Mission & Platform

The ongoing growth of Saratoga Springs’s economy is attributable to the efforts, enterprise and widespread participation of citizens, businesses, non-profit organizations, both city and county governments, good schools and low taxes. Yet unforeseen changes to the conditions of our success could undermine the pillars of our community and economy. The economic and job-producing industries around racing, hospitality, and higher education could be affected by the assumption that the good times will never end. Complacency, a feeling that our success is impermeable to outside forces, is a real risk to our future wellbeing.  City leadership should examine these developments by establishing a “Committee for the Future,” including leaders of business, labor, environmental advocacy, neighborhoods, and all walks of life in our community.

We believe the three most significant priorities for the future economic success of Saratoga Springs are 1) the building of more workforce housing, 2) expanding public transportation, and 3) immigration reform so that people already working here and contributing to the economy can remain and move more expeditiously toward becoming American citizens. [UPDATE: please see the below addendum approved May 17, 2025.] Democrats want to ensure that the community’s future is good for everyone.  The City should continue to support women’s reproductive rights and the human rights of all marginalized people through appropriate legislation and the administrative practices of City government.

A Charter Revision Commission should be established promptly, pursuant to State law, to begin the necessary consideration of bringing about needed changes in the city’s form of government.. The Commission’s proceedings should be marked by every effort to elicit and receive participation from citizens.  Questions of consolidation of administrative functions under a single head (whether Mayor or city manager), and the shape of a legislative City Council (whether elected citywide or in districts) can be developed by a new Charter Revision Commission and presented to the voters.

The way citizens connect with and hold accountable our City government is a key component of whether we can be successful in the future.  The City Charter adopted in 1915 no longer serves the interests of the city and is detrimental to the community’s interests going forward. In 2017, when the Charter Revision Commission appointed at the time surveyed City Hall workers, they reported that 30% to 50% of employees’ time was spent “navigating the silos” of the present system. Such inefficiency costs millions of tax dollars every year.  The present system needs to be streamlined in how it responds to businesses and citizens alike. Separation of administrative from legislative functions is essential to provide accountability, efficiency and responsiveness to the democratic process.  Professional management should mark the administrative leadership of our city’s 21st Century future, as all other components of the regional political economy are being modernized around us.

Democrats believe that with the immediate efficiencies that would accrue from consolidating the administrative offices of city government, significant reductions in the cost of government would result, and a meaningful  cut in property taxes should be expected.

At a minimum, the City Council should give voters the option, this November, of approving a question as to whether a Charter Commission should be established.  Charter reform will not only improve efficiency, accountability and democracy, it will save tax dollars.

Residents and visitors alike enjoy Saratoga Springs, a true City In the Country, because of its year-round quality of life. A walkable, vibrant central business district, safe, comfortable neighborhoods, entertainment at nationally recognized venues, protected open space in our greenbelt and a premier recreational and aesthetic resource in Saratoga Lake. All continue to draw visitors and newcomers alike. Protecting the city’s diverse neighborhoods, resources, venues and thoroughfares is a high priority, as well as providing prudent fiscal management and tax policy that keep the costs of being here under control.

Because the city is so successful at drawing visitors and welcoming new residents, property values and rents are rising. As a result, nurses, teachers, firefighters, police, hourly workers and other members of the public and private workforce are unable to find affordable housing here. Democratic leadership on the City Council has advanced a solution to one of the causes—unregulated short term rental housing. STRs are estimated to account for more than 10 percent of the city’s residential housing stock, which, recognizing the forces of supply and demand, contributes to the rising cost of housing here. Continued development of affordable dwellings in the city is essential to our economic wellbeing. In addition, we call on the Council to amend the City Code and the soon-to-be-revised Comprehensive Plan to place housing affordability on equal status with the protection of open space and historic aesthetics in the planning and development policies and statutes of the City.

All residents and visitors deserve to enjoy a city that is safe from crime and chaos, protected by law enforcement personnel who respect and protect the constitutional rights of all.  Alleged infringement of such rights in the past has exposed the city to liability claims that could be costly to the taxpayers. Public safety leadership should endeavor to eliminate such incidents and hold accountable those responsible whenever necessary.

Regarding threatened deportation measures that may ensue from Washington, our taxpayers should not pay for providing added resources to any Federal interventions that would jeopardize the stability and safety of our local workforce, guests or residents, unless pursuant to a duly authorized judicial warrant.

The 2025 budget was adopted thanks to strong Democratic leadership on the City Council, providing for a significant increase in spending for Public Safety with no increase in property taxes. Such professional and responsible fiscal management is a hallmark of our party’s success and should be continued. Democratic leadership has also established Participatory Budgeting to bring the community together in setting priorities for support of nonprofit organizations. This program provides a unique means for citizens to participate in the allocation of their own funds and should continue.

