Tuesday's vote on casinos in Saratoga Springs was unanimous, but its impact certainly isn't. Both sides have issued statements supporting the vote and claiming it means different things. 

Statement from Destination Saratoga Co-Chair Dan Hogan

“Destination Saratoga applauds Mayor Joanne Yepsen and the City Commissioners for passing a resolution that is exactly what we've been calling for throughout this debate: reserving judgment on expanded gaming at Saratoga Casino and Raceway until the state's request for applications is released and the details of the casino's bid are finalized. Any action before that time would be based on speculation and conjecture, and would be contrary to the best interests of Saratogians.

“We wholeheartedly agree with the City Council that Saratoga is a special place and that a Las Vegas style casino has no place in our city. We also know that Saratoga has successfully hosted a casino for the last ten years, and the benefits of that relationship are evident on Broadway and beyond. We are confident that once the facts are available, the city council and the public alike will see the benefits of an enhanced Saratoga Casino and Raceway and also recognize the negative consequences of sending those benefits to another nearby community, and the choice will be clear. We applaud our elected officials for standing up to baseless fear mongering and waiting until all facts are available to make this critical decision on behalf of their constituents.”

###

                                                 Saratogians Against Vegas-style Expansion

SARATOGA SPRINGS CITY COUNCIL REJECTS CASINO EXPANSION

Saratoga Springs, NY - The Saratoga Springs City Council voted unanimously in favor of a resolution opposing casino gambling expansion in the city at a packed City Council meeting on Tuesday night. Over 300 people attended the meeting, which was moved to the City’s Music Hall to accommodate the huge crowd. This resolution negates one that was passed by the City Council in December 2012 that favored a casino.

Calling the divisive debate over gambling expansion “the issue of the decade,” Mayor Joanne Yepsen, introduced her resolution saying,” After months of due diligence it is time to act.”

“The full support of the City Council rejecting a casino shows clear vision for the future of Saratoga Springs and it recognizes the fact that continuing our economic successes, preserving our quality of life and moving forward in a positive way that focuses on maintaining a strong downtown, protecting the horse industry, guarding the event spaces and maintaining control of our own economic future does not align with the goals of a casino,” said Colin Klepetar, co-founder of SAVE Saratoga. “We are pleased to see that the Council did not decide to wait for the RFA. It shows they understand the RFA will hold no surprises and they have presented a united front against the Casino. We hope that the Gaming Commission, the siting board and the Governor have finally realized that our community does not support siting a casino here and we hope that they will respect our collective voice.”

“We are grateful for the fact that Commissioner Scirocco brought a resolution to the table, Mayor Yepsen for building a consensus on this historic issue with her resolution, and the rest of the Commissioners for supporting the community,” said Klepetar.

In their comments before the vote, the commissioners acknowledged that the vast majority of their constituents were against casino expansion. Commisioner Scirocco held up a stack of emails saying, “it’s clear to me that the citizens of Saratoga are against it.” 

SAVE spokesperson Sara Boivin commended the commissioners for representing the 58% of voters who opposed gambling expansion in the November election. She said, “The city council gave its citizens a voice where we had none.”  As for Albany, Boivin noted,  “The Council has sent a clear message to the Siting Board in Albany, that a casino has no place in Saratoga Springs.”

--end--

LOCAL ARTISTS CELEBRATE SAVE SARATOGA EFFORT AS FOCUS SHIFTS TO ALBANY

Saratoga Springs, NY – In advance of SAVE Saratoga’s March 6^th fundraiser at Putnam Den, local artists have stepped forward to add their voice and talent to the movement. 

“Local artists have been a part of SAVE Saratoga from its inception,” said Colin Klepetar of SAVE Saratoga, “from the design of our logo, to the set up and execution of Thursday night’s fundraiser at Putnam Den, to our continuing efforts to in Albany.”  The SAVE fundraiser, ‘Casino Blues Bash’, will feature artists MaryLeigh Roohan, Freewater, The Dirty Harri Band and Bo Peep and The Funk Sheep.  All local performers donating their time and talent because they believe they have a stake in whether a casino license is granted here in Saratoga Springs.  “For me, quality of life doesn’t mean more gambling culture in Toga,” said Jonathon Newell, leader of The Dirty Harri Band.  “Who is casino expansion good for?  Statistics clearly show the ‘house’ wins.  The community loses.  And we all, 58.2%, already said we don’t need it, our Mayor and City Council have unanimously rejected it – it should be crystal clear to the Siting Board in Albany – we don’t want it.  They still gonna try and get it over on us?  No way!” said Rob Wright of Freewater. 

