Three candidates running for Saratoga Springs public safety commissioner met Tuesday at a forum hosted by the League of Women Voters.
Incumbent Democrat Jim Montagnino is facing Tim Coll, a registered Democrat backed by the city Republican committee, and bipartisan One Saratoga platform and Independent Kristen Dart, who is running on her own Community First line.
The candidates answered questions submitted by voters on issues ranging from short-term rentals to increasing safety protocols on Caroline Street, the heart of the city’s busy nightlife scene. Montagnino was the first to speak about the importance of good working relationships with the other commissioners.
"I have the executive authority over police, fire code enforcement, parking, enforcement, animal control, but I also have a seat on the city council," said Montagnino. "And this often creates friction because of the siloed nature of our government. It's important, certainly for there to be civility at the city council level. But what's more important is for there to be effective leadership. And sometimes those are in friction."
Tensions between city councilors reached a boiling point earlier this year over protests during council meetings. In July, the city Democratic committee sent a letter to Montagnino condemning his interactions with activists and other council members.
Coll, a retired FBI agent, advocated for reevaluating bar closing times, which he believes would help city police curb late night incidents.
"I really am leaning towards closing the bars at 2 a.m., at least the majority of the year, and maybe allow them to open up at certain times during racing season." Coll continued, "the bottom line is our police department is understaffed, underappreciated, and they're exhausted, I've talked to them individually. They're very, very tired. And they're concerned about working those 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. shifts."
Earlier closing times for bars on Caroline Street have been advocated for by Saratoga officials for years, but the city is unable to roll back closing hours on its own.
Dart, a fifth-generation Saratogian, has been involved in official police reform efforts before launching her bid. She emphasized the importance of building strong relationships between residents and the police department.
"And that means having direct conversations and coming up with policy solutions that meet the needs of our community in this moment," said Dart. "We will see the results of the trial and no matter what the outcome is, the city is going to have to move forward. And I'm hoping that we can do so in a positive and productive manner where we bring changes that may be needed in our community, both for community members’ sake and for the police department’s sake to have a positive relationship moving forward."
Dart was referring to the ongoing wrongful death lawsuit brought by the family of Darryl Mount Jr. He died in May 2014, nine months after he was injured during a police foot chase in the city’s downtown.
Coll says with 30 years of law enforcement experience, he supports what he calls “unbiased policing,” which he believes will support crime victims.
"And that's policing based on people's activity, rather than their status as Black or white, rich or poor, or by their sexual orientation," said Coll. "So, I think if we police in that manner, we'll have more trust from the community, and our victims are more likely to come to come forward."
Dart chairs Saratoga’s Civilian Review Board and is a former member of the city’s Police Reform Task Force. She suggested that social workers could bolster the police department’s effectiveness when dealing with minors.
"Whether they be victims of crimes or, quite frankly, if they are in a situation where they potentially have perpetrated a crime, I think it's really important that we are intentional about how we speak to minors and how we treat minors." Dart continued, "I believe that if we added social workers to our department, it could help in a multitude of areas, including how we address victims with a trauma informed approach."
Montagnino took issue with the current state of short-term rentals in the Spa City. During the summer racing season, Saratoga’s population nearly triples and Airbnb rentals have raised safety concerns. Montangino said regulating the rentals is long overdue.
"There are dozens of places that are being used as short-term rentals, unregulated, earning the city absolutely nothing in revenue, and creating a safety hazard and a health hazard because we don't know what houses are being used as short-term rentals," said Montagnino. "We don't know the number of people there. We don't know what facilities are there for fire suppression, fire prevention. We need to move. We need revenue sources to pay for the expense of the third fire station, operating the third fire station. It dovetails perfectly for us to say it's about time to regulate and legalize, within a carefully controlled fashion, the short-term rentals."
The commissioner’s opponents agreed that regulations are needed. Dart cited other tourist centers like Cape Cod that have successfully regulated short-term rentals and rising real estate prices driven by the rental market. Coll emphasized that without regulation, such properties can create safety risks.
Early voting starts October 28th with Election Day November 7th. Three Democrats on the City Council — Public Works Commissioner Jason Golub, Accounts Commissioner Dillon Moran, and Finance Commissioner Minita Sanghvi — are running unopposed.
Democratic Mayor Ron Kim faces GOP-backed challenger Joh n Safford and One Saratoga candidate Chris Mathiesen.
The councilors jointly endorsed Dart to unseat Montagnino in the public safety race.