Saratoga Springs has a vibrant economy, of which the backbone is home grown entrepreneurial businesses and world-famous visitor attractions. City government should be mindful of regulatory and legal measures that make doing business in our city expensive and listen closely to business owners’ concerns, and endeavor to process routine permit applications more promptly.

One of the long-term chronic nuisances in Saratoga Springs is interstate truck traffic that comes through West Side neighborhoods, the Van Dam/Church Street and Washington Street corridors, as well as Broadway. Democratic leadership at the Department of Public Works has commissioned an important engineering study of the problem and has worked cooperatively with affected neighbors. City government must aggressively tackle this pernicious problem, make New York State agencies answer for their accountability and in future work cooperatively with the City, the County, the State to resolve this problem. A worthwhile starting point would be the re-establishment of a truck weigh station that would enable our local public safety forces to assure the legal status of long-haul trucks passing through. Further opportunities exist for partnership that both addresses the truck traffic issue and enhances open space utilization in the southern part of the city.

Transportation policies that make the City workable and climate-sensitive should prioritize alternative modes, including continued investment in bicycle lanes, sidewalks in neighborhoods including but not limited to outer Grand Avenue, Crescent Street, eastern plateau and others,  walking paths and modernization of the Broadway corridor.    Broadway intersections need modern pedestrian crossings so that residents and visitors can enjoy the beauty and convenience of Saratoga Springs at a reasonable and appropriate pace for all ages.  Opportunities to pursue non-tax revenue sources to support public parking should be continued and expanded for visitors using taxpayer-funded parking facilities.  The mostly empty City Center parking facility should be adapted to include a Transit Hub that brings intercity and local CDTA routes together for the convenience of visitors, commuters and residents alike.

City action to deal with climate change should include two elements at least:  1) resilience measures so that our infrastructure can “weather any storm” that is likely to afflict us, and 2) ways to facilitate and support environmentally sound choices by business- and property- owners, residents and visitors.  CDTA mass transit, bicycles and other means are essential to reducing the carbon footprint of the community. Building the infrastructure to allow such alternative modes of non-automobile transport to flourish safely and efficiently should be a priority.

Significant parts of Saratoga Springs are served by water supply, sanitary and storm sewer systems that were installed 100 or more years ago. A comprehensive review of the city’s infrastructure should be undertaken and a long-term plan developed to rehabilitate it, together with a financial plan that both protects the taxpayer and minimizes the risk of systemic failure.

We stand firmly against unconstitutional deportations that violate due process, sow fear, and undermine the rule of law in our community. The U.S. Constitution protects all “persons,” not just citizens, under the Fifth Amendment’s guarantee of due process.

We affirm that every individual deserves dignity, legal representation, and constitutional protection. Defending immigrant rights defends everyone’s liberty.

1. Protect Due Process: Support ordinances preventing local police from aiding federal immigration enforcement without a judicial warrant. Require ICE to give 24-hour notice before operations in the city.
2. Expand Legal Aid and Education: Coordinate through partnerships with non-profits to support immigrant rights education and legal defense, including backing Assembly Bill A270 to guarantee immigration court counsel, and advocate expanding protections to administrative removals.
3. Health and Safety Protections: Ensure schools, hospitals, and city agencies do not inquire about immigration status, promoting community safety and trust.
4. Residency Validation: Allow residents who have lived in the city for two years to document and confirm their residency to protect against expedited removals.

Fix Our Immigration System Now: We urge immediate bipartisan action to reform immigration laws based on the following principles:

• Clear Backlogs: Rapidly hire staff to reduce USCIS processing times to 1–2 years.
• Path to Citizenship: Create a fair 8-year process combining a 5-year green card path and a 3-year citizenship track for long-term residents.
• Job Training Investment: Fund skills training in critical industries to strengthen the economy and uplift working-class Americans.
• Humane Border Solutions: Build documented, humane pathways for immigration while securing borders to prevent dangerous crossings.

Fix Expedited Removal & Protect Due Process:

• Limit expedited removal to within 50 miles of the border and within 6 months of entry.
• Repeal use of the Aliens Enemies Act for immigration enforcement.
• Require judicial warrants and hearings for all deportations, not ICE supervisors.
• Allow State Attorneys General to challenge unconstitutional enforcement.

Saratoga Springs thrives when we uphold fairness and constitutional rights for all. We proudly commit to protecting the dignity, liberty, and due process of every resident, staying true to the framers’ vision that all persons deserve life, liberty, and justice.