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My Fellow Saratogians,
First and foremost, my sincere thanks go out to all who supported my re-election and made it possible. This victory is to be shared by all of us, as a rededication to our proven community values and a positive vision for the future.
My administration will continue to have an open door policy, listening to and being available for all Saratogians. Party affiliation should be irrelevant when solving the challenges facing our City. I welcome your input and suggestions for the common good.
With the election now over, I want all Saratogians to know how honored I am to continue as your Mayor. As your Mayor, my guiding principle has been, and will continue to be, to make the best decisions for our City. While I know we cannot all agree on every issue, my pledge is to be Mayor for all Saratogians.
The current challenges facing all of us will require leadership based on common sense, focusing on good management, cutting spending and serving the taxpayer. In these difficult economic times, it’s critical that we keep politics out of government. I’m proud that we’ve restored civility, professionalism and respect to the Mayor’s office. The incoming City Council will better work together to tackle the tough issues facing our City. Regardless of the issue, we must put any differences aside and just do what’s best for our City.
Together, we can achieve an even better community. Again, I thank you for your support and trust.
Sincerely,
Scott Johnson
Scott Johnson projects the cool confidence of someone who is smart, thoughtful, pragmatic, efficient and well-versed in the issues facing Saratoga Springs. He has earned the public’s support, and The Saratogian’s endorsement, for a second term as mayor.
Public Safety Commissioner Ron Kim gave up what would likely have been a safe seat on the City Council to run for mayor against Johnson. Why? In his endorsement interview, Kim said he decided to run for mayor in April when his colleagues voted down his No. 1 priority: a new public safety facility.
That misguided single-mindedness while the city is in a budget crisis, and the confrontational style Kim has demonstrated during his two terms on the council, are fatal flaws in his bid to become mayor. Saratoga Springs needs a consensus builder in the mayor’s seat, and that is not Kim’s strong suit.
The police department’s current setup is, without question, inadequate for both the employees and the public. The city’s failure, well before Kim was in office, to fix longstanding needs as seemingly simple as providing a locker room and bathroom for women officers resulted in a lawsuit and costly settlement. Over the last few years, the city and private developers have invested tens of thousands of dollars and countless hours in the pursuit of a new facility.
But the current economic climate calls for putting such a project on hold. The challenge is to improve the police department situation with the resources at hand, fixing structural deficiencies and pursuing options like moving public works’ clerical staff to allow for public safety expansion on City Hall’s lower level. This requires the council working together as a team, rather than each of the five advocating for the departments they represent. Johnson is more likely to accomplish that than Kim.
Enough about the public safety facility. Let’s talk about the recreation facility under construction on the South Side Recreation field.
This project has been branded as Johnson’s, but that’s because he has been the force behind making the best of a not-so-great situation. The prior City Council, of which Kim was a member, voted to borrow money for the express purpose of building a recreation facility. There are disputes about the exact amount of money the city would have thrown away by dropping the project, but the number is in the hundreds of thousands, if not more than a million. Johnson ended years of talk on the City Council about how Saratoga Springs should have an indoor recreation center. He took the bull by the horns and with the support of the rest of the council, he did something that is so difficult in this form of government: moved forward.
The money that was borrowed could be used only for a recreation facility. The site Johnson pursued is in a neighborhood that makes it accessible to hundreds of youngsters on foot or bicycle. The property is deeded only for recreational purposes, and the fields were among the city’s most underused and neglected.
There are, however, concerns about Johnson.
The biggest disappointment of Johnson’s first term in office is his failure to bring to a close contract negotiations with the unions representing a majority of city employees, including the police. He wasn’t wrong to hire outside counsel, but the city doesn’t have any progress to show for the time and money invested thus far. That said, Kim has been inappropriately uncooperative in refusing to share all the police rules and regulations with Johnson and the city’s labor lawyers. And though Kim is proud to have negotiated the current firefighters’ contract, which lowered the starting salary from $40,000 to $33,000, the savings are short-term, because the wages jump right back up in just four years, and long-term benefits are still more generous than the public can afford.
Granted, this isn’t an easy situation. The biggest and fastest growing expense in the city budget is benefits for retired and current employees. It’s an out-of-control cost and major issue at all levels and in all sectors of public employment. The public cannot afford to continue to carry contracts that allow employees to retire relatively young with generous pensions.
Yet there is little incentive for the unions in Saratoga Springs to settle contracts when the employees still receive automatic annual step raises and health insurance, with or without a new agreement. The only motivation would be to protect jobs. The proposed 2010 city budget, which currently includes layoffs as well as a property tax increase of close to, if not more than, 8 percent, won’t be voted on by the City Council until after the Nov. 3 election.
