Saratoga Springs Politics

The fact that our police were able to subdue without harm to anyone a disturbed man who fired rounds at city hall and at an unmanned police car speaks to the professionalism and sense of service of our men and women in the SSPD. The members of our Police Department and their leadership, chief Tyler McIntosh and Public Safety Commissioner Tim Coll, deserve our deep appreciation.

Saratoga Springs Finance Commissioner Minita Sanghvi posted a disturbing statement on her Facebook page calling for a demonstration at the New York State Supreme Court where a judge will hear arguments about contested ballots from the recent special election to fill the Commissioner of Public Works vacancy on the City Council. It’s not clear what such a demonstration is meant to achieve. It is, however, emblematic of the tactics used by the Democratic Committee which seem to be an attempt to undermine the legitimacy of the election.

Some Issues On The Special Election Results

I have previously written about the unfortunate decision by the Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee and their candidate Hank Kuczynski to focus their campaign for Public Works Commissioner in the recent special election not on substance but on a false narrative. They repeatedly alleged that only the name of the endorsed Republican candidate appeared on the ballot due to some unexplained subterfuge by the Republican Party rather than because the Democratic Committee failed to submit the required documents to the Board of Elections for a Democrat.

It should be noted that the Democrats ran a very effective campaign to try to overcome the enormous problems associated with write-in campaigns. Mailing out pens with Hank Kuczynski’s name on it was very shrewd.

Despite this, Hank Kuczynski appears at this point to have received only seven more votes than his opponent, Chuck Marshall.

It is worth observing that there are 8,384 registered Democrats compared to 5,749 registered Republicans in Saratoga Springs. Considering the disproportionate dominance in registration, it is likely that in addition to independent voters registered to no party, Marshall received support from many Democrats. If this blogger were the chair of the Democratic Committee, this would have been extremely troubling to me and would have resulted in asking some serious questions about why my party underperformed so severely.

The Challenged Ballots

The court case to be heard Friday involves a number of ballots that have been challenged for various reasons. In one case, a voter wrote in “Chuck Kuczynski,” for example.

The vast majority of the one hundred and six ballots challenged were for ballots where voters, in addition to writing in Hank Kuczynski’s name, wrote or drew other things on the ballot.

This is an image of the special election ballot. I have highlighted some key text from the ballot that warns that making marks on the ballot outside the box designated for writing in a candidate could invalidate the ballot.

To make it more readable, the following is an enlargement of the text circled above.

The courts have shown extraordinary tolerance regarding write-in ballots where the candidate’s name was misspelled. As long as a convincing argument could be made that the voters intended to vote for a candidate, the fact that they misspelled the candidate’s name does not invalidate the ballot.

The courts have been far more rigid about writing anything other than the candidate’s name on the ballot. This is because such writing historically has been exploited by political machines. There is a history of using markings on ballots for improper reasons. Consider the following scenario:

John Doe agrees, for whatever reason, to assure candidate David X that he will vote for him. David X tells John Doe that to verify that he voted correctly, he must make an agreed-upon mark on the ballot so that when David X inspects the ballot, he can confirm that John has followed through on his commitment.

The only writing on the ballot must be the name of the candidate.

Challenges to ballots because of writing anything on the ballot other than the candidate’s name or putting marks on the ballot outside of the signature box are common and perfectly legitimate. They are not as Gordon Boyd has depicted them “[Republicans] latest attempt to win an election by blocking the will of the voters.”

The Chuck Marshall I know

The Democratic Committee has also tried to play on the fear and anger many people feel about President Trump. They have tried to suggest to people that voting for Chuck Marshall on the Republican Party line somehow showed support for Trump.

Interestingly Chuck Marshall was a write-in voter in the Presidential election. He wrote in his daughter’s name. When I asked him why he wrote in her name rather than his son’s he answered that it was time to have a woman president.

