Saratoga Springs Politics

I have to start off this post by asking why anyone from our city would supposedly seek to weaken our representation in our county government. This makes no sense, but this is what Gordon Boyd and Sarah Burger want us to believe.

Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee member Gordon Boyd and Saratoga Springs County Supervisor Sarah Burger, who is also on the Democratic committee, have continued to champion misinformation about a proposed charter change despite copious data and documents to the contrary. The extreme gap between reality and their allegations is nothing short of breathtaking. They have been falsely asserting that the proposed charter language would jeopardize the city’s representation on the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors. In remarks at the June 2, 2026, City Council meeting, Boyd went even further to falsely claim that remarks by Charter Review Commission member and former County Supervisor Matt Veitch and former Public Safety Commissioner and charter commission member Lew Benton now exposed some kind of grand conspiracy involving the town of Halfmoon.

In fact, both Veitch and Benton voted in favor of the proposed change to the Supervisor language, as did every other member of the bipartisan Commission, and they still support it.

Lew Benton, former Public Safety Commissioner and County Planner, has done a tremendous service by extensively documenting state, county, and city laws, relating to the disputed Supervisor language, along with a detailed history of the evolution of the relevant county and city statutes, in an email at the bottom of this post. Its thoroughness and specificity contrast dramatically with the disheartening stream of unsubstantiated sound bites meant to confuse the public, expressed by Boyd and Berger.

I welcome Gordon Boyd and Supervisor Burger to respond to Lew’s analysis. I promise to post whatever they submit unedited.

Some Background Regarding The Current Charter Commission

The current Charter Commission was appointed by Mayor John Safford in 2025. It includes representatives from both major parties, along with some members who have registered as unaffiliated with any political party. Most importantly, it includes a number of attorneys, including former city attorneys, who serve as resources for the committee on both the city’s operations and the federal, state, county, and local statutes that affect our city’s power. City Assistant Attorney Tony Izzo, who has served as staff to most, if not all, the former charter commissions, also attends the Commission’s meetings. A number of the current Charter Commission members have served on previous charter commissions.

Here are the 11 members of the Commission:

• Vince DeLeonardis chairs the Commission. He served as the City Attorney during two administrations. He is not registered in a political party. He was originally appointed by Joanne Yepsen, a Democrat, and later by Meg Kelly, also a Democrat.
• Matt Dorsey served as the City Attorney of Saratoga Springs under both Republican Mayor Scott Johnson and Republican Mayor Michael Lenz. He is a registered Republican.
• Michael Lenz served as the city’s Mayor and as Finance Commissioner. He is a registered Republican
• Deidre Ladd works for New York Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner, a Democrat, and is a member of the city’s Democratic Committee. She was a former Deputy Finance Commissioner under Democrat Michele Madigan.
• Lew Benton served as the city’s Commissioner of Public Safety. He is a registered Democrat
• Matt Jones is a partner in the law firm Jones, Steves, Grassi.
• Stephen Towne served as Commissioner of Accounts. He is a CPA who has been employed by a large national accounting firm. He is a Republican.
• Robert Murphy Jr. retired from the Saratoga Springs Fire Department, where he rose to the rank of assistant chief. He is currently the EMS coordinator for St. Peter’s Hospital. I do not know his registration.
• Dorothy Rogers-Bullis is the founder and principal owner of drb Business Interiors. She has been a member of the City Center Board since 2017 and was appointed chair in 2024. I do not know her registration.
• Molly Corbett is an attorney. She serves as a Supervisor in the Albany office of the Federal Defenders of New York.
• Matt Veitch served as Saratoga Springs County Supervisor from 2008 until 2025, and served as the Board’s chair. He is a registered Republican, but he was recognized by the Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee and given an award for his bi-partisan work at their annual Starbuck luncheon.

This is a very impressive set of individuals overall, and the Commission is particularly strong in the field of law.

A thoughtful reader has to ask, why, as alleged by Boyd and Burger, would these people conspire to craft legislation to weaken the city’s representation at the county level? Remember, the vote was unanimous. It makes no sense because it is simply not true.

