DOES ANYBODY CARE?

Saratoga politics, does anybody really care?  The primary pitted a newcomer with good ideas to put in place against someone that campaigned from the Council table at meetings, saying things about his opponent while she couldn’t respond in kind at the meeting (this tactic by the Commissioner of PS is most likely illegal), but that doesn’t stop some on this Council.  The citizens of Saratoga have really no clue on what is happening to our City.  How many citizens go to meetings?  How many take the time to watch on line?  How many watch on local TV?  How many go to the site http://saratogaspringsny.swagit.com/city-council/ and watch the whole meeting or any part you want?  If you did, you would see a show worth sitting down with a bowl of popcorn and wouldn’t be able to stop laughing until after the meeting when you then become disgusted that those were the people voted in office to serve we the people.

People complain that Mayor Yepsen hasn’t gotten much done but she has and she would get more done if the 3 amigos would stop disagreeing with her just because of some idiotic personal thought placed in their heads.  Matheisen is just plain mean, the paper said Burger called to congratulate him on his primary win and his reply to that gesture was that “Miss Burger was not a good fit for the job.., this, after saying, “he would now reach out to Burger’s supporters, in keeping with Democratic Party values”.  I guess that is the response one gives when you have access to as much laughing gas you want.   Madigan is mean and is losing touch with reality and Skip, and well he is just Skip, looking like a deer in the headlights at every meeting.

One area that the City is losing income is the DPW used to have its own crew that would pour sidewalks in designated areas, the City would get grant money every year for doing this thereby making money doing the concrete work. As it stands now, Commissioner Scirocco hires out a firm to do the sidewalks not only giving up income to pay employees but to outsource work, he just doesn’t get it.  Look for yourself from past Council meetings how many times Scirocco hires outside engineers to perform jobs when the City pays big money for 2 City Engineers, I don’t think he gets it.  Skip also has his street ripped up new water & sewer lines run and then newly paved.  I asked a few neighbors if they had water or sewer problems and they said no, so what’s up Skip?

On the water front, the Bonacio water hookup fee forgiveness (over 1 million dollars) that we the citizens have to pay for as the Skipper changed the law so no fee is required so the cost falls on our backs, he just changed the Charter with the help of Madigan & Matheisen.

When the citizens were raising concerns that Bonacio was not going to pay that 1 million dollar fee, in a back room meeting attended by, Bonacio, Scirocco, Billy Benton, Donna Buckley, Sam Boardman &   Barbara Putnam it was decided that the City would not put pressure on Scirocco to pay it back, it looks like Skip had Sam Boardman sign a letter stating that Bonacio did not have to pay the City the 1 million. Only Skip or Tim Wales could sign a letter of this type and only after Council approval which Skip never brought the ‘deal’ before the Council.  The excuse from Scirocco that over ½ million dollars of improvements were done by Bonacio for the forgiveness of payment is bull skip.  These improvements were items that Bonacio HAD to do to get the permission to build.

The latest (2 weeks ago) the public received information from an Albany law firm that is being retained by some local developers because the Commissioner of Public Works has been charging certain developers a water hookup fee after he had the Charter changed not to charge these fees.   I would like to know, was the law changed to protect 1 developer and not everyone?  Also doesn’t Finance Commissioner Madigan have the responsibility to know if money is coming in for water hookup fees and inform Skip that he is breaking the law according to the Charter or is she allowing this and not performing her duties?  People, this is another potential lawsuit in the making, one which if the attorney is correct will result in the taxpayers paying out yet another bumbling by Madigan, Matheisen & Scirocco.

Why so many DPW workers working in Congress Park?  The last time I counted 5 people & 3 cleaners, this is a complete waste of man power.

