I received today the response from the City Democratic Committee to Mayor Scott Johnson's State of the City Address. City chairman Allen Turkheimer, who emailed the statement to me, said it was prepared by a committee, though he was not specific in who the author was.

Earlier today, I interviewed Johnson on the rebuttal, but alas, there is not enough space in the paper for the article. Look for full coverage of the rebuttal in Thursday's paper. For now, here is the text of the dem's response:

Democrat Response to the Mayor’s State of the City Message
On Sunday, Mayor Johnson delivered his "State of the City" message. The small crowd and the half empty seats were an apt metaphor for the presentation itself. What Mayor Johnson gave us was a "small and half empty" presentation unworthy of Saratoga Springs.
Rather than an honest analysis of the City at the end of 2008 or a well defined agenda and strategy for 2009, the Mayor gave a self-serving political speech without passion or enthusiasm.
Moreover, while his address was liberally seeded with calls for fiscal restraint and references to civility in government, both of these have been non-existent in his administration.
The Mayor’s State of the City message includes several vague references to "civility", but not one example. Indeed, this administration has not made this government more civil, but it surely has made it more secretive. There can be no trust in government unless it is open and transparent. To retreat behind closed doors, to discuss and even act - in violation of the Public Officers Law and the City Charter – as this Mayor has consistently done is the ultimate act of an uncivil government.
Just recently the Mayor ratified – in Executive session – a settlement with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation of nearly 40 violations of law. Violations evolved from a DEC investigation of massive hydraulic oil spills at the City Garage and the illegal dumping of human waste, oil and pesticides at the Weibel Avenue Com post Facility by the Department of Public Works under Tom McTygue. The settlement included the appropriation – again, in secret session – of $270,000 in fines and other costs. Money that the City does not have! The law is specific; it prohibits appropriating public money in closed session. The Mayor ignored the law. This is civility?
The Mayor compounded his hostility to the citizens of Saratoga by denying each of us the right to know the potential environmental impact and health risks associated with the City’s malfeasance. Nor do we know where the $270,000 is coming from to settle the case. This was not an anomaly. The Mayor has consistently demonstrated a disregard for the Open Meetings Law and the Freedom of Information Law.
In effect, Mayor Johnson has established a "gated" government in which few are permitted to enter. This is hostility not civility.
Fiscal Responsibility in an Economic Crisis
The Mayor tells us the City must become more productive and efficient. We agree wholeheartedly with him. But Mayor Johnson offers no suggestions. Instead he seems to think that saying the words "fiscal conservatism" will make it happen. It will not. He seems to confuse mere words with concrete action.
The heavy cost of government is driven largely by personnel costs. In preparing the 2009 operating budget both Mayor Johnson and Finance Commissioner Ivins elected to target the most vulnerable and essential City employees while failing to offer a real strategy to reduce personnel costs.
Instead of a meaningful review of existing staff levels, a reduction of non-essential positions through attrition, encouraging retirement of non-essential employees and eliminating duplicative services, they targeted the laborers in Public Works, the Police Captain, emergency dispatchers and emergency medical supplies.
As Democrats we honor the dignity of all honest work and believe in times of economic downturn, recession and fiscal instability, our political leaders must demonstrate not only fiscal responsibility but also fiscal courage. To realize meaningful long term economics the Mayor should:
· Direct the Human Resources Administrator to conduct, as required by Title 3.2 of the Charter, job audits of all salaried positions with an eye toward reducing redundant and duplicative titles through attrition.
· Identify all eligible non-essential City employees and promote an incentive based retirement option.
· Direct the Human Resources Administrator to determine appropriate duties, compensation and comparability of all vacant titles as they occur.
Moreover, how can the Mayor call for "fiscal conservatism" when he is responsible for the following wasteful spending:
1. $150,000.00 for a new automated telephone service and $62,000.00, plus benefits for an obsolescent telephone operator.
2. $235,550.00 for contracted legal services, a 130% increase from 2007!
3. $250/hour (Current total over $30,000.00) for outside legal assistance to negotiate still unresolved union contracts, when the Mayor is an attorney, has two staff attorneys (costing over $100,00.00 per year) and, the Commissioner of Public Safety (also an attorney) has volunteered to negotiate four of the six contracts as he did in 2006.
4. $20,000.00 to hire outside legal counsel to defend the City in a legal challenge to the Southside Recreation Center.
Lastly, we address the Mayor’s call for bipartisan cooperation. There can be nothing more important in these difficult times than cooperation between all citizens of this community regardless of political persuasion. Yet the Mayor gives lip service to true bipartisanship. A review of the record shows that he has removed, when given the opportunity, any member not of his own party from the Land Use Boards, the Racing Committee, the Preservation Board, etc.
For example, the Mayor failed to reappoint an independent who is a noted expert on Energy and Conservation. Surely, given our current challenges in this arena, the reappointment of an expert who can guide the City on energy conservation would have been more beneficial to the community than replacing him with yet another Republican real estate agent?
In sum, the Mayor’s State of the City was mere words, unsupported by actual facts or his own record. His first year has seen hostility, not civility to the community at large; wasteful spending rather than fiscal conservatism and extreme partisanship rather than bipartisanship.