Saratoga Springs Politics

[JK: Mike Brandi, former chair and now vice-chair of the Saratoga Springs City Republican Committee, sent the press release below. After an investigation into a bizarre donation to Democrat/Working Families Party candidate Joe Seeman’s unsuccessful Assembly campaign, the New York State Board of Elections found that former Saratoga Springs Accounts Commissioner Dillon Moran used a gross sexual name when he entered a false name as a donor to Seeman’s campaign. Moran claimed that the donation was the result of a pernicious hack, but the Board determined that Moran was the source of the improper donation.]

For immediate release. From the desk of Mike Brandi.

New York State Board of Elections finds Dillon Moran was the source of the funds of illicit “Jack Meehoff” donation; No Evidence of Hacking.

Records obtained through a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request to the New York State Board of Elections reveal that the failed Assembly campaign committee of Joe Seeman accepted an illegal campaign contribution submitted under a fictitious and lewd pseudonym tied to former Saratoga Springs Commissioner of Accounts Dillon Moran.

In its 27-day post-election filing, the Seeman campaign reported receiving a $100 contribution on October 31, 2024, from a contributor identified as “Jack Meehoff,” listing an address of 177 Lake Avenue and an employer of “City of Saratoga Springs.”

That address belongs to Dillon Moran.

Campaign finance records further show that Moran had previously donated $200 to the Seeman campaign under his real name using the same address.

Shortly thereafter, the New York State Board of Elections Enforcement Counsel contacted the Seeman campaign and advised that it had reported a contribution under a fictitious name. Enforcement Counsel instructed the campaign that it was required to disgorge the contribution by donating the funds either to the State or to a legitimate charitable organization.

On January 10, the Seeman campaign’s treasurer informed the Board of Elections that she had “done some sleuthing” and determined that the “Jack Meehoff” contribution had in fact come from Dillon Moran, who allegedly claimed that he had been “hacked.” The treasurer then asked whether the campaign could simply amend the filing to replace “Meehoff” with Moran and retain the contribution.

In response to the hacking allegation, Enforcement Counsel requested additional information in order to properly assess the matter.

Following an investigation, the Public Campaign Finance Board determined that the illicit contribution did in fact originate from Dillon Moran and that the contribution was submitted from a network associated with other contributions Moran made to political committees. The Board found no evidence that either Moran or the Seeman campaign had been victims of hacking.

New York Election Law prohibits political committees from accepting contributions made in any name other than the true name of the contributor.

The Board of Elections ordered the Seeman campaign to disgorge the $100 contribution within 30 days or face a $350 civil penalty. In the alternative, the campaign could have provided an affidavit from Moran admitting that he was the true source of the contribution. No such affidavit was ever provided.

On January 9, 2026, the Seeman campaign ultimately disgorged the unlawful contribution by donating $100 to charity.

The facts are clear: Dillon Moran made an official political contribution using a lewd pseudonym. Not only was this unlawful, but it was wildly inappropriate and unbecoming of a public official.

A healthy democracy requires elections conducted transparently and in accordance with the law. Moran’s cavalier treatment of campaign finance requirements demonstrates precisely why Saratoga Springs voters made the right decision in rejecting him in 2025.

When confronted, Moran resorted to the now-familiar “I was hacked” excuse — an explanation that collapsed under scrutiny after investigators concluded there was no evidence of hacking and determined that Moran himself was the source of the illegal contribution.

Gordon Boyd, along with his colleagues at the Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee, has launched a disinformation campaign to undermine the credibility of the Charter Commission appointed by Saratoga Springs Mayor John Safford. They are attempting to spread the falsehood that the Charter Commission seeks to weaken the city’s representation in Saratoga County government by changing the charter language stating that the city has two Supervisors.

Briefly, Saratoga County’s government, not the city, has the authority to determine how many representatives each municipality within its jurisdiction is allowed. The county establishes the number of representatives, called Supervisors, each town/city is allotted based on its population size. Every municipality has at least one representative. Clifton Park and Saratoga Springs, due to their larger populations, currently have two.

