**PRESS RELEASE**
The Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee (SSDC) welcomed over 80 guests to its annual Starbuck Luncheon on Saturday, July 25th, celebrating five local leaders whose inspiring work demonstrates the community-minded spirit of service and social justice shared by Kathryn H. Starbuck, the pioneering Saratoga Springs suffragette for whom the annual event is named.
Ellie Cathryn O’Brien, a rising junior at Saratoga Springs High School, was honored with SSDC’s Student Future Leader Award for her involvement with her school’s inaugural year of Participatory Budgeting Club–the only club of its kind in the state. Ms. O’Brien helped to bring voting machines on campus, enabling her classmates to weigh in on a number of proposed school improvements, from adding a grilling station in the cafeteria to allow for healthier lunch offerings, to feminine hygiene product dispensers in the school’s bathrooms. The club’s efforts resulted in an astounding 90% rate of voter turnout.
The club’s work, “allowed student voices to be heard in different ways,” noted Ms. O’Brien during her remarks. “Many students could relate, feel seen, and understand that they had a voice, because ultimately that was our goal: to make students feel heard and put something the student body actually wanted in place. That is exactly what we did through this peer-driven process.”
“Ultimately that was our goal: to make students feel heard and put something the student body actually wanted in place.”
Ellie Cathryn O’Brien, Saratoga Springs High Schooler & Student Future Leader Awardee
SSDC’s Community Leader Award was given to Patrick Pipino, owner of the Saratoga Springs Ben & Jerry’s. Mr. Pipino has inspired and uplifted countless neighbors through his volunteerism and willingness to lend a hand, buying groceries for those in need, hosting an impromptu ice cream party for a young baseball player who was recently injured, and baking hundreds of loaves of bread to share with neighbors across the city. Mr. Pipino spoke of the service-focused influence of his hardworking mother and family, and the ways in which neighbors stand up for each other.
Congressman Paul Tonko, who was joined by two visiting members of the UK Parliament, Chris Webb of Blackpool South and John Slinger of Rugby, was honored with SSDC’s Lifetime Achievement Award for his decades of progressive work on Saratoga Springs’ behalf. Tonko, Webb, and Slinger all addressed the crowd, underscoring America’s spirit of independence and the importance of fiercely defending democratic ideals in this time of increasing division.
The day’s awardees also included Sybil Newell, celebrated with SSDC’s Advocacy Award for her lifelong commitment to improving the care and prospects for people with mental illness and substance use disorders, and Town of Wilton Deputy Supervisor and Board Member Connor Rohan, honored with SSDC’s Future Leader Award for his work to reinvigorate the Saratoga County Young Democrats and recruit a new generation to get involved in their local community.
The SSDC also gave a nod to the incredible 100-year legacy of the Frederick Allen Lodge #609 and its auxiliary women’s chapter, Mary A. Carter Temple #362, during Saturday’s luncheon. The Lodge represents the vibrant strength of the Saratoga Springs African American community, and their Beekman Street location has graciously hosted monthly meetings of the Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee for years.
“While the tenor of our public discourse can often lead us to overlook the good work in our neighborhoods,” said SSDC Chair Ron Kim, “Saturday’s luncheon and our stellar group of honorees reminded us of the compassion and commitment that’s so central to a tight-knit community like ours, and so in keeping with the storied legacy of Kathryn Starbuck. The Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee strives to keep Kathryn’s memory alive and to demonstrate the value of service and sacrifice each day.”
The annual luncheon doubled as SSDC’s largest fundraiser of the year, helping to build the committee’s warchest to help recruit and support new, inspiring candidates as Democrats look ahead to 2027’s local races. For those interested in learning more about elected opportunities in Saratoga Springs, visit www.SaratogaDems.org/Run-for-Office.
ABOUT KATHRYN H. STARBUCK
Throughout her life, Kathryn H. Starbuck (1887-1965) was an organizer and leader in the suffrage movement. Across more than six decades of advocacy, she served as a District Leader of the New York State Woman Suffrage Party, became one of the first women to graduate from Albany Law School and joined the bar, ran for the New York State Assembly, became the first chairperson of the Saratoga County League of Women Voters, taught at Skidmore, and served as President of the Saratoga Springs Board of Education. Starbuck never lost sight of the vital importance of education, and committed herself to teaching women how best to use their hard-fought right to vote.
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Photos by Diana Klementowski and SSDC