Also, performing his original song on Thursday night, “The Casino Blues,” Clem Marino adds his voice and song dedicated to the movement.  “I was moved by the recent events of Proposition 1 and how it may affect local host communities, specifically my hometown of Saratoga Springs. I wrote ‘Casino Blues’ to honor Pete Seeger who set the standard for musicians and artists using their talents to further a worthy cause.”  Marino recorded his song at a local studio, JBrown Noise, owned by Jason Brown who recorded free of charge. 

From recording artists, to graphic artists, to cartoonists, SAVE Saratoga has been buoyed by the visual and vocal representation of the citizen’s struggle against a state imposed casino.  Russ Pettinger, a local landscape architect, took his frustration and turned it into a cartoon series that has been seen across social media.  “I've created over 30 cartoons discussing salient topics regarding a casino coming to town.  The very idea of bringing a casino to Saratoga Springs was so appalling to me that I tried to create a metaphor to fully describe my feelings of helpless indignation and outrage.  My goal is to encourage the undecided to learn more about the subject, to entertain those who oppose full gaming and to irritate those who would risk our city in favor of personal short-term profits.  If I can provide information and promote discussion in a thought-provoking way, I've done my job.”

More local artists join the movement each day seeking opportunity to plug themselves in in the most supportive and impactful way.  Benj Gleeksman, SAVE logo designer, has volunteered his talent more than once saying, “my family and I have strong feelings against bringing a new casino into Saratoga, so I'm always more than happy to help SAVE with their design needs.”

Amejo Amyot, Ph.D., founder, Arts district on Beekman describes her motivation for organizing around this issue,  “We must not compromise our morals and ethics for financial gain nor do anything that endangers our well being for financial security.  When we sell ourselves, we lose all connection to our creative, imaginative selves.”

Local Saratoga Artists who have contributed to the SAVE Saratoga effort to date:

Clem Marino

Jason Brown

Hudson photo

Megan Mumford

Charlie Samuels

Rob Wright and Freewater

The Dirty Harri Band

Annie and the Hedonists

Russ Pettinger

Benj Gleeksman

Bo Peep and the Funk Sheep

Amejo Amyot, Ph.D.

MaryLeigh Roohan

SAVE Saratoga Casino Blues Bash Fundraiser

Thursday, March 6th 7pm at Putnam Den

Celebrate our community stand against casino expansion!

Come out in your red to show your support, donate your cash and party with some of the best bands in town!

MaryLeigh Roohan Clem Marino sings the Casino Blues Freewater Bo Peep and the Funk Sheep

$10 cover ($5 with student ID)

SAVE tshirts, signs and concert posters for sale! All proceeds benefit SAVE's efforts to STOP THE CASINO.

###

SARATOGA SPRINGS >> Dueling resolutions opposing expanded casino gambling are expected to be merged by Tuesday’s City Council meeting.
City officials also confirmed that they had received plans for the proposed expansion at the Saratoga Casino and Raceway, but would not make them available for public viewing.
Public Works Commissioner Anthony “Skip” Scirocco said Friday he was sponsoring a resolution drafted by Saratogians Against Casino-style Expansion opposing locating a full-scale gaming facility in the Spa City.
“I want a strong resolution that says ‘no’ to any expansion over there,” Scirocco said Friday. He is not interested in waiting until the state issues its Request for Applications that will outline exactly what a full-scale casino would entail. “If we want to have any impact we need to move now.”
He was making some changes to the drafted SAVE resolution, but said it largely coincided with his views on the subject.
At the same time, Mayor Joanne Yepsen also sponsored a resolution, but wouldn’t specify Friday exactly what it said and it was not released as part of the preliminary City Council agenda. Friday afternoon at about 3:30, the resolution was still being circulated in City Hall looking for edits, additions and comments from the City Council.
Yepsen said Friday that she expected the two resolutions to be merged. When asked if they were mutually exclusive, she said “Oh gosh no, they’re very similar.”
Scirocco said he would be willing to merge the two resolutions, provided it took a strong stance against expansion.
City Council members Michele Madigan and John Franck said Thursday they would prefer to wait for the RFAs to be released from the state, and Commissioner Christian Mathiesen said that while he was personally opposed to casino gambling in the state, he would accept a modest expansion at the casino provided it came with city oversight and provisions to protect city interests.
Still, he said he supported bringing the SAVE resolution to the table, though “I don’t agree with all of their concerns.”
Friday, city officials also confirmed they had received plans from the Saratoga Casino and Raceway showing the expansion they have planned, but they did not make the plans available for public review.
City Attorney Sarah Burger said the city only had one copy of the plans and “we are looking at it.”
When pressed to allow the documents to be reviewed, she said “would you like to go into my office and take the documents off of my desk to look at? Or any of these other desks for that matter?”
Shortly thereafter, Yepsen said “we’re not trying to not be transparent” but they could not let the plans leave City Hall. She then said they could be reviewed, but City Planner Kate Maynard was not available and Yepsen did not know where the plans were.
Saratoga Casino and Raceway is not required to get approvals from the Planning Board or city in order to move forward with its expansion. 