If, in the future, the population growth in the county and the city were to increase sufficiently, the county might decide that the city might merit a third representative. Raising or lowering the number of Supervisors representing Saratoga Springs or any of the other municipalities in the county is solely the prerogative of the County. The wording in our charter will have no effect on that decision.

I don’t know how to make it any clearer, and this has been explained to Mr. Boyd and his colleagues repeatedly. THE CITY HAS NO AUTHORITY AS TO HOW IT IS REPRESENTED IN COUNTY GOVERNMENT. That is the prerogative of the county government.

There was no controversy among the Charter Review Commission members in their discussions about changing the language in the existing charter clause referring to two representatives to the county. The current charter, under Title 2, states that the city has two supervisors. The recommended new language would read that the City has “One or more Supervisors, as may be established by County Law,” a simple statement of fact.

They observed that if the county legislature were to grant Saratoga either more or fewer representatives, the current charter language would be invalid. The proposed language merely allows for flexibility should the county make any changes in the future.

To suggest that the Charter Commission wants to reduce the number of representatives to the county is simply false.

Some History

Mayor John Safford established a bipartisan charter review commission chaired by Vince DeLeonardis. The group, which includes several members who have previously served in city and county government, has been meeting for about a year. DeLeonardis previously served as the Saratoga Springs City Attorney and chaired an earlier charter commission established under former Mayor Meg Kelly.

The current charter, under Title 2, states that the city has two Supervisors. The recommended new language would read that the City has “One or more Supervisors, as may be established by County Law.”

On February 24, 2026, Gordon Boyd, along with several others, spoke at the Charter Review meeting. They opposed the language modifying the charter as it pertains to “supervisors.”

This is an extract from the February 24 meeting minutes, in which Boyd and his posse bizarrely claim that the Commission is proposing to reduce the city’s representation in county government.

At this meeting, DeLeonardis and other Commission members (including Matt Veitch, who served as one of Saratoga’s County Supervisors for 18 years) attempted to explain that the proposed change in language would not reduce the number of Supervisors allotted to the city and to discuss the reasoning behind the proposed changes. (I have included more extensive remarks made by DeLeonardis at a different meeting at the end of this blog.) Unfortunately, it appeared that for whatever reason, the explanation from Commission members had little effect on Boyd and his followers. On March 3, Boyd and someone named Robin Baxter appeared at the City Council meeting and repeated the same disinformation during the public comment period.

On May 5, 2026, the past chair of the Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee, Otis Maxwell, used the City Council public comment period to again offer the same made-up concerns. Here is Maxwell speaking and DeLeonardis’s response that night.

Stunning Cynicism

Boyd and his compatriots should be uncomfortable about criticizing the language proposed to handle the Supervisor issue. In February,2017, an earlier Charter Review Commission of which Boyd was a member, not only acknowledged the county’s authority to determine how municipalities will be represented, but also recommended removing any language about Supervisors from the city’s charter.

Vince DeLeonardis’ Full Analysis

At the March 16, 2026, pre-agenda meeting of the City Council, DeLeonardis gave a thorough analysis of the Supervisor controversy.

It’s Coming: Lufthansa Cancels 20,000 Flights

As readers of this blog may know, I have generally remained focused on local issues. The purpose of this site is to improve our city government.

While the war in Iran is clearly a national issue, it is also an issue with profound implications for our city. I have set up an online petition to oppose our country putting boots on the ground in Iran and for this country to de-escalate the conflict (below).

The full economic impact of this war has not yet been fully felt in this country despite the rising cost of gasoline. The rapid expansion of this war threatens the entire global system because it depends not only on oil from that region but also on other raw materials that are critical to farmers, industry, and computer chip manufacturing.

There is already an economic crisis in Asia, but due to the interdependence of global markets, it will spread to America.

The purpose of the petition is to initiate a citywide conversation about the threat this war poses and the need for citizens and their representatives to urge a reconsideration of the continuation of the Iran conflict.

At the end of this post is a link to an online petition.

