Democrat Kim to run for Saratoga Springs mayor
Ex-public safety commissioner backs fire station project
Ron Kim, the city’s former public safety commissioner, will announce on Wednesday that he will run for mayor.
Kim, who has been endorsed by the city's Democratic Committee, will make a formal announcement at 11 a.m. at the city's 9/11 Memorial at High Rock Park.
On Tuesday, the attorney who served the city from 2006 to 2010, said he has several priorities if elected. His number one would be building the eastside fire and EMS station on Henning Road.
"Ten years ago when I walked into the office of public safety, the fire chief showed me a map and said, 'We can't get there,'" the Democrat said referring to the eastern plateau of the city near Saratoga Lake. "That was 10 years ago. We tried to move the ball . .... We got a site now and we need to move forward."
Kim, who is also endorsed by the Working Families Party, will run against Republican Committee pick Heidi Owen West, a city business owner who initially was against the eastside station, filing an Article 78 to reverse the city's decision to build near the Saratoga Race Course. She withdrew her name from the lawsuit after she announced her run for mayor, saying she was for the station.
"It's way too politic," Kim said. "It makes you wonder if she is for it or against it."
A third independent candidate is also expected to announce a mayoral run next
week.
Kim said that he will also be focused on ensuring transparency and accountability of the police department.
"I'm really focused on reinventing the police," Kim said. "No one is saying we have a terrible police force. People are saying they make mistakes. We need to keep people accountable and transparent."
Kim said he believes the next mayor can play a major role in reopening the city safely after COVID-19.
"We've been through a terrible time," Kim said. "There is a lot of anxiousness from businesses and residents. We need to do this carefully."
This isn't Kim's first campaign for mayor. He ran in 2009 but lost to incumbent Republican Scott Johnson.
Mayor Meg Kelly, also a Democrat, has already announced she will not seek a third term. Democrats John Franck and Michele Madigan also said they will not run again for their offices.
Democrats are expected to announce the remainder of their slate soon. Republicans have already made their endorsement announcements with a full slate of candidates, the first one in years.
Democrats, who now have three of the five seats on the City Council, have a slight enrollment advantage over Republicans in the city. Of the city's enrolled voters, 39 percent are Democrats, 29 percent are Republicans and 24 percent are unaffiliated. The remainder are enrolled in third parties such as Conservative, Working Families, Green and the now-extinct Independence party.