Debates on charter proposal set
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » The proposed charter, which will be on the back of next month’s ballot, has been a highly debated topic. Over the next week, the public will have opportunities to attend two separate forums with questions to be answered surrounding the proposed charter.
The first takes place Thursday at 7 p.m. at the City Center that features three people for the charter proposal versus three against it.
Michele Boxley, former deputy of accounts, Matt Jones, a member of the charter review commission and Richard Sellers, from SUCCESS, will explain why citizens shouldn’t vote to change the charter, while charter chair Bob Turner and charter commission members Gordon Boyd and Ann Bullock will explain why the public should vote for charter change.
“Matt [Jones] was very helpful in a number of points in writing the proposed charter in particularly in writing the provisions on the city attorney and giving the city council a vote on the mayor’s appointments to the land use boards as well as the accountability of city council members. However, ultimately, he voted against the final proposal,” said Turner.
Boyd, the treasurer of the charter group, said he hopes the debate answers people’s questions and clarifies the issues.
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.
The second debate — which takes place Monday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. at the Saratoga Springs Public Library — centers around the financial consequences of the proposed new charter
SUCCESS invited Commissioner of Accounts John Franck to discuss the financial aspect of the charter. During the first City Council meeting this month, Franck presented what he called inaccuracies he found in the charter group’s fiscal analysis of the proposal. During the same meeting, the majority of the City Council voted against using city funds to pay for the mailing of the charter, which included the fiscal analysis. The mailing went out as privates funds were used, which prompted Franck to mail a letter to the New York State Board of Elections claiming the commission didn’t follow its bylaws, the state Open Meetings Law, municipal home rule law, the city’s purchasing policy and committed ethics and potential postal violations for the mailing which featured the city seal and a return address to city hall.
“I think that’s going to be great. That’s something SUCCESS came up with. We asked John, having heard his presentation, if he’d do it,” said Sellers. “We reached out to Bob Turner, and they came back with Gordon Boyd as the person they wanted to do that.”
Boyd down played the importance of Monday’s debate.
“I think the voters have a pretty clear idea of what’s going on, and I’ve been out knocking on doors and talking to voters all over the city,” said Boyd. “I don’t really detect any real confusion. I’m happy to participate in this dialogue on Monday, but I think voters are figuring out what the stakes are and making their determination.”