It’s Not Just Oil

The Middle East is a major source of fertilizer, and must use the Strait of Hormuz to ship the product to world markets. With over two months into this war, the blockage of traffic through the strait by Iran means farmers are already facing rising fertilizer costs just as the planting season begins.

As documented in the following video, the war also threatens the supply of helium, which, it turns out, is critical for many agricultural and industrial applications.

Qatar is a major source of liquid natural gas. Qatar has the world’s largest LNG processing facility. Qatar has had to shut down this facility, radically reducing its availability globally. Even if the conflict were to end today, restarting this facility will take many months. While the most immediate impact will be on Asian countries, the price impact will also be felt here in the US. Countries like South Korea, Japan, and India depend on LNG from Qatar. With the global integration of markets over the last decade, the impact on key trading partners will affect the US.

A Colossal Disaster

Iran has threatened that if the United States and Israel escalate the war, they will target desalination plants, the key facilities that make life possible for the countries that use the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea for shipping.

So, if the regional desalination plants were destroyed, a number of key oil-producing countries would have to literally be evacuated. Some would run out of water in days. It would take many years to rebuild these plants, so their destruction would be catastrophic not only for the citizens of these countries but also for the rest of the world.

As far as can be told, President Trump has no contingency plans for the mortal threat facing the Gulf nations on whom the world depends.

Supporting The Men and Women Of Our Military

For two hundred and fifty years, the men and women of our armed forces have honored their duty by obeying the call of our leaders to risk their lives on behalf of our citizens. On too many occasions, our leaders have abused that trust by ill-considered and politically motivated adventures that needlessly sacrificed our soldiers’ lives. Worse, these wars have too often needlessly continued because our country’s leaders lacked the courage to admit their errors in judgment even when their folly became cruelly obvious.

We seem to have learned nothing from our experiences in Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Yet again, we appear ready to risk the lives of our men and women for reasons that remain ever-changing and unclear.

President Trump’s public statements have done little to inspire confidence that this war was merited and that its cost in blood and public resources is worth it. He has failed to lay out a compelling case for such a massive risk. He has continually contradicted himself regarding his objectives. As just one example, he has claimed that, as a country, we do not care about the Hormuz Strait and then threatened annihilation if the Iranians do not open it.

We owe it to our military not only to hold their lives dearly but also to do all we can to ensure that their sacrifices would be truly worth the cost.

A Thoughtful Analysis Of The War In The Context Of The American Military

Lawrence B. Wilkerson (born June 15, 1945) is a retired colonel from the United States Army. Colonel Wilkerson is a veteran of the Vietnam War, where he logged 1100 combat hours as a helicopter pilot. He taught at the Naval War College and served as deputy director and then director of the Marine Corps War College. Wilkerson also served as Executive Assistant to Admiral Stewart A. Ring, United States Navy Pacific Command. Wilkerson served for some years in the United States Navy’s Pacific Command in South Korea, Japan, and Hawaii. General Colin Powell selected him as his executive assistant when Powell was the National Security Adviser to President Ronald Reagan. He went on to serve as General Powell’s Chief of Staff during the Gulf War. He went on to serve as Powell as his Chief of Staff when George W. Bush appointed Powell as his Secretary of State. Following his retirement from government, he has taught at William and Mary College and George Washington University.

Wilkerson is currently a Senior Fellow at the Eisenhower Media Network, a group of former military, intelligence, and civilian national security officials who described themselves as offering “alternative analyses untainted by Pentagon or defense industry ties” and countering “Washington’s establishment narrative on most national security issues of the day.

Wilkerson is a registered Republican.

Beginning A Dialog

The purpose of this petition is to engage this community, through our City Council, in a dialogue about the war and the actions citizens might take to convince Washington to end it.

I know that many of my conservative friends believe that the Iranian regime oppresses its people and needs to be changed. They fear that Iran may succeed in building a nuclear bomb, which would be a threat to Israel, and even potentially to our own country. They hold that the Strait of Hormuz must be opened and only force, not diplomacy, can open it.