Both candidates are lawyers who are used to having to do their homework, articulate ideas and make their case. Johnson demonstrates the cooler head in making — rather than arguing — his case, which is the way Saratoga Springs needs to be represented. Where improvement is needed: The full-time deputy must represent him, and the city as a whole, in the same tactful, diplomatic and professional manner that is expected of the mayor.
Political affiliations (Johnson is a Republican, Kim is a Democrat) matter little in this or other local races. Personal style and Kim’s tunnel vision about building a public safety facility make the choice clear: Re-elect Scott Johnson.
Mayor: Johnson
published 10/29/2009, The Times Union
The Saratoga Springs mayor's race does not offer an easy choice. Voters must choose
between two able, passionate candidates and their long-running disagreements.
Looking at their positions, however, we believe that incumbent Republican
Mayor Scott Johnson can better lead the city.
One test of a leader is the ability to take the long view and make decisions that are right
if not necessarily popular. Since he took office in 2008, Mr. Johnson, an attorney, has
shown he is willing to do that.
Case in point: a new recreation center for the city. This project was already bonded for
when Mr. Johnson was elected. Critics, including his current Democratic opponent,
Ronald Kim, suggested scrapping the center for a new public safety building. Mr. Kim,
an attorney and public safety commissioner, says Mr. Johnson has his priorities wrong.
But Mr. Johnson notes that the city would still have had to pay for the bonds for years,
potentially losing at least $1 million. Where's the sense? He also appropriately favored
relocating the center to South Side Park, much more accessible for children than the
original choice far from the heart of the city. While he has taken heat from some
neighbors who brought a lawsuit, it was the right move.
Mr. Johnson has shown a willingness to consider opposing views on critical issues like
paid parking, seeking a balance between new revenue and merchants' concerns.
We endorse Mr. Johnson while noting that Mr. Kim is right to push for the new public
safety building. We also urge the mayor, should he be re-elected, to bone up on the
state's Open Meetings Law, which the city violated at least once during his tenure with a
vote in closed session.
If Mr. Johnson has the courage to make tough decisions, he should have the courage to
always make them in public.
___________________________________________________________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, May 13, 2009
CONTACT: Scott T. Johnson 518-587-3550 ext. 2520
MAYOR SCOTT JOHNSON ANNOUNCES RE-ELECTION BID
Spa City Mayor stresses consistency in leadership
Saratoga Springs Mayor Scott T. Johnson has announced he will seek re-election to a second term. The announcement ends months of public speculation whether he would run again. His term began January 2008 and runs just two years.
“Now more than ever, it’s important to have consistency in leadership to face economic uncertainty”, said Mayor Johnson. The City is indeed facing economic uncertainty as it recently lost $1.8 million in VLT revenue cut from the New York State annual budget adopted in April. “As designated CEO of the City under our Charter, I was pleased to join with my fellow City Council members when we adopted our 2009 budget last Fall to present a 0% tax increase, to benefit our taxpayers. Unfortunately, we could not foresee this latest revenue cut from the State which overly impacts us, now that we are mid-year into our budget. Obviously, the City Council will be reopening the 2009 budget and, in fact, has already begun budget workshops to identify where further cuts can be made or revenue generated. This certainly is not the time for the City to elect anyone that does not have a proven track record and has not earned the public trust”, added the Mayor.
As part of his platform, Mayor Johnson stresses the necessity to maintain fiscal conservatism, to strike the balance of preservation with the need to expand our tax base and lessen the tax burden, and to promote hallmark business practices within City Hall of efficiency, productivity and customer service. Equally important is the necessity of professionalism, demeanor and maintaining integrity in City government. “I’ve always believed that it is not just desired, but imperative that elected officials set an example, especially for our youth, of professionalism and integrity. There’s something inherently wrong with not demanding from your elected officials the same sense of values and character that you, as a parent, set for your children. I believe we’ve made great strides toward regaining the confidence of our community in the Office of the Mayor, in just one year since taking office. I pledge to continue my efforts to deliver a Mayor’s office that our City both deserves and expects”, stated Mayor Johnson.
Nearly a lifelong City resident, Mayor Johnson believes he is best suited to deliver what the community wants. He stated, “I try to never lose sight of the perspective of having been raised here and having the wisdom to return to our community over 22 years ago. During my term, I’m proud of having reached out to every part of our community, to best represent all Saratogians.”
