[Editor's note: FoothillsBusinessDaily.com is back from hiatus . This is a run-down of some of the bigger stories from the past two weeks.]
Saratoga’s Police, violence and “narratives”
The Albany Times-Union followed the dust-up in Saratoga Springs over comments made by Assistant Police Chief John Catone at a press conference two weeks ago. Commissioner of Public Safety Robin Dalton, who was also at the press conference, appeared to agree with him at that time. The press conference came after a bar brawl spilled onto Caroline Street and one person was stabbed and shots were fired into the air, the story says. According to the story, Catone said Saratoga Springs is no longer immune to the problems of violence that plague other locations. Catone alleged that the fighters want to provoke interaction with the police and added that this comes from social justice and police reform advocates who have, he said, labeled the members of their department "racist.”
He denied the racism charge and then said that the silent majority needs to come out and speak up for the police. His family has lived in the area for 130 years, and he will be pushing connections in his deep roots to stand up for the police, he said. The story quotes: “You are either with us or you’re not. If you are not, you are part of the problem. And if you are with us, then step up and be heard.” In response Lexis Figuereo of BLM Saratoga called the remarks “disgusting” and “fearmongering.”
The fallout from the press conference led the T-U’s editorial board to call out both Catone and Dalton for the tone-deaf language and for inciting disunity and for conflating legal protest with barroom violence. The League of Women voters condemned the statement saying that it appeared to be aimed at intimidating peaceful protestors, and the T-U’s columnist Chris Churchill said Catone was using a version the racist language from the Deep South during the civil rights movement when he said that outsiders were coming in to cause unwanted trouble and he would use his deep roots to push back against the current narrative--that is, to push back against the speech of protestors.
Tied to this story was last Tuesday’s Saratoga Springs City Council meeting that was shut down by Mayor Meg Kelly as people spoke during public comments about policing issues and then others agreed from the gallery, a T-U story says. Kelly, saying it was not a dialogue, told the crowd she would close the meeting and empty the room. The room did not empty, but she, Commissioner of Public Safety Robin Dalton, and Commissioner of Public Works, Anthony “Skip” Scirocco left for a moment, the story says. They returned shortly after, but a video of the meeting edited out much of that portion, another story in the T-U says.
Comfort Suites Qby selling
The Comfort Inn in Queensbury is in foreclosure and will be sold, a story in the Albany Business Journal said last week. Located near the Six Flags Great Escape, the 98-room hotel on five acres closed about 18 months ago, the story says. A sale is scheduled for July 28.
Warren County adjusting occupancy tax use
Warren County collects occupancy taxes on rented properties throughout the county and then distributes the money to event coordinators and similar groups to fund promotions of events that should draw people back to those same rental properties. Warren County, the Post-Star said, is looking to change the rules governing how the money is distributed. They are looking for more data that shows the money is drawing in more people.
LGPC looking at septic systems
The Lake George Park Commission has formed a committee to look into septic systems, the Post-Star is reporting. The committee has met Committee members met for the first time last week to discuss what they will study and which reports will be reviewed, the story says. The committee hopes to gather a lot of data before making decisions about regulating septic systems around the lake.