Many also believe that the City Council should focus on local issues, and that taking positions on national issues invites toxic public battles.

These are all valid concerns, but given the enormous implications of this war for both our local economy and the lives of those who serve in our military, I have faith in our citizens that a civil dialogue is possible, one that will benefit all of us.

The President’s Remarks

As proof of the need for dialogue, the president’s recent remarks are so disturbingly intemperate that they simply re-emphasize the need for real discussion.

Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day. all (sic) wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the Fuckin’ Strait,you crazy basteards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah. President DONALD J. TRUMP.

Link To Petition

Click here to sign the petition to be sent to the city council.

Todd Shimkus, the president of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, recently met with the Saratoga Springs Commissioner of Public Safety to demand that he waive payment for the invoices the Chamber had received for services performed by the Fire Department for special events the Chamber had held in the city. The meeting did not go well.

According to the Chamber’s federal 990 form, Shimkus’ compensation for being the Chamber president is:

• Base salary (recent filings): about $198,000–$205,000 per year
• Additional compensation/benefits: roughly $29,000–$35,000

👉 That puts his total annual compensation typically in the ~$225,000–$240,000 range in recent years.

At the risk of appearing snarky, this blogger has observed that Mr. Shimkus’s salary does not begin to match his ego or the imperious, toxic way he often deals with people..

Commissioner Coll brought Shimkus’s demand for a fee waiver to the City Council for a discussion and vote. The Council voted unanimously not to waive the fees, and was also clearly disturbed about how extensive these apparent waivers were in the city.

Commissioner of Public Works BK Keramati said there was an established practice in his department of providing services for the Chamber that cost his department money but not charging them for it. He found it difficult to say no.

Accounts Commissioner Jess Troisi pointed out that it was the taxpayer who ended up paying for the expenses of putting on special events when fees were waived whether they supported the event or not.

Commissioner of Finance JoAnne Kiernan explained to her colleagues that the city’s written procedures are clear. Only the Council has the authority to waive special event fees. Any Commissioner waiving fees without Council consent would have acted improperly.

Commissioner Coll said it had come to his attention that special events fees had been waived arbitrarily in the Accounts department under the previous administration and asked if the Finance Department could do an audit to determine the extent of this practice.

The Council then supported Kiernan’s offer to audit the Accounts Department.

An Unhealthy Relationship?

Todd Shimkus enjoyed a close working relationship with Dillon Moran. This blogger would speculate that through Moran, Shimkus exerted considerable influence over city practices.

In fact, Moran was Shimkus’s recent appointment to the planning committee for the upcoming Belmont Stakes.

[Thank you to the people who expressed concern over Jane and my recently infrequent posts. Jane and I spent two fun weeks in London visiting friends and going to the theater and museums. There were lots of chores to catch up on upon our return.

The more serious source of the lack of blogs has been that the most toxic and incompetent Commissioners on the City Council are finally gone. The last four years were extremely demanding. The worst of the group that I call the White Walkers has now been defeated.

Their inappropriate, poorly considered actions and crude, toxic behavior happened so frequently that it was hard to keep up reporting on them. More seriously, I feared all the damage their incompetence would wreak on our poor city.

The new Commissioners of Finance and Accounts are trying to bring order to the mess left by their predecessors. I will be writing more on this in the future, but I expect to do less work because we finally have a competent Council that I have confidence in.]

The Missing Bill

Although now, thankfully, out of office, the ghost of former Saratoga Springs Accounts Commissioner Dillon Moran still haunts City Hall. Moran and the unfortunate OnCall pay debacle have recently resurfaced in connection with an unpaid bill Moran left behind.

Garnet River is a software company that provides technical support to the city’s information technology (IT) department.

Recently, Garnet River contacted the Department of Finance over an outstanding invoice. The city has owed Garnet Hill $3,600 since October, 2024. That is almost a year and a half ago.

Apparently, Dillon Moran engaged Garnet River to work with Moran’s New York City Law Firm to scrutinize the city’s server for something related to the On-Call scandal. We know very little about the details at this point. We have an invoice from 2024 and a time sheet from the lawyer indicating billing for conversations with Garnet River.

