LOCAL • INDEPENDENT • FREE Volume 14 • Issue 38
Downtown DILEMMA
• September 18 – September 24, 2020
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saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com
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518- 581-2480
CITY HALL REOPENS
by Chad Beatty Saratoga TODAY
SARATOGA SPRINGS — With a motto of Health, History and Horses, Saratoga Springs has also become known for its philanthropy and generosity. In a normal season, a single summer gala can raise hundreds of thousands of dollars, and yearround donations keep our many non-profits moving forward. Local organizations such as Code Blue, Shelters of Saratoga and the Salvation Army are on the cutting edge when it comes to helping the less fortunate. But has all of this good come at a cost? The Saratoga Springs homeless population has been on a steady increase for at least the past five years. During the winter of 2014-15, the ‘number of people sheltered’ at Code Blue was 82; it was 261 last winter! How do we balance our moral obligations with our ongoing economic sustainability? What are the safety concerns associated with this? Who are the homeless?
Saratoga Springs City Hall on Sept. 15, 2020, re-opened for a public meeting for the first time since August 2018. The building is anticipated to fully open to the public on Monday, Sept. 28. Photos by Thomas Dimopoulos. See Story pg. 12
BATTLE LINES DRAWN Charter Change Back on the Ballot by Thomas Dimopoulos Saratoga TODAY
See Story pg. 22
The Woodlawn Ave building which will serve as a homeless outreach center.
Former Saratoga Springs Public Safety Commissioner Ron Kim speaks at High Rock Park Sept. 10, 2020 during the launch of a pro-charter reform citizens campaign committee called Common Sense Saratoga. Photo by Thomas Dimopoulos.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Buckle your seat belts, the battle lines have been drawn. In November, on Election Day, city residents will be asked to consider a change in the only form of governing that Saratoga Springs has known since its inception as a city in 1915. The last time a citizen-led City Charter referendum proposed change, which took place in 2017, a tense nine-day post-election period was required to await the return of absentee ballots that would
decide the winner. In the end, nearly 9,000 residents voted in all and the referendum to replace the long-standing commission form of governing was defeated by a total of 10 votes. That razor-thin margin in 2017 was a continuation of an ever-tightening vote differential in community-led proposals for change: a 2006 referendum proposing a change to a strongmayor form of government was voted down by roughly a 62-38 percent difference, and a 2012 proposal was defeated 58-42 percent. See Story pg. 9