheriff stopped us. After checking my friend’s license he told him that he was going to simply give him a warning this time. He told my friend that he patrols this road regularly and that if he found him speeding again he would ticket him. He observed that speeding put not only my friend’s life at risk but others driving the road as well.
Good police work involves good judgement. In the case of the demonstration, police cars drove with the participants to protect them from harm from vehicles and to insure that uninvolved pedestrians were also protected.
In my opinion Eddie Lehman exaggerates the threat of the BLM demonstrations. He is, however, not alone in his concerns and he deserved to have his position published on this site once inaccurate information was removed and as long as contrary responses from other followers of this blog are published.
Here is the slightly edited version of an email he sent to me personally through my blog.
I’m disappointed that you chose to silence the alarm that I was trying to sound out of love for this delightful city. I merely stated facts and tried to expose BLM for what they truly are. We’ve obviously been targeted by the same organization that has burning, looting, violence, and overall destruction accompanied by demands to defund the police follow them across the country wherever they go, and the protests here are escalating. These are irrefutable facts. If that isn’t worthy of citizens’ attention, then what is?! So either you’re just playing half-[JK: edited] XXXXX journalist and you lack the courage to address anything serious that poses a threat to Saratoga Springs or you don’t care much about this City. Either way I will be unsubscribing upon completion of this email. I just don’t have time for kiddie newspapers.
Our household recently received a solicitation from the Saratogian offering six months of delivery for $2.00.
This prompted me to go through the latest paper to see, aside from the classified page, how many paid advertisements were in the paper. While there were a number of ads promoting the newspaper itself, there were only five others and those were pretty modest.
Most of the stories that appear in the paper are either from national news services or from “staff” and more often than not cover news from other localities such as Troy, not Saratoga. “Staff” usually means pretty much a publishing of some news release from a local organization or business. It is unclear how many if any local reporters are still employed by the paper.
The Saratogian is owned by a hedge fund. Why it goes on without significant income from advertising or subscribers is a mystery to me.
Here are the pages from the July 3, 202o edition. The X is for self promotion advertisements for the newspaper.
Remigia Foy, Saratoga Springs native and three term Commissioner of Finance, died on June 30th after a long battle with cancer.
Remigia was unique and, without doubt, one of the most colorful players in Saratoga Springs politics I have known during the years I have lived here.
A woman of strong convictions she was a political independent. If she thought something was wrong she was fearless in her response. It didn’t make any difference how important the person might think they were. She never raised her voice but could drive home her points with a withering tongue powered by a sharp wit and keen intelligence.
Remigia served three terms as the city’s Commissioner of Finance and was a fierce defender of the commission form of government.
I am sorry that recent arrivals to our city did not get to know Remigia, but health issues limited her public activities in recent years.
Remigia was such a fighter and so spirited it is hard for me to believe that even cancer could defeat her.
Jane and I send our deepest condolences to her long term companion James Brophy.
Saratoga Springs Politics 