It is not surprising that, after the terrible media coverage of Moran hiring a $1,250.00-per-hour lawyer, he was uneasy about what the Council might do when asked to pay this bill. Bear in mind that the city was being asked to pay two ways. They would be paying the lawyer for his firm’s time while paying the software company for its time.

Apparently, Moran’s solution was to leave the bill from Garnet River resting in a drawer in his desk, never bringing it before the City Council for the approval necessary to pay it. One has to wonder what went on here. I feel a little sorry for Garnet River. Having dealt with Moran, I can only imagine the telephone conversations he must have put Garnet River through, explaining for a year why they weren’t being paid. Did Garnet River go to the Department of Finance then as they have now, and if so, what kind of response did they get, if any?

So now the city is faced with at least one obligation incurred by Moran to a vendor for which there was neither a contract nor City Council approval.

This only came to light because Garnet River, which often does work for the city, contacted the city’s Department of Finance. I am not being rhetorical when I ask what other bills are sitting in drawers?

The Video and Documents

Garnet River Invoice

Escerpt From Lawyer’s Billing

The city of Saratoga Springs Board of Ethics has ruled that former Saratoga Springs Public Works Commissioner Hank Kuczynski improperly directed a city employee to perform political work on his behalf while she was being paid by the city.

The decision came in response to a complaint I made to the Board in April of 2025. That was almost a full year ago. The complaint was addressed only after city planner Susan Barden, who chaired the board, resigned and a new chair, Sara Nucera, was appointed. Why the committee under Barden delayed action for so long is unknown, as the Ethics Board’s deliberations are carried out in executive session.

Readers will remember that in the fall of 2024,Kuczynski failed to submit the required paperwork on time to secure the Democratic line for the Commissioner of Public Works position on the ballot in a special election. He subsequently ran a write-in campaign. Kuczynski directed his administrative assistant to assist him in scrutinizing the ballots as they were counted at the Board of Elections in Ballston Spa for two days. His assistant submitted time cards for this period to the city for payment, and Kuczynski signed the cards authorizing her payment.

I am glad to have finally received a decision, and I appreciate the ethics board’s work in confirming my complaint. Using city resources for campaigning is clearly improper. I hope this will discourage such behavior in the future. Kuczynski clearly violated the trust of the people of our city.

Douments

[A Press Release From The Saratoga Springs Republican Committee]

Immediate Release: 

SSGOP Chairman Mike Brandi announces that he is stepping down in advance of move to the Town of Wilton. Local Attorney and political veteran Gerard Parisi to assume role of Chairman with unanimous support of Republican Committee.

Chairman Brandi: “As I prepare to move to the Town of Wilton later this year, I have submitted my resignation as Chairman of the Saratoga Springs Republican Committee, effective March 13. I will serve as Vice Chair for the time being to ensure a smooth transition.

Serving as Chairman has been an honor and a privilege. Together, we strengthened the committee, supported capable candidates, and worked to ensure that voters had principled, responsible choices. Our work promoted transparency, accountability, and professionalism—principles that I hope will continue to guide the committee for years to come. We also went on offense, taking direct action to protect the taxpayers and ensure that our city functioned with integrity and according to the law.

Although I am stepping down from this position, I am not stepping away from the work. I will continue to stay engaged in the issues facing Saratoga Springs and will never hesitate to speak out and take action when transparency, accountability, and responsible government are lacking.

Politics is not for the faint of heart. It is the work of those willing to step into the arena, take risks, and stand for what they believe in, even in the face of criticism and against immense odds. I am grateful to have stood in that arena alongside so many dedicated volunteers, committee members, and candidates.

I leave knowing that the credit belongs to those who show up, who strive, and who fight for their community, as Teddy Roosevelt described them –  “those who dare greatly” and take action rather than simply watch from the sidelines.”