Hey, good news.  It looks like the Hospital has taken a beautiful chunk of green space from the green belt on Myrtle Ave. for an Administration Bldg.  This West side property had one of the prettiest views around.  Where are the bleeding hearts that are trying to stop Saratoga National from building on their own land?  Could this be a case of double standard, Save the Greens or whatever you call yourselves?  On this topic, why does the eastern side of the Northway need a fire house and ambulance station on property in the green belt?  We have a fire Dept. that can answer calls already.  I don’t want my taxes going to pay for a minimum of 4 firemen (12 because you need 3 shifts) and ambulance people, let the Lake people pay for their own.  Wilma Koss and Nancy ‘Pitbull’ Goldberg will be glad to start a campaign for you to do so.

 Lastly, why does it take Matheisen 15 minutes to give a comeback after a person says something in the Public comment period?  Why not be like Skip and mumble out a few words and forget what you’re talking about?

IT’S STILL THE SAME

When I go away on an extended business trip like the one I just returned from I never read the local papers while I am not here so I can be surprised what things changed.  The problem is it’s always the same cast of characters doing crazy things.

Let’s take NYRA for example.  Tom Noonan who is one of the best bloggers around keeps his hand on the pulse of NYRA and informs the public with information we would never really know. 

Chris Kay the CEO of NYRA who is really totally blank about the Corporation and industry he is supposed to be the leader of has started another domino effect to change Saratoga Race Course from the most historic, beautiful, fan friendly track in the nation to just another race track.  The list to start according to Mr. Noonan and the NYRA webpage is:

• ·         A permanent structure built on the other side of the horse path that runs next to the end of the current club house.  It would replace the tent and the temporary modular boxes that have been used in recent years.
• 
  
• ·         A new picnic table area along Union Avenue, replacing the parking area now used by owners and trainers.
• 
  
• ·         A "Top of the Stretch Club" to be built at the end of the grandstand, intended "to attract a younger crowd to the Race Course."
• 
  
• ·         Moving the jockey quarters from the administration building to the Paddock.
• 
  
• ·         Eliminating the Open House held on the Sunday before opening day (which was always a fan favorite and a fan experience).

• ·         The continuation started last year of charging admission on Labor Day which was always ‘Fan Appreciation Day’
• 
  
• ·         Turning the lower Carousal into a Sports arena which would eliminate the free seating and replace it with a high end sports bar with a $40.00 admission fee.

Kay is also said to be looking into charging fans for taking water from the water fountains around the track and installing paid toilets.  If Cuomo who started this mess 2 years ago and extended the current board with Kay at its head for another year doesn’t make the change to privatize the track, Saratoga will be changed forever and its appeal will slowly dwindle.

This picture of Chris Kay was sent in by a racing fan, I cannot verify its authenticity as I have never met Mr. Kay.

I also see that the ‘Spirit of Life’ restoration is completed and the company that did all the work did a fine job.  However, this being an election I also see that Commissioner Scirocco is taking all the praise for his Department doing a great job, what about all the money paid to the firm that did the job?

The words ‘City in the Country’ keeps being thrown around and our feeling is that it is just a nostalgic notion that citizens want to keep in their minds.  I am sorry but that term does not apply to Saratoga Springs anymore.  We are just a concrete & brick City with big City problems.  A big problem we have that some areas I was in do not have is the washboards we call streets.  This would be just one problem I would be embarrassed about if I were Scirocco or Buckley.  This City’s streets are deplorable.  Come on Skip, do something about this.

A funny story in the news was the Commissioners getting into racing (harness) gear and sharing a sulky with a professional driver and running a race, everything was going fine I heard until Madigan put on the brakes and Skip, who was behind her stopped so suddenly he flew out of his seat and up Madigan’s 'wazoo' where it usually is during Council meetings.  The story, as related to me was that the 'wazoo' intake propelled Madigan into first place and the track’s vet separated the two with little problem.

As we all know or we all should know is that confessed child porn star John Tighe will be shipping out to prison in the Boston area at the end of July to a hospital that fits his health needs. 

The story floating around is that John won the lead part when he visited the slammer as Curly in the show ‘Men in Tights’.