Gordon Boyd’s Disgraceful Misuse of Individuals Serving This City on the Commission. He Seems Unable to Distinguish Truth from Fiction, Blatantly Misrepresenting the Charter Commission Members’ Remarks

During the public comment period of the June 2, 2026, City Council meeting Boyd asserted:

“The charge you (the members of the city council) are putting into effect is to allow the county to reduce the number of supervisors that represent the city in Saratoga County.”

Gordon Boyd

While Mr. Boyd has repeatedly claimed that the city is allowing the county to reduce our representation by changing the wording of the charter, the city has no authority to affect the county’s decision on representation in any way. The county has enjoyed the legal authority to draft how communities are represented since the late 1700’s. As recently as 2021, the county redrafted the electoral map following the federal census results. It is truly bizarre that Boyd should want to sell this patently false narrative that the city has sovereignty.He knows better.

This is being done for the town of Halfmoon. This is what this is for. This is for this council to provide a permission slip that you are being asked to adopt that allows the town of Halfmoon supervisor to maintain his 25,666 weighted votes on the board.

Gordon Boyd

Boyd confusingly claims that changing the wording of the Saratoga Springs charter is intended to affect the county representation of the town of Halfmoon, a matter that was determined 6 years ago. He fails to explain how this minor change in the language of the Saratoga Springs charter will affect Halfmoon’s representation or what malevolent motive the Commission members have for supporting the change.

What is most disgraceful is the way Boyd misrepresents comments made by Matt Veitch and Lew Benton at a Charter Commission meeting to claim they support his wild accusations. Veitch and Benton merely informed Boyd of the history of the Halfmoon Supervisor Kevin Tollison’s successful opposition to sharing representation for his town with anyone after the 2020 census. Both Veitch and Benton voted for the proposed Supervisor text change, as did everyone else on the Commission, and they are still in support of that change. It verges on real craziness for Boyd and his allies to allege that the deal for Tollison six years ago would somehow be affected by a tweak in the Saratoga Springs charter six years later.

Burger Supports Boyd’s Story And Opposes Text Change On Supervisors

Saratoga Springs County Supervisor Sarah Burger began her remarks at the same Council meeting with a long and disingenuous statement praising the Charter Review Commission members and their work. This did not stop her from continuing the narrative that the language proposed by the Commission for the Supervisors would somehow disenfranchise Saratogians. Most grotesquely, she suggested that adopting this work of the Commission would be somehow racist. She never explains how it would be racist, nor, despite being a lawyer, does she explain what was wrong with the text proposal. Instead, she offered the folksy, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

It Is Broke

The Mayor charged the Commission with developing two sets of recommendations regarding the charter. State law requires that certain changes, including those that would affect the powers of elected officials in our charter, be made only by referendum. State law also provides that other changes to the charter may be made by a majority of the City Council.

Our charter has not been changed in decades. There are elements to the charter that are inconsistent and obsolete. There are elements of our charter that unnecessarily undermine efficiency. There are also simple grammatical elements that need cleaning up. The charter also needed greater clarity on how to fill vacancies on the Council, as demonstrated by the confusion that followed former Public Works Commissioner Jason Golub’s resignation. These are the changes the Charter Commission has forwarded to the City Council for their consideration.

The proposed changes to the charter to be considered by the Council are relatively minor. Mr. Boyd and Ms. Burger apparently had to resort to creating a dubious controversy to discredit the Charter Review Commission because the proposed changes were all modest and merited. As I observed earlier, why would the Commission, with diverse backgrounds and expertise vote unanimously to propose that the City Council sabotage our representation in county government?

The real question is why Boyd and Burger want the public to falsely think the Commission and potentially the Council want to do this.

Benton White Paper

Some Thoughts on the City’s Most Recent Tempest in a Teapot

I understand Gordon Boyd gave me an honorable mention at the June 2 Council hearing on proposed amendments to the City Charter. I suppose I should be flattered.

As told to me, Gordon was speaking against a proposed change to TITLE 2.1, Officers, eligibility, terms of office, salaries. 