Writing a story about the Broadway Corridor Study that was just conducted to figure out what could improve the traffic flow there and came across an interesting little tidbit that I guess I'd never thought of at the intersection with Broadway and Church/Lake Avenue.

The left-hand turn signal coming off off of Lake/Church is backwards!

What I mean by that is that if you are taking a left from Lake Avenue onto Broadway you will get a green light first, followed by a green left-turn arrow — the reverse of what you might get at, say, any other intersection anywhere.

Some City Council members were questioning the sequence the other night at their meeting but representatives of Greenman-Pedersen Inc., traffic engineers, said there is, in fact, a reason for that.

Apparently, about 30 years ago the light was just like a normal one and you could turn left first, but that meant that they were often turning in front of pedestrians trying to cross Broadway, rather than waiting for them to cross.

With the left-hand turn signal coming second, pedestrians have the opportunity to get a head-start across the road before traffic tries to take that left turn and that will make the traffic wait for them.

In fact, I was sitting in the third-floor of City Hall (in the law library I didn't realize existed) trying to get a good video of the traffic situation at that intersection and I saw this in practice. By the time a car got the green turn arrow, a person was already halfway across the road and the car waited.



So there you go. There is a reason for everything.

Executive Session at the City Council meeting Tuesday night will have discussions of a few things related to real estate in the city, including the status of two different land swaps Public Safety Commissioner Christian Mathiesen is looking at.

He would not say what the properties were or why he was interested in them, saying he would discuss them in the future but "this is definitely not the appropriate time."

From what I've heard, it may have something to do with property on the East side of the city, near Saratoga Lake, where residents have expressed concern about the need for a fire or ambulance station.


Here is a segment from an article I wrote last October, when Mathiesen said he was eying some land:

"Mathiesen said he has focused in on an area of the Eastern Plateau where a station could be located, but he would not divulge where because his office is currently looking at properties for acquisition by the city.He said with 28 square miles of city to cover, “you can make an argument for more than three stations,” but “the first step is to acquire the land.”

“I’ve been putting up with that first step for four years now,” (George Shulof, president of the Interlaken Homeowner’s Association) said. “I’m hopeful, but it’s taken too long.”

Only a small percentage of the emergency call volume goes to the Eastern Plateau, but Mathiesen said most of the responses from the new station would go to the eastern side of the city and to the Northway.

I'm told he is hoping to swap a city-owned parking lot for a piece of land on Route 9P. Mathiesen referenced "issues regarding the possible land swaps" Monday morning when asking to be added to the executive session.

The other land swap, I'm told, is that he may be looking at some kind of land swap with neighbors of the West Side Fire Station, but I've not heard any reasons why.

Also on the executive session, Accounts Commissioner John Franck will also be discussing an Article 7 proceeding — basically a lawsuit filed by someone grieving their assessment. They are usually filed by commercial or rental properties and can take years to settle.

We'll see if we actually hear anything in the open about any of that tomorrow night.

After a decade of little activity on moving the Geyser Road Trail project forward, it looks like somebody kicked the city into high gear on the project this year.

It was in the Capital Improvement Project budget this year for an engineering study to get the project "shovel ready" in the hope that funding would come along like it did for the Spring Run Trail years ago. In that case, it was stimulus funds. In this case, it looks like they are hoping for some grant funding.


"It's been too long and we're finally moving forward," Mayor Scott Johnson said Monday morning at the City Council agenda meeting.

Tuesday night, the City Council will be voting to apply for a few different state grants for the $1.7 million project. The grants would each require the city to match up to $425,000, but Economic and Planning Director Bradley Birge said some of that could come out of the$150,000 that was applied to the engineering study.

If the city were approved for the grant, Birge said it would take about a year for the engineering and a season for construction.