I want to wish everyone a Happy 4th of July, we should all take time out of our celebrations to remember those who fought and those who died to make this great Republic and if you see Skip Scirocco, thank him for screwing our all American 4th of July celebration by selling our Congress Park out for the day (the first such screwing ever on this Holiday). 

THE CONTINUING SAGA OF INVESTIGATION AND MORE

Where to start?  Well let’s start with the first Comptroller’s report.  Commissioner Matheisen got spanked.  He not only got spanked but did not report to the State like he was mandated to, and according to the report, the lack of his compliance put our children’s lives in potential danger.  I’ll let you read the article so you can get the particulars as it is a 15 page report.  The whole report can be found by going to this link posted by Dennis Yusko: http://blog.timesunion.com/saratogaseen/comptroller-audits-saratoga-springs-fire-safety/24114/

If this is a precursor of the many current investigations by the Comptrollers & Attorney General’s office the Commissioners being investigated, (yes still being investigated as both State offices are still in City Hall almost daily), those Commissioners could be in big trouble (most likely, Madigan, Scirocco & Matheisen, according to sources).  There is also a legal battle over the Collimer lot that is being waged.

The day that Bill McTygue announced that he was challenging Skip Scirocco for DPW Commissioner, Scirocco was endorsed by Eddie ‘hot dog’ Miller and Gordon Boyd’s club the Independence party (small p on purpose).  The Independence party line position on the ballot drops every election year due to the fact that voters are continually not voting on that line.  Yes, they may have a party enrollment number but that number is way over inflated.  Why, you ask?  Well Independence sounds a lot like Independent and the concept too many people is that they are the same.  Independent means that you are registered as a no Party affiliation while the Independence party is an organized political Party (except in Saratoga Springs, where it is a power tool of a few people like the two named above rather than organized.  I don’t think they even announce when their interview process is, if they have any.  So beware of any of Miller or Boyd’s endorsements and how they came to be.

Mayor Yepsen finally announced her endorsement.  I’ll get into some thoughts after this comment.  Commissioner Michele Madigan was seen sitting at the bar texting for the whole hour, most likely back to her cohorts at City Hall and to Eddie ‘hot dog’ Miller’s girlfriend who is her best friend and wine tasting buddy.

Yepsen listed her accomplishments which are pretty long given the fact that Madigan, Scirocco and Matheisen fought her at every turn and tried their best to keep her from accomplishing anything.  Listed accomplishments were a 1.6 million dollar in federal funding for the Geyser Road pedestrian trail (heck, Scirocco gave this much money away to contractors alone), completion of the long delayed waterfront park on Saratoga Lake (6 years delayed), the City’s success in finding housing for 18 homeless veterans, the launch of the Code Blue program which the City desperately needed as most other Cities have such a program.  While you may or may not like her, she gets things done and with one member of the Council to work with (John Franck) it is amazing she got all this done.

The same day as Yepsen announced, the hot dog & Boyd announced that their club was endorsing Yepsen’s opponent John Safford.  Safford who is quoted in the gazette as saying “.. voters will have a clear choice between the status quo politicians, or a new beginning under a longtime businessman and U.S. Army veteran”.  I guess helping homeowner associations and being in the Army qualifies one to automatically take away a sitting Mayor’s accomplishments and last time I checked the status quo in Saratoga is the Republican Party, however you have to give him credit for stepping up to the plate to run as it looked like the Republicans did not have a candidate for the post.  

I am a member of the Republican Party and I am quite frankly embarrassed by what has been going on within the inner sanctum.  The Party had a good young, qualified professional financial person ready to run against Commissioner Madigan.  The Committee held their meeting and the gentleman gave a great speech and handled himself well, then the crap started flying starting with (in her dreams, Deputy) Donna Buckley, then Scirocco states that he works well with the Democrat Madigan and why run a Republican against her who may not see eye to eye with him, huh?  It is also said that Scirocco’s wife had something to say but that’s not important.  Scirocco, was also said to comment that if the new candidate was endorsed he would not help any Republican candidate.  This last line can’t be confirmed but why the Republican Party kick Scirocco out and let him become a Democrat is beyond me.  Remember it was Scirocco who with Madigan eliminated the water hookup fee because we had many sources to get that lost income and then Skip raises our water bills, in the end he gives the deals to the builders and sticks it to us, the tax payers.