That Title lists City elected officers. In addition to the Mayor and the four Commissioners, it includes “Two Supervisors”. As a member of the 2000 – 2001 Charter Revision Commission I can safely say that the “Two” simply recognized the status quo that had (has) existed since 1968. 

But in hindsight, that language was ill advised for it may have suggested that the number of supervisors representing the City in Ballston Spa was a function reserved to Charter law. It is not. But it has now been, innocently or not, misrepresented.  Perhaps those with open minds will consider the facts of the matter before taking sides.  

As I understand it, Gordon somehow misinterpreted remarks I made as a member of the current City Charter Review Commission as supportive of his position against the proposed new language. I regret any misinterpretation or misunderstanding of comments I may have made, for I support the new language and voted to advance it to the City Council for its consideration. Why? Because the new language correctly recognizes that more than one supervisor representing any County municipality, predicated on population thresholds established by the Board of Supervisors, consistent with the New York State Municipal Home Rule Law.

The proposed new language reads “One or more Supervisors as may be established by County Law.” The proposed new language simply represents that by NYS Law the County determines, following each Decennial Census, the population threshold that triggers how many  additional supervisors a town or city will have. Apparently Gordon and others falsely believe that the City through its Charter, local law or resolution may determine the number of Saratoga Springs Supervisors. It can not.

No city in New York can unilaterally decide how many representatives it has on a County Board of Supervisors. Because county legislative bodies must comply with “one person, one vote” constitutional standards, the apportionment of representatives is determined by the county and state, not by individual municipalities. 

Understanding how representation is structured in New York clarifies why a city cannot make this decision on its own.

• County Jurisdiction: Apportionment and representation on a county  Board of Supervisors are exclusively county-level matters. Any changes must be enacted by the county through the New York State Municipal Home Rule Law. 
• Constitutional “One Person, One Vote”: In the 1960s, courts mandated that all county legislative bodies must provide equal representation based on population. If a city’s population represents X percentage of the total county population, its combined representation or total voting power must reflect that exact percentage. 
• Weighted Voting: In counties that still utilize a Board of Supervisors (rather than elected county legislators), city and town supervisors’ voting power is mathematically weighted based on the population they represent. 
• City Charters: While a city has the power under the Municipal Home Rule Law to amend its own city charter it cannot dictate the structural makeup of the county board. 
• Any changes to the number of city representatives, their districts, or their voting weights require a county-wide redistricting plan or a revision of the county charter. Saratoga is non-charter. county. As such, it is guided by NYS County Law, the NYS General Municipal Law and the NYS Municipal Home Rule Law.

Brief History of the Transition and Maintenance of the Saratoga County’s Fractional Weighted Voting System and Number of Supervisors

Before the late 1960s, the Board of Supervisors operated on a traditional one-municipality-one representative model, as it had since it was established in 1791.  This meant that rural towns with tiny populations had the same voting power as rapidly growing urban and suburban areas. 

Not until 1986 did the County, as part of its 21st Century Study Commission appointed by then Supervisor Roy McDonald, seriously consider a change of form.  Part of that initiative included a Saratoga County Government Study element, chaired by then-Charlton Supervisor Fred Hequembourg. I served as staff.

The Hequembourg study group ultimately decided not to recommend transitioning to a charter county with a county legislature but did move to create an appointed County Administrator title along with other modest changes. It seems we are stuck with a antiquated County government and there is no initiative to change it, certainly not from within.

Saratoga Springs transitioned from one to two county supervisors following the adoption of Saratoga County Local Law No. 2 of 1968. This law restructured the Board of Supervisors to comply with the federal one -person-one-vote constitutional redistricting principles. 

• With its 1962 decision in Baker v. Carr, the US Supreme Court established that redistricting questions are justiciable (meaning they are legal questions the courts can resolve rather than political questions left to legislators) under the Equal Protection Clause. Then, the Court’s 1964 decision in Reynolds v. Sims established the “one person, one vote” doctrine, which requires every state legislative district to contain roughly the same number of people. When each representative has the same number of constituents, people are equally represented, and their votes have an equal opportunity to influence policies in their state. 
• In decisions made in 1962 (Baker v. Carr) and 1964 (Wesberry v. Sanders, Reynolds v. Sims) the United States Supreme Court made clear that the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution requires legislative districts to be “substantially equal in population.” 

