Saratoga Springs Commissioner of Accounts Dillon Moran faces a new lawsuit alleging workplace retaliation.
Lisa Ribis, who had been secretary to the City Council since 2008, was dismissed from her position in April. Her lawsuit alleges that her direct supervisors, Moran, and Deputy Commissioner Stacy Connors, retaliated against Ribis following comments made by her husband, Joseph Ribis, during a February 2022 council meeting about Black Lives Matter demonstrations that shut down Broadway.
“You have no right to dictate what goes on in this city. You’re not voters, you’re not taxpayers, you’re nothing. You come here. I’d like to know which ones of them spend money here in Saratoga. They don’t. All they do is come here and create chaos,” said Joseph Ribis.
The suit alleges Ribis’ performance in her role had never been criticized prior to that city council meeting. In the ensuing years, Ribis’ “proposed termination” was carried out through a series of “false accusations that were intended as a pretext to secure” her firing, according to the lawsuit.
In addition to allegedly demanding Ribis share her passwords with Moran and Connors, the lawsuit states Ribis has been falsely blamed for an on-call pay dispute that resulted in deputy commissioners receiving pay for attending emergencies and events. Saratoga County District Attorney Karen Heggen and State Police are investigating.
Connors declined to comment.
For his part, Moran rejects Ribis’ claims. Moran was elected in 2021.
“It’s very clear that because it is a matter within the court system, I have been advised not to make any statements. Once I am able to I am more than happy to discuss this and any other situations. We continue to run the Department of Accounts the way it needs to be run,” said Moran.
Ribis’ attorneys did not respond to a request for comment.
Meanwhile, recent city council meetings have been rocked by debates over the indemnification of current and former city hall employees.
Moran and Connors have racked up a $61,000 legal bill over the on-call question, and earlier in July the city council, including Moran, approved the payment of the bill in a three-to-two vote. A temporary restraining order has halted that payment.
Moran expects the payment to go through, especially after the city council approved an additional payment for former Mayor Meg Kelly’s legal bills after a report from the state attorney general found she and other commissioners as well as city police unconstitutionally targeted and intimidated activists in 2020 and 2021.
Moran abstained from that vote.
“The city has a very clear requirement to indemnify public officers. If we’re going to pay the legal fees for people who the Attorney General has stated that clearly violated the civil rights of others, then we probably ought to cover them for current people who are in office doing the work right now,” said Moran.
This is the second lawsuit Moran, a Democrat, faces from a former employee. Former city assistant assessor Carrie Schermerhorn filed a lawsuit in April that says she was fired in retaliation for reporting Moran’s alleged violations of city and New York State policies “in an effort to help a friend with her tax issue," among other allegations.