Do you want to run for office in the near future?  If you are a young professional, forget it, you would be better off running as a Democrat, Independent or the Party of Mickey Mouse. 

THE END OF A PARTY?

Last week the Republican Party met to interview the gentleman that intended to run against Michele Madigan.  I was told that he is well qualified for the position and gave a very good speech.  However, when he was finished, Donna Buckley jumped up and started screaming at the fellow and that was followed by some harsh words by Mrs. Scirocco.  Skip then rose and finally put more than 5 words together and pledged that if the Party endorsed this candidate he would not help in any way to get him elected saying that he has a great relationship working with Madigan, at this point the meeting was closed and everyone fled the room.  The gentleman now feels he doesn't want to challenge Madigan because of lack of support from his own Party.  It seems this is one example that  Madigan has turned to the Republican Party.  Only in Saratoga!

WHEN PIGS FLY!

As the Saratogian wrote, the weather finally cooperated for a while so the Mayor could deliver her State of the City address.  The address did not contain many surprises but did give a recap of her first year in office despite all the shenanigans that Scirocco, Madigan & Methiesen pulled to make her look the fool in 2014.  The only thing these 3 did was to show how incompetent and disrespectful they how bad they looked in a public setting.  Scirocco should have been out of office 4 years ago and Madigan and Metheisen after their first term.  In Madigan’s case if not for her Deputy and the permanent staff in her Department she would not be able to add 1+1, but shame on us for reelecting them.

The investigation that is going on now at City Hall regarding the improper absolving and handling of the water hookup fees is kicking into another gear, employees are still being called out of City Hall to be interviewed (some for the second & third time)  and it looks like more individuals are involved than before.  Also, the investigation into the possible incorrect legal notice on the Collamer lot bidding process is still ongoing.  One source in City Hall has said that the investigation could be moving into other areas that may have potential problems rearing their heads soon.  The State Comptroller’s and the State Attorney General’s offices are doing the investigations.

Where oh! where is Marilyn Rivers?   Marilyn, are you still working in City Hall?  Instead of promoting yourself to Scirocco for the soon to be filled Director of Public Works you should be doing your job as Risk and Safety Manager.  The trucks that are not city vehicles are still being parked on City property (you may need one of them when moving your office out of its current location), have you checked to make sure that these vans, small trucks and box trucks are not leaking any fluids that we the taxpayers will have to pay for clean up?  Marilyn & Skip, there are also quite a few old trucks that are awaiting auction parked at the ice rink, the same question here - have you checked to make sure that any of these vehicles are not leaking any fluids that we the taxpayers will have to pay for clean up?  Will you look into this?  WHEN PIGS FLY!

Marilyn, I also think that all City vehicles are supposed to be identified with a logo that they are Saratoga Springs.  The Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner’s vehicles (no, not Donna Buckley’s) are not marked, come on get with it, please.  If this is how you operate Risk & Safety how will you do as Director of PW, or for that matter, if not you then current Commissioner mouth piece and acting Deputy Commissioner Donna Buckley?

 Marilyn, another problem you have ignored for years.  The pickup trucks that have trailers hooked up to them to pick up leaves, grass clippings etc. are over the legal weight limit for the driver not to have a CDL driver’s license and I was informed that they don’t have such silences.  Also, I was made aware that the employee who drives the large loader that removes snow etc. has no driver’s license.  What is the Risk to us and is that Safe?  Will you look into this?  WHEN PIGS FLY!
  

Commissioner Scirocco, I have noticed that there are tractor trailers that are going in empty into the compost facility and leaving fully loaded with branches, leaves etc. that we use to make our own compost, are you letting another outfit take our materials to process and make money or are you doing this so our citizens in Saratoga can get free compost this year?  Are you going to save our citizens money?  WHEN PIGS FLY!