• In 1968 this principle was extended by the Court to apply to local governments (Avery v. Midland County).

• Towns and cities within counties were, of course, not equal in population. Thus in 1968 counties with boards of supervisors found their governance structure immediately in violation of the U.S. constitution. Faced with this legal dilemma, those counties wishing to retain the Board of Supervisors form – and not opt to adopt charters and legislatures  – had to structure an alternative approach meet the complying with 1962 one-person-one mandate.
  • Historically, most of NY’s 57 counties outside New York City were governed by boards of supervisors. Today only 16 retain the board of supervisors form. The boards are made of the supervisors of each of the towns and cities in the county, augmented by additional supervisors elected from wards within each city (if any) in the county. However, since  Saratoga Springs elects its representatives at large and not by wards or districts, its number of supervisors is determined by the same process applied to the Counties 19 towns.

• One option that allowed retaining a board of supervisors, while also abiding by the one-person-one-vote decision was to create a weighted voting system that equally represented citizens by giving supervisors different voting strength within the board, based upon their municipality’s size relative to that of other towns and cities in the county.  And by LOCAL LAW NO. 2 OF 1968, the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors did just that.
• 1968 (The Local Law): Prompted by federal court mandates enforcing proportional representation, Saratoga County passed Local Law No. 2. This established a population-based threshold system. Municipalities would automatically receive an additional county supervisor once their population crossed a specific threshold (initially set for one supervisor per 12,000 residents, and amended over the decades to 27,500 following the 2020 Census.
• Of course, to maintain Constitutional compliance the County must amend the original 1968 Local Law following certification of each successive Decennial Census to reflect population changes. The next census will be conducted in 2030. Baring a change in the current 27,500 threshold, current 2030 population estimates would result in No Change to the Board’s composition. Only Saratoga Springs and Clifton Park would have two supervisors, the other 19 municipalities would have one.
• Following the certified results of the 2020 Decennial Census, the County Board of Supervisors adopted the following Local Law. It details its most current makeup and establish the 27,500 threshold

COUNTY OF SARATOGA LOCAL LAW – 2022

A LOCAL LAW TO AMEND LOCAL LAW NO. 2 OF 1968, AS LAST AMENDED BY LOCAL LAW NO. 5 OF 2011, TO INCREASE THE POPULATION THRESHOLD FOR AN ADDITIONAL COUNTY SUPERVISOR

BE IT ENACTED by the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors as follows:

SECTION 1. That paragraphs a.) and b.) of Section 2 of Local Law No. 2 of 1968, as last amended by Local Law 5 of 2011, be amended as follows:

“SECTION 2. Such system of weighted voting shall be as follows:

a.) Each municipality shall elect one (1) Supervisor where its population is less than [25,000] 27,500 according to the latest decennial census and each Supervisor shall cast one (1) vote for each person in [his] their district according to such census.

b.) Where any such municipality shall have a population of [25,000] 27,500 one additional Supervisor shall be elected therefrom and one additional thereafter as each whole multiple of [25,000] 27,500 is attained. Such Supervisors shall each cast that number of votes arrived at by dividing the total population of each municipality by the number of its Supervisors.”

SECTION 2. That SECTION 3. of said Local Law No. 2 of 1968, as last amended by

Local Law No. 5 of 2011, be further amended as follows:

“SECTION 3. The composition of the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors shall consist of twenty-three (23) Supervisors, with two (2) Supervisors each from the City of Saratoga Springs and the Town of Clifton Park, and one (1) Supervisor each from the City of Mechanicville and the remaining Towns of the County of Saratoga, and, hereafter, such number shall automatically increase by the addition of an additional Supervisor from each Town or City as its population, based on a County-wide Official Federal Census, shall reach [25,000] 27,500 or whole multiples thereof.”