Under Brandi’s tenure as Chairman, the SSGOP committee enjoyed significant electoral success despite a substantial enrollment disadvantage. Candidates endorsed by City Republicans in contested elections won six of nine city races: Safford ’23 (win), Coll ’23 (win), Scirocco (loss – special election), Marshall (win – special election), Troisi ’25 (win), Kiernan ’25 (win), Safford ’25 (win), Marshall ’25 (loss), and Ehinger ’25 (loss).

Beyond the ballot box, Brandi also delivered victories in the courtroom, fighting for government transparency and against the misuse of taxpayer funds. His legal efforts saved taxpayers more than $100,000 that would otherwise have been spent unlawfully but for his intervention. Brandi also took efforts in the Courtroom to protect local elections, compelling the County Board of Elections to hold a special election when Democrats on the City Council attempted to cancel it after failing to nominate a candidate.

Brandi was also instrumental in uncovering misconduct by former Commissioner Dillon Moran, ultimately leading to Moran’s conviction for deliberately concealing public records on personal devices and issuing false certifications in violation of New York’s Freedom of Information Law (FOIL). The case marked a historic conviction under the state’s transparency laws.

In recognition of his work advancing open government, Brandi was honored by the New York State Coalition for Open Government with inclusion on its 2025 “Nice List.”

Local attorney and political veteran Gerard Parisi will assume the role of Chairman with the unanimous support of the Republican Committee. Brandi will remain on as Vice Chair to support Parisi in the transition. The committee is fully behind incoming chairman Parisi and looks forward to continued victories for the people of Saratoga Springs under his stewardship.

As a personal note from Mike Brandi to the recipients of this message, it has been a pleasure to work with our local press over the last few years. Despite the headwinds facing local media, we are blessed in this area to have a number of news sources who bring attention to issues in local government which might otherwise go unnoticed. Thank you, and please do not hesitate to reach out to me at any time. 

Following the stunning defeat of the majority of the Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee’s nominees for City Council last November, the then chair, Otis Maxwell, announced he would be stepping down.

Committee member Toula Ousoujoglou volunteered to craft a survey to help determine why the election went so badly for the committee. The survey results indicated, not surprisingly, that participants found the poor quality of the endorsed candidates to be a major reason for the loss.

The new chair is Ron Kim. Kim was defeated by Republican John Safford following Kim’s disastrous first and only term as Mayor.

Kim’s performance as Mayor was so toxic and irrational that he managed to overshadow former Accounts Commissioner Dillon Moran, which was quite an achievement.

I contacted Gordon Boyd, who is on the committee, who informed me via email that Kim was elected unanimously. In fact, consistent with the chaos and indifference to process that have been the hallmark of the committee, there was no actual vote.

Kim’s time as Mayor was marked by marathon City Council meetings that often ran past 11:00 PM, during which Kim would throw tantrums, pounding the table and yelling. The litany of his mismanagement and abuse, often documented in epithet-laced emails, is extensive. Below are just a few highlights.

This video appeared on area television stations. As background, Kim received an email from a citizen that read, “Ron, just resign. It will be better for you in the end.” Kim contacted the Public Safety Commissioner, James Montagnino, insisting that he address what Kim interpreted as a threat. It would have been inappropriate for Montagnino to direct the police to take action against an individual, and Montagnino informed Kim that he should contact the officer at the desk regarding the matter. What followed is documented in this video. Readers should be advised that Kim laced his explosive behavior with epithets.

Kim Firing Of City Attorneys

One of Kim’s first actions as Mayor was to fire city attorneys Vince DeLeonardis and Tony Izzo. Izzo had been the assistant city attorney for over 30 years and has been an invaluable resource regarding the history of city government. DeLeonardis is a highly respected attorney who has served multiple city administrations.

Kim, touting his own skills as an attorney and those of his deputy, Angela Rella, asserted that the city had no need for DeLeonardis and Izzo. Kim, who had been a bankruptcy attorney, knew nothing about municipal law. He ignored that it would be inappropriate for him to serve both as Mayor and as the city’s legal representative. After a series of legal fiascos, he rehired Izzo and, eventually, another full-time lawyer.