Hypocrisy And Cynicism

There is an argument to be made that the violation of the law regarding ballots should be ignored because voters took the time and effort to show up and try to do a write in. Ignorance and failure to adhere to the requirements stated on the ballot for write ins should be forgiven.

I sympathize with this position, and having talked to Chuck Marshall, I know he does as well.

The problem with this argument is that the people asserting this and shrilly attacking Marshall have a documented history of the most ruthless politics. This blogger has written about this behavior extensively. Anyone who has observed the leadership of the Democratic Committee’s campaigning surely realizes that if the situation were reversed, they would not hesitate to challenge the Republican ballots. For them to self-righteously carry on about the Republicans’ challenging ballots is hypocritical to the point of being embarrassing.

There is a sad irony that while claiming that they are trying to protect democracy by behaving in such a toxic manner, they are undermining people’s faith in our institutions. They are mirroring the very behavior of the 2020 election deniers in undermining the faith in our elections. You may disagree with the law that allows some of the write in ballots to be challenged. You may believe that Marshall should not have exercised his right regarding the law to challenge these ballots, but to urge people to show up at a court of law claiming that their rights were violated as Minita Sanghvi, Gordon Boyd, and Otis Maxwell have done is to imitate the very people they claim to be the enemies of democracy.

I am tired of all this toxic partisanship, as I am sure many of this blog’s readers are. I firmly believe that Chuck Marshall’s campaign never stooped to invective. His credentials are impeccable, and he campaigned on those credentials. I hope he prevails, but if the judge hearing the case on the ballots rules that Hank Kuczynski won, I will accept that verdict and simply prepare myself to work hard in November to elect the best people. Our city deserves the best, and I hope people will not allow this ugly business to discourage them from participating in local politics.

Saratoga Podcast invited Hank Kuczynski and Chuck Marshall to appear in the latest podcast. Kuczynski never responded.

The blogger was invited as the second guest. The interview with Marshall is well worth the time. Marshall is thoughtful and articulate.

Despite Saratoga Springs City Attorney Tony Izzo telling the City Council that the city urgently needed help with the city’s FOIL (Freedom of Information Law) backlog, Accounts Commissioner Dillon Moran and acting Public Works Commissioner Hank Kuczynski blocked Mayor John Safford’s attempt to address this crisis. It wasn’t pretty.

FOIL is a New York state law that grants citizens the right to request and receive government documents unless specific exemptions apply, like personal privacy or national security concerns.

As documented extensively in this blog, the number of FOIL requests the city has received has ballooned in the last two or three years, and the city has been plagued by an inability to meet the demand. Making matters worse, attacks by Dillon Moran and Finance Commissioner Minita Sanghvi (now echoed indirectly by Kuczynski) on Robin McFee, who had been responsible for handling FOIL, resulted in her resigning and taking a job with another public institution. Her last day was December 31, 2024. Her absence has acutely worsened a bad situation. Until a replacement can be hired, the city lacks someone dedicated to handling these requests.

At the January 21, 2025, Council meeting, Mayor John Safford introduced a resolution that would have provided some immediate relief by contracting with Garnet River to assist in processing FOIL until a replacement for McFee can be hired. Garnet River, in addition to helping in processing FOIL requests, has also offered to provide guidance on how AI (artificial intelligence) might automate some processes to ease the problem.

In This Video, Attorney Izzo Attempts To Explain The Urgent Need For Help With FOILs

In This Video, Mayor Safford Echos Izzo Offering A Plan To Mitigate The FOIL Crisis

Moran Launches Attack On Safford With Wild Accusations

In this clip, Moran, who has constantly criticized the Mayor’s handling of FOILs, makes clear that he would never approve any action crafted by Mayor Safford to improve the process. Moran engages yet again in another rambling recital of alleged wrongs against him and conspiracy theories, all of which are hard, if not impossible, to follow.

Kuczynski Votes To Kill Safford’s Effort

The Mayor’s proposal needed three votes to pass. Finance Commissioner Minta Sanghvi was absent from yet another meeting. Moran voted no, and Kuczynski joined him in killing the Mayor’s proposal by abstaining, which had the same effect as a “no” vote.