SECTION 3. This Local Law is subject to a permissive referendum as provided in

Section 24 of the Municipal Home Rule Law.

SECTION 4. This Local Law shall take effect after it is filed as provided by law.

end

ljb, June 5, 20266

Up until now, the Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee has been mounting a focused attack on only one proposed charter change, the one that would affect the wording regarding the city’s County Supervisors. In a recent email to the four Saratoga Springs City Council members endorsed by One Saratoga and the chair and vice chair of One Saratoga, Democrat County Supervisor and Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee member Sarah Burger, however, expanded the attack by warning them all to stay out of charter change altogether. In the meantime, Democrat Public Works Commissioner BK Keramati, who had at a previous meeting suggested charter change language to the Supervisors that gained the support of all his fellow Council members, flipped his position and embraced the new Democratic position laid out by Burger: sending all charter changes to referendum. The problem for Burger, Keramati, and the Democratic Committee is that New York state law is very specific about what can and cannot go to a referendum.

Sarah Burger’s Email

On May 31, 2026, Sarah Burger sent an email to the sitting Council members who were endorsed by One Saratoga, along with two members of One Saratoga’s leadership.

The email is poorly written and poorly researched. It apparently serves several purposes, including ingratiating herself with the leadership of the Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee. The criticism of her by members of the Committee for taking the One Saratoga line in the last election was unrelenting, and apparently, she is seeking to ingratiate herself with them again.

Last year, Mayor Safford established a charter commission with two missions: one was to present to the Council changes that could be adopted by the City Council, and secondly, to present further changes that would have to be approved by referendum in November as laid out in Sections 23 and 24 of the New York State Municipal Home Rule Law. The committee is bipartisan, and many members have served the city in various capacities. The commission is chaired by former City Attorney Vince DeLeonardis. They delivered their proposals, which could be adopted by the Council at the close of 2025, and the Council has been reviewing and discussing them over the past few months. In a previous post, I wrote about the phony issue Gordon Boyd created about proposed language regarding the city supervisors. Sarah Burger has now taken the Democrats’ attack to a higher level.

In her email, Ms. Berger bizarrely warns the recipients that it will be “political suicide” for them to involve themselves in the “formation of our governing document.” She goes on to claim that some of the proposals “require (her word) a public referendum.” Ms. Burger is an attorney. I wrote to Ms. Burger asking: given all the restrictions in New York regarding when referenda can be used, which provisions in the proposed charter changes she referenced in her email would allow for a referendum on it, let alone mandate one, and which statute she draws on to support her claim. She did not respond. I wrote her a follow-up request, which was similarly ignored.

Unlike California, Florida, Washington, Arizona, Colorado, and Oregon, New York State severely restricts the use of referendums, so it is unclear what she believes can go to a referendum and what the basis of her claim is

Regrettably, as noted earlier, I believe that the purpose of Ms. Burger’s email was political rather than a serious attempt to assist the city and One Saratoga. In order to ingratiate herself with the leadership of the city’s Democratic Committee, she is stirring the proverbial pot.

Ms. Berger is shrewd enough to know that the Commissioners she emailed will not abrogate their authority. Her help is disingenuous. Her main goal seems to be to provide as large a platform as possible for the Democratic Committee to muddy the waters as part of a strategy to discredit Mayor Safford’s commission. Her praise for the commission at the beginning of the last Council meeting, followed by her attempt to discredit their work, was striking in its disconnect.

Her email appears below.

BK Keramati Flips, Then He Flops, And Then He Flips Again

Public Works Commissioner BK Keramati initially opposed changing the language in the charter to address a technical issue regarding our representation to the county. Then he switched, acknowledged the value of the change, and agreed to it, offering his own language. This was documented in a previous post.

At the June 1 City Council pre-agenda meeting, he switched yet again, adopting Sarah Burger’s new narrative.

He seems, like Sarah, to be ignorant of state law on referenda and advocated putting all the individual charter proposal items, particularly the one dealing with Supervisors, on the Council’s ballots to let the public pick and choose, a practice that state law very narrowly limits. Clearly, the local Democratic Committee put the heat on Keramati to follow the new party line.

