Message upsets Spa City official
Member of Charter Review Commission left ‘vulgar’ voice mail, Scirocco says
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » A City Council commissioner said he received a “vulgar” voice mail from the vice-chairman of the Charter Review Commission during Tuesday’s City Council meeting.
The incident comes as Spa City officials have been more quarrelsome lately over the proposed charter — which would change the form of city government — and related topics.
Commissioner of Public Works Anthony “Skip” Scirocco said he received a phone call from Pat Kane that he let go to voice mail at 10:42 p.m. The video recording of the meeting shows Scirocco checking his phone during the time.
In the voice mail message, Kane told Scirocco that getting him elected “is really one of the most regrettable things we’ve ever had to do.”
“And to watch you be so desperate to protect this little fiefdom that you have, it’s just comical,” Kane said.
Kane went on to call Scirocco “chickens---” and said the public works commissioner looked like “the biggest, bumbling idiot I have ever seen.”
The audio was first posted by the Saratoga Springs Politics blog.
Kane, who served as Scirocco’s campaign manager in the past, on Thursday morning didn’t apologize for the voice mail, and said the City
Council’s previous behavior was the reason for the call.
“If he didn’t like the message, well, he didn’t like the message,” said Kane. “But the fact of the matter is the reason I called him was the fact that what they were saying at the City Council table was disparaging to all of us who have been working so hard on the charter and I’m tired of listening to it — but obviously he doesn’t want to hear comments back.”
The Charter Review Commission’s proposed charter has been a popular topic at City Council meetings for the past 15 months, but the discussions have heated up over the last few meetings, especially regarding the commission’s fiscal analysis, the distribution of information about the charter using private funds and the City Council’s responses to certain charted-based Reader’s Views.
Scirocco recently brought a motion forward for the City Council to not approve the Charter Review Commission’s expenses associated with the distribution of their materials. Some officials said the materials included a financial disclosure statement that is factually incorrect and represented advocacy instead of education. Members of the commission disputed those assertions, saying the information was educational and correct.
Voters will decide on a new charter proposal when they head to the polls Nov. 7.
The current charter, under the commission form of government, has an elected mayor and four elected commissioners who serve as members of the city council and supervisors of specific departments.
The proposed charter calls for a council-manager form of government. If the charter passes, the city would hire a full-time manager to run the day-today operations of City Hall while city council members would serve solely in a legislative role.
“Do I regret it? No. Is it unfortunate that he has decided to share a personal conversation with the public? I have nothing to be embarrassed about. There’s nothing in that message that I don’t actually mean,” said Kane. “I am disappointed when an elected official takes the time to go out of their way. What they’ve been doing at the City Council table is, in my mind, not right, but it’s their thing.”
Scirocco said it was inappropriate for Kane to call during the meeting and leave a message.
“That should not be the behavior of a person who was put in charge of a task to come up with a plan to change the form of government in the city,” said Scirocco. “I really don’t understand what the reasoning behind it. Some of the threatening accusations that were made in there were unacceptable.”
The commissioner, who is running unopposed next month, released a statement Thursday along with the audio transcription.
“In the middle of a legitimate discussion about the process this commission has followed, Pat Kane called me and left a belittling, vulgar and flat-out unacceptable message,” said Scirocco in the release. “Not only is Pat the vice-chair of the Charter Review Commission, but it was often referenced that his 2011 proposal was a good “template” for the commission to use for the current proposal. If this message is indicative of the thuggish mindset that was used to draft the new charter, then it really puts into question the entire document and the justifications they have provided for charter change.”
Bob Turner, chairman of the commission, responded to Scirocco’s statement.
“The 15 member, volunteer, non-partisan citizen commission has spent the last 15 months reviewing the charter and how we make a government that meets the challenges of the 21st century. We have interviewed over 75 officials, department heads, community members and municipal experts and conducted surveys of City Hall employees and potential city council candidates,” said Turner. “It is the most comprehensive, independent, data driven, inclusive and transparent process in Saratoga Springs history. Citizens can review our interview notes, survey results and financial analysis on our website at saratogacharter.com. The proposed charter at 19 pages is significantly different than the 2012 charter which was 57 pages.”