Moran repeatedly used the word “we” in his ramble before the vote, saying, “We’re not going to let you fix this.” It was unclear whether he was referring to himself and Kuczynski.

In explaining why he would not support the Mayor’s proposal, Mr. Kuczynski echoed many of the attitudes towards FOIL we have been hearing from Commissioners Moran and Finance Commissioner Minita Sanghvi.

Instead of seeing FOIL as a vehicle to make government more transparent and accountable, Kuczynski joins Moran and Sanghvi in characterizing the use of FOILs as somehow being a threat that the city needs to be protected from. He describes FOIL requests as being “thrown against the city” and says:

“I think we need a much more robust FOIL review and FOIL protection.” (JK: Protection from what?)

“We need to protect the institution of the city, and I don’t think we have adequately done that.” (JK: How has the city been failing to protect itself?)

He worries, “… I do know that if I am successful at the write-in election on the 28th, the people who file these FOIL requests will be FOILing me and my department, so therefore, I can’t support this at this time because we need a much more comprehensive and robust answer to this problem.”

Why does Kuczynski feel the need for more protection for himself and his department from citizens seeking public information?

And most alarming, why not support a measure that would begin to address the immediate problem of clearing up a backlog of FOIL requests while working towards broader solutions to address whatever other problems he feels exist?

Kuczynski’s Ignorance As To FOIL Violation Charges Against Moran?

Apparently, some of Kuczynski’s fear of FOIL comes from what he feels was the inexplicable “arrest” of a City Council member regarding something related to the FOIL process. He says:

“I’ve seen a city council member arrested in terms of a foil process which I don’t really understand how that happened.”

First, anyone who knows Commissioner Kuczynski knows that he prides himself on being the “inside guy” who knows all the latest political news. It begs credibility that he is ignorant of the charges against Moran and what prompted them.

There is an earlier blog that goes through the issues of why Moran was charged (not arrested). The issues are quite simple. On three occasions, Robin McFee, the FOIL officer, requested that he produce any documents relevant to FOIL requests by Mike Brandi. Moran claimed to have no documents relevant to the request. Brandi then exercised his right to have Moran certify his claim to have nothing. The following is one of the three documents for three different FOIL requests that Moran signed under oath and had notarized which were false.

As it turned out, documents did exist. Moran was charged because he withheld documents in his possession and signed false, notarized documents claiming he did not have them.

The agenda was published on Friday, and the meeting was held on Tuesday. Kuczynski had plenty of time to understand how all this happened (assuming he did not know). His claim of ignorance is simply not credible.

Reckless, Crazy, and a Disservice

The Mayor’s proposal was modest. We have an immediate and serious problem: the city is struggling to comply with FOIL. I applaud the idea of doing a serious evaluation of how the city can better respond to FOIL, but while we lack even one staff person to handle this, it is disingenuous for Moran and Kuczynski to claim mitigating action was somehow inappropriate until a complete study is done.

Watching this video should be a disturbing wake-up call. Moran and Kuczynski are far more concerned about delaying and impeding FOIL requests than expediting the public’s right to know what happens in city hall. Moran has been plagued by FOILs that have produced damaging information, so it is small wonder that he wants to find a way to limit them.

The Full, Unedited Video

I am struck by the stark differences in the campaign materials being put out by the two candidates in the special election for Saratoga Springs Public Works Commissioner.

The two flyers below starkly dramatize the very different approaches of Chuck Marshall’s and Hank Kuczynski’s campaigns. One is positive and concrete. It lays out the credentials of its candidate and the things they specifically hope to accomplish if elected. It appeals to the the reason of those it is sent to. The other is inflammatory and intemperate. It plays on fear. It is an extension of the ugly behavior that has become the toxic footprint of the current Democratic members of the City Council.