City Attorney Tony Izzo took the mic and tried to help Keramati understand the law. It is not clear that Keramati grasps what Tony is trying to explain to him.

Berger’s Letter

Sarah Burger <>
Date: May 31, 2026, at 10:12:48 AM EDT
To: Courtney DeLeonardis <>, Jessica Troisi <>, Tim Coll <>, John Safford <>, JoAnne Kiernan <>, Jeffrey Partridge <>
Subject: Charter amendments

Good morning,

Ive given some thought to the proposed charter amendments that are before the council and overall while substantively I may agree with some of them I think the council voting on process for city elections, this supervisor issue, for example, is political suicide for One Saratoga.

There is simply no reason for you all to insert yourselves as elected officials in the formation of our governing document. This is an unforced error.

I firmly believe some of this requires public referendum and taking the voice of the voters away in amending our governing document for these type of substantive changes may down the road fly back on you.

I very strongly urge you to consider sending all proposed amendments to the voters. I want to see you all be successful in the things you are doing as council members. This does not need to be around your necks politically.

Just my two cents.

PS I think the best answer may be as my father always said “when you do not have to do something, do nothing.”

Thanks for reading.

Sent from my iPhone
Sarah J. Burger, Esq.

The Saratoga Springs City Council on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, will consider a resolution to deny payment of former Public Works Commissioner Jason Golub’s legal bills. Golub had city DPW employees work on a drain at a rental property Golub owned. The employees were operating on city time, using city equipment, and city materials. The criminal case against Golub was dismissed on a technicality with the charging document.

The resolution (below) is devastating. The key issue is that the city’s indemnity law is meant to protect elected officials from lawsuits growing out of something they did during the performance of their official duties. By his own statements, it is documented that Golub was operating as a private citizen with a plumbing problem on a property he owned when he had the city’s employees do the work.

Pages 2, 3, and 4 of the Resolution

Lew’s First Email To Saratoga Springs Public Works Commissioner BK Keramati

From: Lew Benton <l>
Date: Wed, May 20, 2026 at 6:23 PM
Subject: Congress Park Veterans Walk Condition
To: BK Keramati <>
CC: John Safford <>, JoAnne Kiernan <>, Tim Coll <>, Jessica Troisi <>, Matthew Veitch <>

Commissioner,

This year, as last and with Memorial Day around the corner, I ask PW to repoint the granite curbing flanking the Veterans Walk in Congress Park. Bricks should be power washed.

The attached photos taken today clearly show the Walk’s state of disrepair.

Last year I made the same suggestion to the then commissioner. Regrettably it was ignored. In the interim the Walk’s condition has further deteriorated. 

Ultimately all bricks should be removed, thoroughly cleaned and relaid on an appropriate level base allowing good drainage. Engraved bricks no longer legible should be replaced.

I am confident that many who are named on the Walk, their families and others would gladly help underwrite the improvements.

Hundreds of the community members names and service dates are inscribed on the Walk.  Some  attest to the multi-generational service of Saratoga families and to those KIA.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Lew Benton

Lew’s Second Email

To:BK Keramati

From: Lew Benton

Commissioner,

Several days ago I sent via email photographs of the deteriorated condition of the Veterans Walk.

Perhaps you did not receive my note. So here again are some recent photos.  I hope they will encourage PW to initiate the necessary improvements: i.e., granite curbing repointing, brick cleaning and leveling, replacement of worn bricks and those with illegible names.

I noted in my original email that the same request had been made last year prior to Memorial 

Day but no action was taken. I trust you agree that the current condition is untenable and an affront to those whose service is memorialized there. 

Thank you.

L. Benton

Lew’s Third Email

Commissioner (BK),

Thank you for your response to my recent emails detailing the deteriorating condition of the Veterans Walk in Congress Park.

I appreciate your comments regarding budget constraints. It’s a never-ending battle.  And I am well aware that the current City budget, as those of the last three or four years, is likely to be in deficit.  In fact, the Council should have been well aware that the 2026 budget advanced by Finance was seriously out of balance.