The Bizarre Saga Of The Legal Settlement

This is a link to a story that documents the crazy conflict over paying the deductible for the settlement of a personnel litigation.

Briefly, the city has a liability insurance policy to cover this kind of litigation. The policy authorizes Travelers Insurance to handle these lawsuits. Travelers selects the attorney who is to handle the lawsuits, and Travelers is responsible for paying the costs of both the litigation and, after a deductible to be paid by the city, for absorbing the costs of any settlements or awards.

Kim, who failed to grasp this agreement, was outraged that the Travelers’ attorney settled the case without consulting him or obtaining his approval. He refused to pay the city’s deductible to Travelers.

He attempted to inject himself into the final meeting between the judge in the matter, Judge Mae D’Agostino, and the attorneys representing the plaintiff and the Travelers attorney. It was entirely inappropriate for Kim to inject himself, and the judge generously allowed him to address her. Her contempt for his behavior is quite amusing, and the entire story here is worth reading. This craziness is pure Ron Kim.

Hold On To Your Hat

Over the history of this blog, Ron Kim’s behavior has been a constant source of material. Using the blog’s search function with the name “Kim” will yield a bounty of stories, ranging from the comic to the truly ugly. It is simply beyond belief that the Democratic Committee has allowed him to become their chair.

In the 1980s, Leona Helmsley became infamous for her extreme narcissism and sense of entitlement. The fabulously wealthy widow of real-estate magnate Harry Helmsley, she was notorious for her abusive treatment of staff, earning the sobriquet “the Queen of Mean.”

For years, Helmsley failed to pay her taxes, memorably declaring that “taxes are for little people.” She ultimately learned otherwise. Convicted of tax evasion, she was sentenced to 16 years in prison (later reduced), served 19 months in federal custody, and paid millions of dollars in fines.

A troubling parallel emerges in Minita Sanghvi’s conduct during her tenure as Saratoga Springs Commissioner of Finance. It has become apparent that Sanghvi treated the position as a vanity title rather than a full-time responsibility. I have documented that her automatic city email reply explicitly stated that she regarded the role as part-time and directed inquiries instead to her Deputy.

Although Sanghvi earned an accounting degree in India, she appears to have had little interest in applying those skills to the actual management of the city’s finances. Instead, she seemed far more engaged in partisan-war issues and running for other offices. According to the city auditor’s findings, the city’s finances were allowed to deteriorate under her watch, with little meaningful oversight.

Sources report that Sanghvi treated employees with condescension and indifference. This management style helps explain not only the disastrous state of the city’s financial records but also the sudden departure of Christine Gillmette-Brown, who had competently managed those records for nearly three decades.

In short, Sanghvi’s gross negligence and arrogant management have left the city’s financial records in disarray. Yet in comments recently made to the Times Union, she appears largely unaware of her own failures.

Minita Sanghvi Claims Everything Was Fine

Former Commissioner of Finance Minita Sanghvi has stated that she does not understand how the department fell into disarray, asserting that when she left office at the end of December, everything was orderly.

“We submitted all reports as required by city and state laws last year,” Sanghvi wrote in an email to the Times Union on Friday. “I provided quarterly reports to council. The only issues the auditors found last year were stemming from other departments handling state and federal grants paperwork and handling of fixed assets—not from finance.”

Times Union, February 7, 2026

The auditor’s comments directly contradict this claim. According to the auditor, the city’s books are in serious disorder. The Finance Director selected by Sanghvi after Gillmette-Brown’s retirement proved incapable of performing even the most basic functions, including reconciling accounts. The extensive list of failures identified by the auditor and reported to Commissioner Kiernan—detailed in a prior post—is deeply disturbing.

It borders on the bizarre for Sanghvi to assert that “everything was orderly” when she left office. Does she truly fail to understand that the mismanagement documented by the auditor extends back at least a full year?

