Election time

Tomorrow, the Spa City will vote. Democrats Valerie Keehn, Tom McTygue and Ron Kim face challenges from Republicans Scott Johnson, Skip Scirocco, and Richard Wirth. Republican Ken Ivins and Democratic Jane Weihe compete for the open seat being left by Finance Commissioner Matt McCabe, who is stepping down from the office and has given his support to Weihe. Accounts Commissioner John Franck, at least, is feeling confident about returning to office, with the Republicans not running a candidate against him.
Polls close at 9 p.m. The Democrats will be watching the tally in different locales - Keehn returns to the Inn at Saratoga, where they all celebrated together two years ago, but McTygue will be at the Principessa Elena.
The tallies of the city's 25 different election districts will bear watching. The 24th district, Skidmore, has come in strong for McTygue in the past, but the student Democrats as well as Republicans have endorsed Scirocco this time. District 23 includes homes on Saratoga Lake and 17 homes on Fish Creek, could Keehn's not vocally supporting the Saratoga Lake water plan help her pick up votes here?
Control of the City Council could swing to the Republicans if things work out well to them. But three seats is a lot to pick up (though the Democrats did it in 2005). My prediction is a 3 Dem, 2 Republican council for 2008 and 2009.

Veitch picks up labor endorsement

Republican Supervisor candidate Matt Veitch picked up the endorsement of the Saratoga Central Labor Council last week. Veitch is a former union member himself.
"I am very pleased that the Saratoga Area Labor Council is supporting my candidacy,” Veitch said. “As Supervisor, I will support working men and women and work to provide local jobs for local people. We all benefit by having good jobs within the City and County. In Saratoga Springs, we have a tradition of hard work and determination. We must appreciate every working person and help them fight for fair wages, fair benefits and fair contracts.”

Updated endorsement scorecard

As the we head into the final month before Election Day, here is an updated version of the party endorsement scorecard. The sum total of votes on the different lines determines the final result. D is for Democrats, R is for Republicans, C is for Conservatives, I is for Independence, and WF is for Working Families.

4 - Franck (D,C,I,WF)
3 - Keyrouze, Kim, McTygue, Weihe, Yepsen (D,I,WF)
2 - Boyd (C,I), Keehn (D,WF), Ivins, Scirocco, Veitch, Wirth (R,C)
1 - Johnson (R)

All aboard?

The Saratoga Springs Democratic Party tried to get itself on track for a second consecutive sweep of city offices with a fundraiser at the Saratoga Springs Train Station last night. And while this locomotive has at least two drivers with conflicting plans, on Thursday night, with a live band playing, art hanging from the walls and ceiling, hors d'oeuvres and politicians and supporters actively socializing, to the untrained eye this might have been a unified party.
All seven city candidates - Mayor Valerie Keehn, Finance Commissioner hopeful Jane Weihe, Public Safety Commissioner Ron Kim, Accounts Commissioner John Franck, Public Works Commissioner Tom McTygue and Supervisors Cheryl Keyrouze and Joanne Yepsen - were in attendence for at least 45 minutes. All offered brief comments, as did county chairman Larry Bulman, city chairman Lou Schneider, and Mike Russo from Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand's office, and former mayor Ken Klotz, with a wooden train whistle to get the crowd's attention.
"A unified slate is the way to go," said Weihe.
The split widened over two years in office shows no sign of really closing, though, whether the council members say they support each other or not. Kim stormed out of a council meeting just two nights earlier, decrying delay tactics by his fellow commissioners. Sharon Boyd, the city chairwoman until earlier this year and the wife of Gordon Boyd, who lost a primary to Keehn and is running as the head of the Independence Party slate (which would have coincided 100 percent with the Dems had Boyd won), was at the party, a reminder of the contest. How many homes have signs up for both Keehn and McTygue? How many for Keehn and Republican Skip Scirocco? How many for McTygue and Republican Scott Johnson?
We'll see if the party gathers all together on election night, as they did the joyous night of their 2005 sweep into power at the Inn at Saratoga. Only time will tell whether the inner-party battles so evident at City Council meetings will derail the party from further success and return the Republicans to power.