Commissioner Scirocco, another question.  Why are there 2 City employee at the landfill Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday’s but only 1 employee on Saturday & Monday when they are the busiest days?  Nobody likes to work weekends but you should put 2 employees there on the busiest days.  Will the situation change this year?  WHEN PIGS FLY!

As I said,  as I was listening to the Mayor’s speech yesterday I felt it was sad that a person tries to do good for the City and is flanked at the Council table by those who would like to see her fail and thereby taking us down with them.  Will this year be different?  WHEN PIGS FLY!

We won’t get into Commissioner Mathiesen’s views which seem personal, regarding bar closing times, we’ll wait to see if he was wishing on a star or continues to want to deprive local businesses of making income.  Will he change his mind?  WHEN PIGS FLY!

If you missed a Council meeting or want to watch any part of it, you can catch the rerun of the meetings by departments by going to   http://saratogaspringsny.swagit.com/city-council/

Below is a picture from the Saratogian of the Commissioners listening intently to the Mayor’s speech.  Look at the captivating looks Madigan & Mathiesen have as the Mayor gives her remarks, they do look interested don’t they?  WHEN PIGS FLY!

CAN SKIP FLIP A SWITCH FOR WATER?

4 months ago at a Council meeting Commissioner Scirocco said that if anyone wanted to go with him he could flip a switch and start the pumps at Bog Meadow and pump all the water we need into Loughberry Lake.  Well why haven’t you flipped that switch Skip?  The lake level is down 27” as of Friday the 10^th and I haven’t seen it this low in 50 years.  We need water and we need it now.  You can see where the minimum level should be which is the black strip above the top of the cement block.

Skip, say it isn’t true, you are failing the taxpayers at every turn.  What gives?

The biggest bane of Skip’s tenure is the Bonacio and 2 other developers “give back of almost a million dollars, $1,000,000.00, 1 million smackers.  Skip said he really didn’t know that Sonny got that much in waivers but then said that Sonny does work and/or upgrades for the City at no cost.  However, we have found out by City Hall employees that a meeting was held about giving these waivers to Bonacio, and sitting around that table was none other than Skip DPW Commissioner, Stanley Boardman, Donna Buckley (Skips right hand girl), Barbara, Sonny Bonacio and Bill Benton (Sonny is the developer and also a partner with Benton in B&B Plumbing).  Well, some insiders say that most of the work completed was in the application and needed to be done for the large projects to be given the green light.  Sonny first needed to install 12” water mains which he did not do and that is a requirement of step 1 in getting a waiver.  Bonacio has never fixed (resurfaced the Division section) of road after he tore it up for various lines as called for in the applications.  In this case the City can do the job and get paid by Bonacio so the DPW workers have jobs to do but we saw what they do with their time.

The next item from the inside is that Skip has been planning for about a year to put in a new sewer line down Pinewood Ave. (your street).  I hope this doesn’t tie in with any Bonacio deals.

Skip is now a legend with his own cartoon on the editorial page of Sunday’s Daily Gazette.  The cartoon shows a man sitting at home in his chair and saying “Scirocco says the ordinance needs updating to reduce the requirements then he says, Seems to me it needs updating to increase the FEES.  How true.  The Commissioner shouldn’t go deeper into a developers wish for large waiver fees, the City should be getting more money from them in hookup fees.

In the past Skip had 3 people who rode from parking garage to parking garage in a City truck to clean them.  Skip has reduced the staff to one female (Connie) who with no truck has to walk from parking  garage to parking garage and clean them by herself.  She starts out the day at the Spring St. garage, then walks to the Woodlawn Ave. Garage, then onto the garage behind the new Adirondack Building, the a quick walk to clean the Algonquin lot.  Now get this, she cleans all the garages and the lot with the tools Skip gives her and I’m not joking people, a BROOM & DUST PAN.

News flash - Skip and Donna Buckley (Acting Deputy Commissioner and Chauffeur), slavery was eliminated by Abraham Lincoln or haven’t you heard yet?

