Photo courtesy Patrick Dodson / Albany Proper
Five arrests were made after police in riot gear pushed a crowd of protesters out of the roadway in downtown Saratoga Springs Wednesday night on the eve of the summer tourism season.
Protesters in Saratoga Springs gathered in response to controversial remarks from the city’s Assistant Police Chief John Catone during a June 28th press conference and a contentious city council meeting the following week.
In what began as a press conference to address a stabbing and shots fired incident in the early morning hours of June 26th, Catone placed blame on police reform advocates, ranting against so-called “want-to-be-elected officials” and called on the “silent majority” to “stand up and be heard.” A July 6th city council meeting was briefly halted by Democratic Mayor Meg Kelly as angered residents and regional advocates audibly reacted to speakers condemning Catone’s remarks during a public comment period.
Dalton, others, pursue independent ballot line in Saratoga Springs | The Daily Gazette
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SARATOGA SPRINGS City Public Safety Commissioner Robin Dalton, who quit the Republican Party in January over discomfort with its “extreme” national positions, said Wednesday she plans to run for mayor this fall on a new independent ballot line to be called Saratoga Stronger Together.
Dalton said she is running for mayor because someone who is already experienced with the issues the city has faced over the last two years is needed in the mayor’s job, and neither party’s nominee has that experience. With Democratic Mayor Meg Kelly not running for re-election after two terms, the Republicans have nominated businesswoman Heidi Owen West, a novice to politics, and the Democrats have nominated attorney Ron Kim, who served as public safety commissioner from 2006 to 2010.
First-term Saratoga Springs Public Safety Commissioner Robin Dalton is entering the race for mayor.
In a single term dominated by the pandemic’s impact on the city, Dalton says she gained the equivalent of 10 years’ experience in her first year-and-a-half in office.
“We really don’t have time for a learning curve here. We need someone who is going to come into office who understands what we’re facing and the solutions that we need to work towards and can hit the ground running,” said Dalton.
Elected as a Republican running on a unity ticket, Dalton recently left the GOP and plans to run on a ballot line called Saratoga Strong.
The race for Saratoga Springs mayor is taking shape.
Former Democratic Public Safety Commissioner Ron Kim is set to kick off his campaign for mayor Wednesday morning in High Rock Park. The lawyer also ran for Congress in the 21st district in the 2018 campaign.
“Cities have to work together across party lines, and we also have to work in a budget,” he said at the time.
GOP candidate and city business owner Heidi Owen West launched her campaign for mayor in mid-March.
They are hoping to succeed Democratic Mayor Meg Kelly, who is not seeking a third two-year term. Former Kelly aide David Snyder suspended his campaign in March.
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Saratoga Springs Mayor Meg Kelly and members of the city council delivered the 2021 State of the City address Tuesday night.
An affair usually held in a large conference room at the Saratoga Springs City Center, the 2021 State of the City address this year went virtual.
It was the last for Democratic Mayor Meg Kelly, who recently announced she would not seek a third two-year term. Kelly opened her remarks by putting things in perspective – last year at this time, city government was hoping it would be able to move operations back into City Hall on Broadway after a lightning strike and small fire damaged the building in August 2018.