Chuck Marshall’s Flyer

Hank Kuczynski’s Flyer

I am old school. I believe campaigns should not be based on false fear-mongering but on honest, straightforward information. It is perfectly appropriate to run ads that are critical of opponents but they should be based on fact.

It is extremely depressing to me that my party, Democratic, has decided to adopt the very methods that they condemn when exercised by Republicans.

The Kuczynski campaign is flooding people’s texts and phones following the public relations theory: Repeat a lie often enough, and people will believe it.

This is a sample of a voice message being sent to people’s devices:

“Hi …, my name is Susan Cohen. I’m with the Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee. I’m calling to let you know that we have a special election on January 28 for commissioner of the department of public Works. As you may know, Hank Kochinski [JK: AI has a problem with Hank’s name]] is now the interim DPW chief and we’d like to keep him in that role unfortunately due to some underhanded power grabbing by the Republicans [JK: My emphasis] our candidate Hank is a right candidate so we’re asking you please write in Hank’s last name”

The Simple Truth

There is no question that the effort to fill the vacancy of Public Works Commissioner once Jason Golub resigned was confusing and convoluted.

Chuck Marshall, the Republican and One Saratoga candidate, carried out his due diligence. He consulted with an attorney steeped in election law to assist him in understanding what was going on and filed the necessary papers on time to get on the ballot.

For whatever reason, the fact is Moran and the city Democratic Committee chair, Otis Maxwell, failed to submit the nomination of a candidate to the Board of Elections. For those of us who have observed these people, it was unsurprising that they lacked the prudence to consult a lawyer.

To spin this craziness that Moran and Maxwell were the victims in some sort of brilliant scheme that also involves a corrupt judiciary is to exaggerate the skills of the Republicans and ignore the culpability of the Democrats.

For the Democratic Committee to now try to hide their ineptitude and run a campaign that they were the victims in all of this is ridiculous.

The Democrats have a commanding edge in registrations over the Republicans, but they must get people to write in their candidate’s name. Will the Democrats’ game plan work in spite of their ineptitude? Who knows?

Early voting continues through Sunday, January 26 at the Rec Center. Regular polling places will be open on election day, Tuesday, January 28.

As noted in an earlier post, Saratoga Springs Finance Commissioner Minita Sanghvi wrote on her Facebook page that Chuck Marshall, who is running for Commissioner of Public Works, had announced that if elected, he planned to “slash the DPW budget by half a million dollars.” Sanghvi claimed Marshall would cut funds to plow the streets and pick up leaves. None of this is accurate, and it is simply incredible that Sanghvi, who, in effect, acts as the chief financial officer (CFO) of the city, would make such a false accusation.

Now, Sanghvi has gone further.

This is from Sanghvi’s Facebook page.

The question I have is whether Sanghvi is such a poor manager of the city’s finances that she doesn’t understand the city’s revenue or whether she did know but attempted to smear Marshall, knowing her accusation was false.

The revenue from paid parking was not structured to supplement the Department of Public Works’ essential services, as Sanghvi falsely asserts. The money was to go into the general fund for whatever the city needed. In fact, it was earmarked not to offset expenses at DPW but for things like the city’s recreation program and for promoting downtown businesses.

Consider this story from the April 1, 2024, edition of the Times Union:

However, Golub did say the money would be reinvested in the city’s downtown including hiring a marketing professional for the Downtown Business Association, parking structure and downtown improvements and an investment in the city’s recreation department. The proposed reinvestment will be $225,000 for downtown and $40,000 for recreation in year one and will be annual. 

From the October 24, 2024 edition of Saratoga Today:

Anticipated seasonal revenue for 2024 expected to be approximately $1.6 million, with expenses estimated at about $450,000, resulting in an estimated first year net gain of over $1.1 million.

Of that, the city says it will invest $100,000 of revenue gained in the DBA (“a dedicated marketing professional for the Downtown Business Association”), $50,000 into Parking Structure Capital Reserve, $75,000 into a Downtown Improvement Reserve, and $40,000 into a Recreation Parking program. 