Marilyn Rivers has her own problems which she is letting go by the board which in effect puts all citizens in a potential large problem which I will mention later.  First of all, every City vehicle has to have markings that that vehicle is the property of the City.  DPW vehicles except 2 have the orange decal with lettering noting the words Saratoga Springs among others.  Some of the vehicles have the same logo but in blue.  Police cars are marked Saratoga Springs as are Fire Trucks.  The only two other than unmarked Police cars are the vehicles that belong to Skip and Tim Cogan.  The question Marilyn is why, oh why? 

The next item has been brought to Marilyn’s attention for months now with no action taken.  The pictures below will tell the story.  This of course is at the Marion Ave. Mobile station.  The station’s vehicles, among them quite a few U-Haul trucks & vans sit on City property and create a liability problem.  They sit along the building which is the future home of the DPW’s paint shop and if the City isn’t charging the owner for parking and hasn’t  got a certificate of insurance then you aren’t doing your job Marilyn and it may be time for you to step down.  Is this another case of a favorite son getting a break from the City?

The gas line is one of many and sits on the roadsides with no protection around them.  What if a car goes off the road and smashes into one?  If this isn't a City problem then contact the company whose has the responsibility to do so.

There is also liability problems you are failing to take action on.  There are a few large steel plates sitting on Broadway, one by Soave Faire and one down past Uncommon Grounds, plus many corner curbs where the concrete has shattered and the metal is sticking up just waiting for someone to trip, fall and get hurt real bad.

Now I said earlier that the citizens are at risk or have a problem is because every time there is a claim to be paid by the City’s Insurance company, out deductibles for the next year rises and we pay more through our taxes or the City’s surplus balance further reducing that amount.  We need Marilyn to do her job or find someone that will.

EVERYBODY SING NOW ‘OLD MAN RIVER’

Commissioner Skip will soon be putting the citizens of Saratoga up Old Man River, his antics are becoming an embarrassment to those who deal with him which are few and far between because you have to go through is Deputy first – Deputy Dawg Donna Buckley.  Those who think Tim Cogan is Skip’s Deputy are sadly mistaken and those who work for DPW know it to be true.

At a previous Council meeting Commissioner Skip announced the City would be removing Elm trees on City property that looked like they were starting to show signs of disease, that’s a good thing, however, when he proclaimed that citizens had to remove these trees from their own property at their own expense (and we all know how expensive that is), Commissioner Madigan asked Skip if the City could also remove the trees for citizens.  Skip answer to that was NO, ‘everyone will have to pay for their own removal’, when pressed by Madigan & Matheisen that it would be cheaper to have 1 company remove the trees, Skip again said NO, ‘everyone will have to pay for their own removal’.

Now here’s the info that shows what Skip thinks of us, the taxpayers of Saratoga Springs.  Recently he HAD A VERY LARGE OAK TREE REMOVED FROM A PRIVATE RESIDENCE FOR FREE, THAT RESIDENCE WAS ON LOUGHBERRY LAKE RD. IN THE TOWN OF WILTON.  Yes, that’s right not City property in Saratoga but a personal residence in the town of Wilton, removed by City workers for free.  Not a smart move Skip.

The next move by Skip that will probably end up costing us money from large fines via the DEC is one that involves the City Compost site.  The yard debris & tree chips the City picks up during the year is laid out in rows then treated and turned into the compost that is sold.  The bottom (what we’ll call ‘scum’) that cannot be sold has to be disposed of according to DEC regulations.  Saratoga has a contract with Wilton to have this ‘scum’ properly disposed of at a site at Harlem’s Hollow in Wilton.  Well, to shove it in the face of the DEC, Skip has been burying this ‘scum’ on a hill at the Compost site.  Not a smart move Skip.

Skip has ordered dredging to take place at Bog Meadow which of course again is not legal.  Bog Meadow is a supplemental water source for Saratoga Springs and an inside source has told me that DEC has never given Commissioner Wonder the permission to do this.  Again, not a smart move Skip.

