‘No excuse,’ official says

Niskayuna’s Della Ratta accused of driving while impaired

Incumbent Town Board member John Della Ratta, who is up for reelection this fall, was charged with driving while ability impaired and other driving charges in Saratoga County last month, according to a complaint.

Della Ratta, a Democrat, in a statement to the Times Union on Wednesday, said that “there is no excuse for what happened” and that “I must and will do better.”

“I apologize to my family, who has already been through much this year, as well as my colleagues and our residents for bringing negative attention to our wonderful town,” he said. “I also ask that I be presumed innocent until I have my day in court, given the blood-alcohol level alleged is well below the level for driving while intoxicated under New York state laws.”

Della Ratta, 55, was stopped at 7:06 p.m. Sept. 27 on Route 146 in Clifton Park, according to a Clifton Park court clerk, who said Della Ratta’s blood-alcohol content is listed in court papers as 0.06 percent. The legal limit in New York is 0.08.

He has a court appearance scheduled for Oct. 21 in Clifton Park Town Court. There was no attorney listed for him.

Saratoga County Sheriff Michael Zurlo said Wednesday that Della Ratta was charged with driving while intoxicated, moving from a lane unsafely, signaling illegally from a parked position and driving while ability impaired by the consumption of alcohol. He said that Della Ratta also declined to take a breath test.

Della Ratta and his father, also a longtime lawyer, make up the family-owned Della Ratta law office in Schenectady. The firm’s website indicates he is a trial attorney “concentrating in personal injury and criminal law cases throughout the Capital District” who has been practicing law for 20 years. The younger Della Ratta also works as a part-time public defender in Schenectady County.

Della Ratta did not respond Wednesday afternoon to a text message on how the case may affect his reelection campaign.

He is running on a Democratic ticket that’s headlined by supervisor candidate Jamie Lynn Puccionni and that features incumbent Town Board members Denise Murphy Mcgraw and newcomer Jessica Brennan. Republican opponents are Hamayun Faizy for supervisor and Susan Walker, Jason Moskowitz and David Feiden for the council seats.