It occurs to me that this break-out box (as they are called) that appeared in print never made it online. I wrote a story on the mayor's race, but here is what all of the other city politicians have been doing:

Office	Candidate	Starting balance	$ Raised	$ Spent
Accounts	John Franck	$8,636	$7,798	$2,556
	John Arpei	$0	$100	$0
Public Safety	Christian Mathiesen	$3,372	$0	$76
	Richard Wirth	$31	$6,291	$1,083
Public Works	Anthony "Skip"     Scirocco	$949	$9,273	$2,022
	William McTygue	$0	$9,977	$1,080
Finance	Michele Madigan	$2,386	$6,939	$2,684

A few things to point out.


John Franck seems to have the most money on hand of any candidate (except those for mayor). Most of his money has come in $100 and $200 contributions, though there is one $2,323 unitemized entry from February, which is likely his annual fundraiser.


John P. Arpei's $100 reported Monday was contributed by John P. Arpei, but then he only officially announced he was running two weeks ago.

Christian Mathiesen didn't just not raise or spend any money as of Monday, but he filed a "no activity statement" last week indicating he hadn't done any fundraising or spending between the January and July periodic filings. The "Starting balance" was actually from his January disclosure.


Richard Wirth received mostly small contributions with two notable exceptions: $1,000 from both Leon Pokoik from Sarasota, Fla., and the Saratoga Springs Republican Committee. I also noticed a couple police officers on his list, but they were for under $100 apiece.


Anthony "Skip" Scirocco's money has come with a few big contributions. There was a $500 from Minerva Coins and Jewelry and a $1,000 from the Saratoga County Republican Committee. He also has a list of unitemized: one for $4,019 from June and another for $500 even from April. The latter seems a little odd to me, since they are usually aggregate numbers from small donations or transfers...


William McTygue started with nothing earlier this year and raised about the same amount as Scirocco between January and July. Most of it came in small contributions, though there were two $500 ones from Charles Morrison and Bonnie Design. There was also an unitemized donation from July for $2,618.


Despite not having an opponent, Michele Madigan has raised a relatively substantial sum in the last six months. Her biggest single contributor was the Police Benevolent Association (She also has managed to get more cops hired, so you know…) with $1,000. She was the only candidate they contributed to. She also received a $445 contribution from Sheila A’Hearn.

She also received unitemized contributions of $245, $975 and $1,374, all on the same day in March.

If you are interested, visit the Board of Elections website and type in the name of the candidate you want to look at.  When the next screen comes up, you can look at all of the individual pieces of the candidate's fundraising committee.

For donations, scroll to the bottom and select the year you want. Then click "Get List" to see contributors that year.

Building Momentum, Yepsen Picks (Up, I think belongs here) Two  New Endorsements

Adding to her endorsements by the Democratic and Working Families Parties, in the past two weeks, Saratoga Springs Mayoral Candidate Joanne Yepsen has been endorsed by the Independence Party and the RFK Club.

Saratoga County Independence Party Chairman Ed Miller released the following statement following the endorsement of the Independence Party:

"If hard work, integrity and vision for the future of Saratoga Springs are important, Joanne Yepsen is the best choice for Mayor.  The Saratoga County Independence Party is pleased to endorse Supervisor Joanne Yepsen as the 2013 Mayoral candidate for Saratoga Springs.  Our committee recognizes Joanne's tireless advocacy for our horse racing industry and our local economy.  Joanne has a plan to strengthen our horse racing and agriculture industry and plans to work with all levels of government on both sides of the aisle to tackle the multitude of critical issues facing the growing city of Saratoga Springs.  She is  a genuine public servant with an strong independent voice,  remarkable record of accomplishment,  and passionate leader for all the people of Saratoga."

This Independence Party is the third established political party to endorse Yepsen in her bid for Mayor.

The Capital Region RFK Club, a good-government Democratic organization also recently endorsed Yepsen’s candidacy, with Co-Chair Matt Peter releasing the following statement:

"The RFK Club is proud to endorse Joanne Yepsen because of the commitment she has displayed to serving her constituents and to the Values we share.  We look forward to supporting Joanne in her election and working with her as Mayor to bring continued progress to Saratoga Springs."

###

I'm told that the official announcement from John P. Arpei that he is running against John Franck for Accounts Commissioner won't happen until next week. Just for everyone's information.

That leaves just Finance Commissioner on the table for the Republicans and another supervisor race for the Democrats.