Equally troubling is Sanghvi’s attempt to shift blame to other departments for the handling of state and federal grants. Sources report that Sanghvi limited her staff’s interactions with other departments. This claim reflects either remarkable cynicism or a profound misunderstanding of her own responsibilities. Fiscal accountability for these grants resided squarely within her Finance Department.

Finally, the abrupt resignation—without notice—of the Finance Director hired by Sanghvi to replace Gillmette-Brown, just prior to Commissioner Kiernan assuming oversight of the department speaks volumes about morale, discipline, and leadership within the department.

BK Keramati Rejects Temporary Freeze

Commissioner Kiernan told her colleagues at the Council table that any consideration of creating new positions must be put off until the city can get its finances in order to determine its true state.

Public Works Commissioner BK Keramati responded to the Times Union as follows:

“A lot of these hiring decisions, programs and so forth have come into being for a good reason,” Keramati said. “The reason is to serve the city and if we start delaying these actions, I’m afraid that may wind up costing the city even more.”

BK Keramati ot the Times Union February 7, 2026

Keramati’s concern appears to stem from his desire to create a new managerial position in his department, which is anticipated to cost the city $100,000.

The city has been running a deficit for three years, which is unsustainable. It seems prudent to straighten out our finances to accurately assess where we are before encumbering more obligations. It’s time, after four years of indiscriminate spending, to exercise some discipline.

At the February 3, 2026, Saratoga Springs City Council meeting, Finance Commissioner JoAnne Kiernan reported that the city’s recordkeeping in 2025 had been so chaotic and incomplete (bank reconciliations, for instance, had not been done since February, 2025, when Christine Gillmett-Brown resigned as Finance Director) that the auditor, after identifying numerous failures, informed her that the city’s finances, in their current condition, cannot be audited.

The following is the statement issued by Commissioner Kiernan, along with the related video of her presentation.

To her credit, Commissioner Kiernan never mentioned former Finance Commissioner Minita Sanghvi’s name, even though Sanghvi was wholly responsible for this debacle. This is in sharp contrast to how previous Council members often behaved. There is little doubt that had Sanghvi and former Accounts Commissioner Dillon Moran been at the table, and had Commissioner Kiernan been responsible for the 2025 finances, such a report would have brought about a barrage of shrill attacks and accusations.

In contrast, the members of the current Council focused on understanding and solving these problems rather than creating drama and making toxic attacks.

Sanghvi On The Run

As the city’s representative on the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors, Sanghvi is required to attend all City Council meetings.

At the pre-agenda meeting on the Monday prior to the Council’s regular meeting, Kiernan announced she would be addressing the financial problems she was finding in her office.

Sanghvi arrived late for the regular meeting on Tuesday night, rushing to her seat. She blamed her tardiness on, among other things, her son’s basketball game going into overtime. Immediately following her brief supervisor’s report to the Council, she left the meeting without explanation, thus avoiding the embarrassment of sitting through Kiernan’s report.

Thank You, Christine Gillmett-Brown

Last year, I reported on Christine Gillmett-Brown’s sudden resignation as the city’s Director of Finance, which became effective at the end of February 2025. Gillmett-Brown had served the city for twenty-nine years. At the time, I commented on the suddenness of her departure and the fact that she had given just two weeks’ notice. This was inconsistent with her history of complete dedication to the city. I suspected that her precipitous exit may have been due to the burden of working under Sanghvi.

With the sudden departure on January 3,2026, of the Finance Director Sanghvi, hired last April, the city was in real trouble. In effect, the Finance Director is the city’s chief fiscal officer (CFO). In a testament to her dedication to the city, Gillmett-Brown agreed to return temporarily to help resolve the problems left behind by Sanghvi, while Commissioner Kiernan seeks to fill the position with a permanent appointment.

The Repair

I cannot emphasize enough how fortuitous it is that Joanne Kiernan, an accountant, is now Finance Commissioner, given the mess the city faces.

My understanding is that the city can reconstruct records so that eventually the auditor can begin his work. We should all be grateful to both Gillmette-Brown and Commissioner Kiernan, who must now carry on the regular and demanding duties of their jobs while reconstructing the city’s books.