What is Charter Reform

The Saratoga Springs 2020 Charter Reform proposal is a pro-active measure that provides accountability, representation and transparency within city government. The hallmarks of the proposal are:

• • Replacing the Commissioner form of government the City presently has with a a ward-based system which will provide direct representation to Saratoga Springs’ diverse neighborhoods. Six wards are being proposed that will provide the initial class of new city councilmembers. Click here to see the proposed ward map. Once the census is done, the new city council will revisit the wards to see if they need to be redrawn to enhance local representation.
  • Strengthening the city-wide elected Mayor by making it a more robust and forward-thinking position. The Mayor will lead the City on policy initiatives and budgeting. The Mayor will be the City’s ambassador—in inter-governmental relations as well as being its chief spokesperson. The Mayor will also sit on the City Council, as the position does now.
  • Hiring a professional city manager to oversee the day to day operations of the City. The City Manager is hired and fired by the Mayor and City Council. The City Manager answers directly to the Mayor and City Council while the department heads answer to the City Manager.

These changes will create a municipal government that combines the strong political leadership of elected officials—Mayor and City Council–with the strong managerial experience of an appointed City Manager.

Let’s not fall prey to the fear mongering of those who are against Charter Reform are peddling.

You can read the full charter proposal here.

The proposal is anything but a skeleton plan–it is a thoroughly vetted proposal that provides Saratoga Springs  with a municipal government that reflects the dynamic city we live in. It’s time for neighborhoods to be represented, for taxpayers to invest in professional city management and for the Mayor to truly lead on important policy initiatives.

Wards would pit neighborhood against neighborhood.

How cynical can you get? Instead of seeing neighborhood representation as a good thing, some folks want to demonize the ability for neighbors to come together and work for the benefit of Saratoga Springs. Creating six wards would provide new voices and new opportunities for people to get involved. What’s wrong with that?

The Commission form of government does not give neighborhoods a voice nor does it really allow for real representation–the person elected to a commissioner spot is the part-time manager of a department that, most of the time, she or he does not have the professional expertise to run. They aren’t accountable to anyone–not our neighbors or the taxpayers.

City Manager won’t answer to anyone.

This is simply not true. The City Manager would be hired and fired by and take direction from the Mayor and the City Council. The job would be reviewed annually, as is good business practice, and adjustments would be made by the Mayor and City Council as they see fit. We would no longer have to rely on a part-time Commissioner who doesn’t necessarily have the professional training one needs to oversee a city department. In fact, wouldn’t you like to see the person who oversees the city’s finances be a CPA or have extensive municipal finance experience? What about the person in charge of public safety–shouldn’t she or he have professional policing, firefighting or emergency medical experience?

Saratoga Springs’ City Manager would have the academic and professional background needed to run one of the most vibrant cities in New York State. There are 16 cities in New York State with city managers–they range from Beacon and Rye to Canandaigua and Corning.

As we grapple with the economic fallout of the COVID pandemic, Saratoga will need a steady hand, a seasoned professional who knows municipal finance and how government should run. This is not the time to leave the City’s future in the hands of elected commissioners who don’t always have the professional background we need.