From a story on April 1, 2024 on WAMC:

Golub says one of his priorities is funding initiatives to help them.

I think the revenue will provide us an opportunity to take a bigger swing as a community around the unhoused population and funding a long-term homeless shelter. That is one of the open questions around a shelter; how would we as a community fund that long-term? For me, there aren’t a lot of revenue sources where we can take big swings, where we can create new revenue without raising taxes within our community and this happens to be one of them,” said Golub.

 Whether the reader agrees or disagrees with continuing with the paid parking program, it should be evaluated based on a proper analysis of the program’s first year.

The Daily Gazette reported on December 29, 2024, some three months after the paid parking season ended in September:

“Finance Commissioner Minita Sanghvi had said a review of the program wouid happen, but it has not as of yet.”

It is apparent that Sanghvi has not bothered with the report and has instead weaponized her office for partisan purposes. The city deserves better.

From Sanghvi’s Facebook page:

Madness

Saratoga Springs Finance Commissioner Minita Sanghvi’s above attack on Chuck Marshall, candidate for Public Works Commissioner, (note she doesn’t mention his name) on her Facebook page has achieved a level of excess that can only be described as breathtaking. Not only has Chuck Marshall never announced that he plans to radically slash the Department of Public Works budget, her ugly attack lacks any credibility. Does anyone out there really believe that Marshall intends to jeopardize the department’s ability to pick up their leaves or plow their streets?

This kind of shameless behavior has become far too common for the campaigns the local Democratic Committee runs. Why can’t they just talk about the issues and stop making them up?

Our city desperately needs to elect independent, thoughtful, and courteous individuals to serve on our City Council. In addition to his impressive credentials and extensive local government experience, this is one of the major reasons I am supporting Chuck Marshall, not Hank Kuczynski, in the special election to fill the Saratoga Springs Public Works Commissioner vacancy.

If you follow this blog regularly, you know that I am deeply concerned about the ongoing toxic behavior that regularly impedes the Saratoga Springs City Council’s ability to deliberate thoughtfully. You will also know that I am a registered Democrat. Despite this, I consider the Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee to be primarily responsible for the persistent uncivil and divisive behavior that unfortunately continues to erupt at the Council table despite Mayor Safford’s efforts to enforce decorum. The committee has selected people like Dillon Moran and Minita Sanghvi to run for office, and they continue to support them despite the glaring problems with their performance both at the Council table and in the management of their respective departments.

While Chuck Marshall is a registered Republican, he has garnered bi-partisan support from Democrats such as former Mayor Meg Kelly and the independent group One Saratoga, whose motto is “city before party.” In addition, as Planning Board Chair, Chuck has demonstrated his ability to work with various individuals with different interests, listen to all sides, and build consensus. You can find out more about Chuck here: Chuck Marshall for Public Works

In contrast, Mr. Kuczynski has garnered public endorsements only from the same old regular Democrats we unfortunately know so well, including current Accounts Commissioner Dillon Moran and current Finance Commissioner Minita Sanghvi. Of particular note is the enthusiastic endorsement of none other than former Mayor Ron Kim.

Kuczynski Is An Extension Of The City’s Democratic Committee

This is from a recent piece on WAMC Kuczynski:

“The Democratic Committee said, ‘we’d like to give the people a choice, would you do a write-in campaign?’ and I [Kuczynski] said, ‘well I’ve never done one, but if you’re willing to do the work, I’m glad to be your candidate [JK:Emphasis added] because I love the job,” said Kuczynski.

In all the years I have observed elections in this city, this is the first time someone running for office has not set up their own campaign organization with a campaign manager and a treasurer. While candidates rely on their political party for support, they usually maintain some modicum of independence to decide how to conduct their campaign and address policy issues as they arise. Kuczynski has totally abrogated that independence.

The Committee’s complete control extends to the total financing of Kuczynski’s campaign with Committee funds.

