A Saratoga Springs official is hoping to end tensions and arguments linked to his legal payments.
In July, the Saratoga Springs city council approved the payment of a more than $60,000 legal bill presented by Accounts Commissioner Dillon Moran.
He and his deputy Stacy Connors had racked up the bill in connection to a Saratoga County District Attorney’s investigation into an on-call pay dispute where deputy commissioners were set to receive additional payment for attending city events.
City GOP committee chair Mike Brandi sued, holding the payment up in court.
WAMC obtained an invoice from Moran’s attorneys for $30,000 in relation to their work on the DA’s investigation and representing Moran and Connors.
Here’s Moran, a Democrat:
“They themselves felt it was in the best interest to resolve the manner in a more respectful manner with the city of Saratoga Springs and to the taxpayers because, at the end of the day, they want to act on the right side of propriety unlike our local Republicans,” said Moran.
Brandi says even if the bill is reduced, he contests any further payment approvals by the city council are legal.
“But the bottom line is whether this person is getting paid $20 an hour or $1,200 an hour, or some other number, the issue in this case is that the city can only make a payment of this type where it is required by law. And the law is very clear that in these instances, unless you are the subject of a civil proceeding, you do not get indemnity from the city council,” said Brandi.
The city council has previously approved the payment of legal bills for former Mayor Meg Kelly totaling upwards of $38,000 related to a state Attorney General’s probe into the city’s treatment of Black Lives Matter demonstrators.
The attorney general found Kelly and other former city officials and city police violated the constitutional rights of demonstrators in 2020 and 2021.
Moran is due in court June 10th for a bench trial linked to an alleged failure to respond to three Freedom of Information Law requests filed by Brandi last spring.