However, as I mentioned in my initial note, I see no reason why the repointing of the granite curbs lining the walk and  removing, cleaning and relaying the bricks could not be done by force account or city labor. While labor intensive, I doubt that there would be any material costs.

I note that the 2026 Park and Casio Operating Budget includes $370.009 for labor, $15,000

for “Other Supplies,” $8,500 for “Landscaping” and $5,000 for “Professional Services.” Is there nothing to be found in these lines and other PW operating lines that could be transferred to the 

Veterans Walk budget account?

And regrettably the Veterans Walk operating line has been zeroed out.  That is all the more disturbing because the Walk’s current advanced stage of deterioration has been well known for some time. 

In my nearly 40 years experience in local, county and state  government and eight years on the City Council, I know even in the leanest of times there is $ to be found to address such needs. This is particularly true if the need is real, low cost, and the proposed improvement would remove, as in this case, a rather ugly blemish and a potential trip hazard. Of course not to finally act degrades the service of those whose names are inscribed in the Walk and mirrors the neglect of other Park amenities such as the Reservoir.

Finally, and as I mentioned in my initial email, I’m sure that private donations earmarked exclusively for Walk restoration would be made available if requested. And I am certain that some veterans and others would be willing to solicit same.

Lew Benton

7110 PARK & CASINO

A3537111 51900 LABORER 297,177.02 382,900.00 393,484.81 319,346.85 393,484.81 328,715.00 ________

A3537111 51960 OVERTIME 24,709.26 12,000.00 22,148.26 24,137.92 12,803.13 15,000.00 ________

A3537111 58030 SS CITY PO 23,873.23 30,209.85 30,209.85 25,734.42 30,209.85 26,294.20 ________

TOTAL PARK & CASINO 345,759.51 425,109.85 445,842.92 369,219.19 436,497.79 370,009.20 ________

7110 PARK & CASINO

A3537114 54110 OFFICE SUP 296.55 200.00 200.00 200.00 200.00 .00 ________

A3537114 54140 JANIT SUPP 6,910.18 4,500.00 6,195.25 6,195.25 4,500.00 4,500.00 ________

A3537114 54160 UNIFORMS 3,978.25 4,800.00 4,400.00 5,211.42 5,211.47 6,000.00 ________

A3537114 54180 OTHER SUPP 30,297.00 18,000.00 21,148.00 21,147.74 19,500.00 15,000.00 ________

A3537114 54320 TOOLS 198.98 150.00 150.00 28.49 150.00 .00 ________

A3537114 54330 REP MAN EQ 6,196.00 5,000.00 1,988.27 1,984.30 2,500.00 3,000.00 ________

A3537114 54510 REP MAN VE 2,000.00 1,250.00 1,250.00 1,245.76 1,250.00 2,000.00 ________

A3537114 54610 REP MAN BU 25,731.39 24,000.00 25,058.48 25,585.50 24,527.02 24,000.00 ________

A3537114 54650 UTILITIES 57,760.36 60,000.00 67,900.00 67,859.48 60,000.00 65,000.00 ________

A3537114 54670 PHONES 1,300.00 1,300.00 1,635.75 1,167.90 1,450.00 1,300.00 ________

A3537114 54680 LANDSCAPIN 10,000.00 10,000.00 10,000.00 10,000.00 10,000.00 8,500.00 ________

A3537114 54720 PROF SER 4,832.56 5,000.00 7,805.50 14,216.43 11,410.93 5,000.00 ________

TOTAL PARK & CASINO 149,501.27 134,200.00 147,731.25 154,842.27 140,699.42 134,300.00 ________

As readers may recall, Gordon Boyd and others strenuously opposed changing the language in the Saratoga Springs city charter pertaining to the County Supervisors as recommended by the city’s Charter Commission. At the May 18 pre-agenda meeting, the Saratoga Springs City Council rejected Boyd et al.’s claim that the city was jeopardizing its representation at the county. In the following video clip from the meeting, Public Works Commissioner BK Keramati explains why he agreed with his colleagues on the Council that the language should be changed.

[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