Steve Thurston (2021)
Democrats, including James Montagnino, second from right, speak on the steps of City Hall, July 16, 2021, two days after protests that led to arrests.
Five Democratic candidates for office in Saratoga Springs today said the current leadership in City Hall is not listening enough and needs to be more responsive to its citizens before someone gets seriously hurt. They cited Mayor Meg Kelly’s closure of a city council meeting last week after people in the gallery backed a local minister during the public comment time with “uh-huhs” and general statements of support. [Read more about that here.] Kelly adjourned the meeting briefly and attempted to have people leave, media reports said.
They also said much of Wednesday's protest that shut down streets at times and left five arrested might have been avoided with more talking, not less. [Read more of the story here.]
“They don’t feel heard. Nobody’s listening to them, so that’s why they’re marching in the streets,” Mayoral candidate Ron Kim said to a small group of citizens and reporters who attended a press conference at 9:30 a.m. on the steps of City Hall.
He was referring to the Black Lives Matter protesters who marched from Congress Park through city streets, blocking traffic, Wednesday evening July 14.
The police arrested five that evening. Four of the five were charged with Disorderly Conduct, what is considered a “violation,” not criminal behavior. The fifth, Darren C. VanDermark of Ballston Spa, was charged with Disorderly Conduct and with Obstructing Governmental Administration, a second degree misdemeanor. Lt. Robert Jillson said in an interview yesterday that all five are due in court tentatively on Aug. 3.
Jim Montagnino, a former prosecutor and defense attorney who is running for Commissioner of Public Safety, said he thought the procedure regarding being charged and released quickly was likely correct, though he still had questions.
“The law says that force may be used when ‘reasonable’ and ‘necessary’ under the circumstances, and the question is, is it reasonable and necessary to use physical force when the offense is not criminal, when it’s a petit violation?” he said when asked if protesters should have been taken to the ground when they were arrested on Broadway Wednesday evening.
“We’re heading to a point where someone is going to get seriously hurt. That’s going to happen. The problem right now is that nobody is talking,” said Shaun Wiggins who is running in Saratoga Springs for one of two seats on the county’s Board of Supervisors.
Minita Sanghvi, who is running for Commissioner of Finance, said the arrests and the tackling might not have happened had leaders reached out and spoken more with the protesters and their leadership.
City leaders have told FoothillsBusinessDaily.com, both on- and off-the-record, that they have reached out to Lexis Figuereo, the leader of BLM Saratoga, to no avail. He has responded that he has been rebuffed. At the protest on Wednesday, Figuereo called for meetings with City Hall but only if a third-party mediator of some type could be included in the discussions.
“They need to keep trying,” said Dillon Moran, who is running for Commissioner of Accounts.
“It’s not a one time thing,” Kim said. “As that tension grows, the need grows to reach out.”
He acknowledged that the city does need police and first responders for when tensions run too high.
Montagnino had opened the press conference highlighting safety and equity, saying that public safety includes all citizens, the first responders, business owners and workers. As a former prosecutor he said he recognized the need for police.
“You will never hear anything like, ‘Defund the police,’ from these lips,” Montagnino said.
Ronald Kim said the Democrats will be holding a “Saratoga Listens” tour throughout the city, starting Thursday July 29, 6:30 p.m., Embassy Suites Hotel, 86 Congress Street.