Skip has been hiring outside engineering firms to do some of the work our 2 City engineers can’t do because their plates are full.  Have you ever noticed that trying to see the City Engineer during some mornings or some afternoons is impossible?  Well sources tell me that our Engineer loves to play golf either in the mornings and comes in at 11 or afternoons when he leaves at 2, depending who he plays with.  When confronted about this information, Skip gave this reasoning ‘he is on flex time’.  What the heck Skip?  Flex time?  When is he making up these hours? I thought that if one had to represent the City at a meeting after hours they had to take that time off the next day, are you sure you are not confusing the time when you were Supervisor and worked for the City and left your job during working hours to attend County meetings?  You should come up with something a little better than flex hours.  Stop hiring outside help and use our well paid department heads.

This is the last one for today.  A young man went into the Commissioner’s office looking for a job and was told that he had to have a driver’s license, which he did not have.  Then the son of the little person on the flower crew who just got a job upgrade because she makes a great informant was given that same job the young man was turned down for because of not having a driver’s license.  The irony of this story is that the son of ‘petunia’ as we like to call her, has no driver’s license and this will be his 3^rd stint working for the City. 

Your decisions Skip are becoming more and more bizarre; some of these decisions could possibly lead to monetary penalties against the City and may add more fuel against you in the looming court proceedings coming up.  The time may be fast approaching for you to turn in your two way radio.  HE JUST KEEPS ON ROLLING ALONG.

RIP VAN WINKLE (SCIROCCO) WOKE UP

I attended the Council meeting on Tues. April 1^st and as I sat there and watched the SAVE group who were happy in one sense but nervous in another.  The were thanking the Council for changing their minds from a year ago when they voted yes to expanded gaming by a 5-0 margin to changing their minds in March not to allow the expansion of table games.  However, they were a little nervous as was Commissioner Scirocco because the vote they took in March was non binding as they wanted to see what the RFA required and also see what negotiations could be achieved with Saratoga Casino & Raceway.

The issue looks moot for Saratoga getting a casino anyway because of the Albany proposal.  That proposal blows Saratoga out of the water and will truly become a destination venue which looks like it will even cut into the track season with the plans that the Albany casino has.

SAVE, now wants to go after the Saratoga Casino & Raceway to not be able to expand at all.  Get this through your heads SAVE, the City cannot make the Thoroughbred track, Harness track or Racino do anything or make them jump through any hoops to build or not build.  The City does not own the property, the State governs what can or cannot be built there.  The convention center and hotel will get under way very soon and has the go ahead to do so.

Now here is the comical part of the meeting.  If you remember at the State of the City address, Mayor Yepsen appointed a local Racing Committee made up of racing people from the Thoroughbred, Harness and businesses dealing with both industries to monitor the effect on developments that will keep our City officials up to date on any positive or negative trends that start to happen.  She introduced the Committee members who are outstanding in their own fields and they stood to a round of applause.  Last night when Mayor Yepsen announced that this Committee would look at a proposal for a casino to be placed somewhere close by and what it may mean for our economy, our sleepy Commissioner asked who appointed this committee?  Why is this Racing Committee just for Saratoga Springs, we already have a NYS Racing Committee?  When was this Committee appointed?  Obviously Scirocco fell asleep during the Christmas Holiday’s and woke up on April Fool’s Day. 

Speaking about Rip Van Scirocco, is everyone happy with how clean downtown has looked the past few years?  I have received some comments from friends that the streets never looked as dirty as they have been in the last few years.  I think either Rip or his outside Deputy needs to stay on top of this and they may even have to check with the inside Deputy, Donna Buckley to make things work.

In closing, I would like to ask Commissioner Scirocco to apply for the license to apply the copper sulfate to the ponds in Congress Park this year before you drift off again.  You forgot last year and the ponds looked like swamps which were quite embarrassing when showing a beautiful park to out of town visitors.  Get with it