I've heard neither has great prospects of getting those spots filled on their slates of candidates, but there is certainly still time left.

And we're off to the races. Shauna Sutton announced she is running for mayor today, so it's a race. So far it's the only one contested by two announced candidates (unless you count Supervisor, which I don't, since it is two Republicans currently running for two seats).

Richard Wirth is announcing his campaign against Christian Mathiesen for Public Safety tomorrow in Congress Park, so that will be the second.

Anyway, here is a statement from Democratic Chair Charles Brown about Sutton's announcement (spoiler, he thinks Joanne Yepsen is better):

"I think the fact that the Republican Party has chosen to back the current Deputy Mayor for the office of Mayor is indicative that they are seeking to maintain the status quo.  By contrast Joanne Yepsen's candidacy represents an influx of fresh perspective and forward thinking ideas.  As Mayor, Joanne’s office door will always be open to our citizens, which is why I am proud to support her."

"I believe this race will give our community a chance to focus on our many pressing issues and how we would like our city leaders to lead."

Well played Ken Ivins...

Keeping it a secret what he planned to run for was a good play to get news coverage of an announcement that he would be running for supervisor, or at least to ensure it (particularly at 8 at night. I've got stuff to do!).

What he was planning to announce, in fact, may even have been a secret from him. He told me Monday he made up his mind about what to run for last Thursday. 

Ivins said "some people have really twisted my arm big time," to run against Accounts Commissioner John Franck. Ivins said he seriously considered it. In fact, I'm told he may have called Franck to tell him he was going to do it.

"That would have been rough on Ken," said Democratic Chair Charles Brown. "He probably made a good choice" to go for supervisor.

He took a couple of potshots at the Democrats in his announcement.

"This has probably been the most contentious council we have had since the Val Keehn days and I think we owe that a lot to the Democrats at the table."

But mostly he talked about the offices he decided not to pursue in lieu of a run at supervisor. 

He said he wouldn't run for public works or public safety because Skip Scirocco and Rick Wirth are running for those, but he was then able to run through the other three seats at the table as possibilities, since no one has announced a run at finance, accounts or — most importantly — mayor on the Republican ticket.

GOP Committee Chair Dave Harper said they have a candidate for that office, but won't say who yet.

He said it will be announced "on or before" May 13, when the GOP Committee will make their endorsements.

I've heard rumor for a little while here that it may be Deputy Mayor Shauna Sutton making a run at mayor and she has not denied it.

I called her today to ask about it. She called me back after 5 p.m. (you're not supposed to conduct political business during business hours as a city employee) and said she gave her word she would remain silent about who is running for anything, so she declined to comment.

"But I notice you are not calling me to deny that you are running for mayor," I said to her. She, again, didn't deny it.

Just rumor, but...

Harper said they need two more candidates to have a full slate (Which if they have mayor, would leave finance and accounts, assuming they endorse Rick Wirth). 

A few of the names he dispelled, though, were Jay Rifenbary, former Saratoga Springs School Board member and current motivational speaker, who Harper said "gave (running for Public Safety) strong consideration but pulled out." Similarly, he said Vice Chair of the ZBA Kieth Kaplan has also pulled his name out of consideration for any office (I had heard he might run for finance commissioner, but I guess not).

When I asked him about whether they would have a full slate when push came to shove, his eyebrows went up and he said "I'm not sure about that."

On Democratic Chair Brown's end, he is confident his side will have a full slate. 

At this point they'll need two supervisors and a Public Works Commissioner, which they didn't run in 2011. Brown said "I think we have one" and that he would not be a "paper lion."

For supervisor, Brown confirmed that Peter Martin is "genuinely considering" a run at the office. He is currently the interim Saratoga County clerk, but said he won't be running for that office.

He last ran in 2009 when he lost to Ken Ivins for Finance Commissioner, so it would be deja vu all over again like in the Public Safety race.

Brown, of course, said he doesn't think it will end the same. "Ken is qualified, but I suspect he won't be our next supervisor." 

In fact Christian Mathiesen told me he has spoken to Wirth about his run at his job and essentially said he would like to see the race run (and end, I'm sure) the way it did two years ago.

It was, I must say, a positive and respectful race on both sides.

Matt Veitch evidently is not running for mayor.

His was one of the names I'd heard floated in the recent weeks as a potential Republican opponent to Joanne Yepsen, but it doesn't look like Veitch will be taking that step.