Kim goes home

Public Safety Commissioner Ron Kim protested his City Council colleagues' unwillingness to go forward with a lease buyback plan which would give the city a new police station and 500 space parking garage at Woodlawn Avenue for $1.4 million a year over 30 years by up and leaving the council table after the 3-2 vote, pulling the remaining five items on his agenda. About half the crowd in the room left with him.
With the council proceedings now streamed online, the meeting may have reached a new peak in audience last night. One caller to the newsroom asked if Kim had resigned.
John Herrick, chairman of the city Republican Committee, wrote me:
"I was watching the webcast of the City Council meeting tonight and was astonished that Ron Kim walked out of the meeting after his proposal to build the $17 million dollar Public Safety building was defeated. His behavior was childish and unprofessional. The City Council needs someone that will work with the other Council members to accomplish the people's business. Commissioner Kim acted like a little kid who did not get his way so he took his bat and ball and went home. I doing so, he has neglected to fulfill his duties and obligations as a Council member. The remaining items that were on his Agenda, which must have some importance, were not acted upon. The taxpayers and citizens of Saratoga Springs deserve better from their elected officials."
Kim's GOP challenger, Rick Wirth, said he would never walk out on a meeting.
"I worked for government for over 35 years," he said. "I had a lot of complex issues. I was always able to work it out. I could work with any council. You have to be open-minded."
So what's next for the public safety station?
Kim and Keehn appear not to have a third vote to go forward with the $17 million price tag through bonding either. Finance Commissioner Matt McCabe said the city could begin building a scaled down facility next year if it could come up with a new revenue stream, such as paid parking.
The next weeks will see if the council can come to any agreement on how to go forward on the station, with a slightly smaller station or with the full 47,000 square foot version, and what the best method to pay for it is. Or, if deadlock continues, there will be at least one change on the council with McCabe stepping down.
Republican mayoral candidate Scott Johnson said in a release before the vote that he was glad Kim had agreed with him about using the private sector to build the station and parking garage rather than saddling the city with bonded debt. Kim had been enthusiastic about the Woodlawn proposal when it was received by the city in early summer, but it had not been voted upon until last night. Johnson did not agree with Kim's plan to set aside Video Lottery Terminal money, saying there were more reliable ways to fund the project while still staying out of debt.

Comptroller endorses Keehn

Valerie Keehn picked up the endorsement of state Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli this week.
"I'm pleased to endorse Mayor Keehn," DiNapoli, a Democrat, said in a release. "She knows the importance of sound financial planning. She's working hard to address the city's financial needs by making sure that new revenues, like the special state aid for communities with video lottery facilities, are used for long-deferred capital projects. That's a prudent way to plan for infrastructure improvements without putting the entire burden on property taxpayers."
DiNapoli also hailed Keehn's environmental initiatives, saying she is "an outstanding example of the kind of environmental leadership we need at every level of government."

Keehn triumphant / across the aisle endorsements?

Mayor Valerie Keehn's victory in the Democratic primary Tuesday was clear, with a 500-vote-plus margin only her most fervent believers could have predicted. It was enough to make Gordon Boyd think - for up to two weeks - before making his next political move, which could have deep ramifications on the general elections.
Even if Keehn is wildly popular among her base, she will need the support of at least close to half of the voters in November. Boyd will garner several hundred votes even if he doesn't make an active run - Hank Kuczynski did two years ago. An active Boyd run would be helped if he wins the still in limbo Independence line as well as the Conservative line, but it could still be quixotic, given the scarcity of third-party victories in American politics. Plus, if Boyd does run, it might hurt Republican Scott Johnson more than it hurts Keehn.
The stage is set for some possible across the aisle endorsements. Whether the Tom McTygue, John Franck, and Gordon Boyd throw their support to Johnson obviously has a lot to do with whether or not Boyd runs - but at least one Boyd backer I spoke to was leaning Johnson after the primary defeat. Those Dems might have more in common with the Republican candidate then their nemesis Valerie Keehn.
Meanwhile, many a Keehn supporter also has a sign for Skip Scirocco on his or her lawn or car, no surprise given that one of Keehn's priorities has been convincing the electorate that it's time for McTygue to go.
The biggest issue standing in the way of Democrats supporting Republicans is the future source of city water.
Stay tuned.