If you go to the New York State Board of Elections and try to find any records for donations and expenditures for Hank Kuczynski’s campaign, you will find none.

The Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee has commingled Kuczynski’s campaign money with its general funds. Thus, it is impossible to know, for example, which donations were made specifically for Kuczynski’s campaign and which were general donations to the committee, and it is also impossible to know which individuals or groups are backing his candidacy.

Too Intimate A Relationship

Given the hyper-partisanship that has come to define our local Democratic Committee and Kuczynski’s unfounded previously documented attack on the judge who ruled that the special election should proceed, the situation is worrisome.

This community needs someone independent to fill the vacancy on the Council who will exercise courtesy but firmly challenge Moran or Sanghvi when appropriate. I regret that I do not believe that Hank Kuczynski is that person.

Early voting at the Rec Center begins tomorrow, Saturday, January 18. Election day is Tuesday, January 28.

According to the January 14, 2025, Times Union, Saratoga Springs Accounts Commissioner Dillon Moran is under investigation by the New York State Board of Elections (NYSBOE) regarding an obscene entry in the financial report for Joe Seeman’s recent unsuccessful New York State Assembly campaign.

The report (see above) has an entry that records that someone calling themselves Jack Meehoff made a $100.00 contribution. The donor’s address is listed as Dillon Moran’s home. The NYSBOE was able to determine that the payment came from the website ActBlue and was drawn from Moran’s PayPal account.

Moran told the Times Union, “I have never made any such donation…None of it makes any sense… [I] can’t find any logical reason [aside from a hack].”

Seeman defended Moran, claiming that Moran’s PayPal account must have been hacked.

“He was not approaching any limit; it’s not like he needed to be a hidden donor,” Seeman said. “… I can only attest to Dillon being a person of integrity and there is no reason why he would try to hide this.”

The story reports:

According to the state Board of Elections, making a contribution under a false name is a violation of state Election Law 14-120, which states that “no person shall in any name except his own, directly or indirectly, make a payment or a promise of a payment to a candidate or a political committee.”

In a full-throated defense of Moran, Seeman, without any evidence, blamed the Republican Party.

“My only take in this is given the GOP is the party of lying, corruption, Machiavellian attempts to do anything to win, it sounds and smells like another GOP dirty trick,” Seeman said.

To elaborate on the obvious, if someone were to hack Moran’s PayPal account, they would buy Rolex Watches from Amazon and not just make a modest contribution to Joe Seeman’s campaign that few people will even know about.

Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee Chair Person Otis Maxwell

The Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee seems to have decided to take a page out of Donald Trump’s playbook in designing their campaign to fill the Public Works Commissioner vacancy. While happy to condemn Trump’s “Stop the Steal” campaign and his frequent, often intemperate criticism of judicial actions that go against him, the local Committee and its candidates have no problem sounding the same themes.

I don’t know how else to describe their repeated ongoing allegations that a conspiracy involving the Saratoga Springs Republican Committee, the Saratoga County Republican Committee, the Saratoga County Republican Commissioner of the Board of Elections, and a local Supreme Court Judge all kept the Democrats from having a candidate on the ballot.

The SSDC has not provided any documentation as to how the Republican cabal pulled any of this off.

It is worth noting that Cassandra Bagramian, the Democratic Commissioner of the Board of Elections, could have appealed the judge’s decision that the election go forward after the Dems failed to file to get a candidate on the ballot, but did not. I wrote to Commissioner Bagramian, asking her why she did not initiate an appeal. She has not yet responded, but I will post her answer if she does. I suspect she did not initiate an appeal because she knew such an appeal would be fruitless as the judge had simply followed the law.

As a registered Democrat, I find the behavior of my local party abhorrent. They apparently believe, like Trump, that throwing red meat, no matter how tainted and inedible, will fool and motivate their base to support Kuczynski.

This city will never return to normalcy if the Democrats continue to use these kinds of cynical tactics rather than supporting its candidates on their merits.