He announced Wednesday that he will be officially announcing his run for re-election to county supervisor tomorrow in this brief statement:

"Supervisor Matthew E. Veitch (R)-Saratoga Springs will be announcing his run for a fourth term as Supervisor on the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors. He will review his accomplishments, as well as outline his ideas for the future of Saratoga Springs. Please join us at the Spring Run Trailhead, near the intersection of East Avenue and Excelsior Avenue for this important announcement."

It would have been interesting to see the Saratoga Springs supervisors go head-to-head in a winner-take-all race.

Election results show that, since 2007, when he beat-out Yepsen's Democratic running mate, Cheryl Keyrouze, for the second Spa City seat on the Board of Supervisors, Veitch overtook her as the top vote-getting supervisor.

Yepsen won with 4,883 when she was first elected in 2005. 

In 2007, election results show he came in second in the race with 4,584 to Yepsen's 4,946 (Keyrouze took 4,116 votes as a second Democratic candidate).

In 2009 Veitch had flipped the tables, taking 4,757 to Yepsen's 4,240 votes.

Last time around, though, the gap had closed and the two were both neck-and-neck, receiving the least votes either had ever received for supervisor — 4,035 for Veitch to Yepsen's 4,020, though it is worth pointing out that it was essentially uncontested, since it was only the two candidates running for two seats.

Either way, we won't be seeing a Yepsen vs. Veitch race for mayor (womp womp).

It seems we will be seeing Rick Wirth take on Christian Mathiesen for Public Safety Commissioner... again. A Caroline Street bulletin board told me so for certain (though I had heard a while back that he would be running with or without the Republican nod) with a flier that said he would be holding a fundraiser at the Mouzon House at 5:30 p.m May 2 .

And another blast from two years ago, Ken Ivins Jr. will be running for... something. You can hear all about it April 29 at the Thirsty Owl, but it'll cost some campaign contributions.

I had heard a while back that Ivins would be challenging John Franck for Accounts Commissioner, but with an open seat at the Board of Supervisors maybe he's changing his focus. We'll find out at the Thirsty Owl (also get some good wine).

Press Release

For immediate release

Saratoga Springs

April 9th, 2013

Charles Brown, Chair of the Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee, announced today that the nominations subcommittee will soon begin considering potential candidates for City and County public office endorsements. The subcommittee will be scheduling interviews for party endorsement for all offices, and those endorsed by the full committee will receive the complete support of the SSDC for 2013 November election.  All city residents who would like to be considered for endorsement by the party for these public offices should contact Mr. Brown by April 30^th at charley.brown@saratogadems.org 

I'll also point out that the city Republican Committee made the same announcement in late February. 

Well the announcement announcing an upcoming announcement has been announced. Wonder what Joanne Yepsen has got to say? 

Sources told me more than a month ago it is "just a matter of time" before she declares her run for mayor and that the decision was already set with Yepsen and the Democratic Committee. It seems that time may be at-hand.

 

Saratoga Springs


Supervisor Joanne Yepsen Announces Campaign Intentions For The Coming Year

Ending weeks of rumors, Joanne Yepsen will be joined by friends, family and supporters as she announces her electoral intentions for the coming year on Monday April 8, 2013.

WHO: Saratoga Springs City Supervisor Joanne Yepsen

WHAT: Campaign Announcement

WHEN: 12:00 PM,  Monday April 8, 2013

WHERE: 408 Broadway (Lillian’s Restaurant)

Supervisor Yepsen has focused her time in office on protecting our elderly, balancing urban growth with sustainability, serving our returning veterans and saving local jobs by fighting for the preservation of our world class racing industry.  Joanne remains focused on bringing inclusive, accessible, and open government to Saratoga Springs, just as she has for the past seven years.  She looks forward to the many challenges and opportunities of further strengthening Saratoga Springs in the years to come.

###

Background:  Joanne Yepsen is in her forth term as Saratoga County Supervisor representing the City of Saratoga Springs.  Since her first election in 2005, Joanne has enjoyed broad support across party lines, and has consistently carried the City of Saratoga Springs by comfortable margins.

I was talking to a member of the city's Republican Party recently and he said they don't really have any frontrunner to run against Yepsen at this point (if indeed that is her announcement. It is possible she will toss a curve and say she will be running again for Supervisor or some other office altogether).

Scott Johnson is declining to run for reelection and one of their promising potential candidates, Dave Patterson, is likely not going to run either (why would you if you could be getting a tan, after all). This particular Republican said Patterson was the hopeful opposite to Yepsen, but obviously that is not to be.

I guess we'll have to wait and see.