Chuck Marshall has only been the Public Works Commissioner in Saratoga Springs for two weeks. His swearing-in brought a close to a contentious period in city hall. The previous Commissioner Jason Golub, a Democrat, stepped down in August, leaving the remaining four members of the city council to debate the best way to replace him. Democrat Hank Kuczynski filled the role on an interim basis. Marshall, a Republican, won a highly contested January 28th special election. His was the only name on the ballot, with Kuczynski running as a last-minute write-in. Marshall secured a win after a local judge ruled a majority of 106 contested ballots be thrown out.
Yeah, for you know, I'm lucky that I walked into a great group of people. I mean, they've been welcoming. They definitely do the day-to-day type stuff. I mean, there's been some stuff that they've showed me that kind of relinquished back to them, like, I appreciate, you know, but you're the expert on the subject matter, and unless there's a problem with the way you've been doing it, please, you know, continue to do it, because as far as I'm concerned, the department's going smoothly. I, you know, attended a city council meeting. I've attended a water main break that was, unfortunately for the homeowner, a service side break. So not a water main break, but again, you know, just see the response. And, you know, the guys are out on Friday nights. It was 10 o'clock on Friday, so just those things and learning the day to day. You know, we've taken tours of a bunch of different city facilities. We have a bunch left to go, and now the ice is going to start melting. It'll include the parks and all that stuff. So we're getting into it.
What’re you looking to make sure gets done, or what do you want to make sure you see in operation over the beginning couple of months of this?
You know, the low hanging fruit are the kind of like those legislative changes the side, you know, dedicated sidewalk funding. You know, Mark Torpey, who is the planning board chairman before me, or, you know, the planning board chairman before me with the most longevity, was really involved in the solar field development. He's going to come in on Monday, and we're going to talk about the Green For Green Initiative, and how we take, whether it's the ice rink or the treatment plant or additional off-loaders, onto that field and go from there. I mean, obviously the one big thing that I, you know, was pretty vocal about, is paid parking at my swearing in. Someone asked a question about it, and it's on me to find the revenue to offset it. I think last year was $123,000 so that's what we have to do.
Paid parking was scheduled in for about $250,000 in revenue for the city. I mean, that's a that's a big chunk of change. What are you, at least in these first couple of days looking to sort of balance that out with?
I mean, the first council meeting I attended, there was an indication that revenue on the cannabis tax is higher than estimated. So, you have that. One of the other things is, you know, are there some city properties that should be leased if not occupied? William Street kind of being an example. I know RISE’s administrative offices are under construction and they're utilizing it. But that's one that, if not occupied, becomes a liability. So, is there a revenue source or stream there?
Have you talked with business owners since coming into office, or at least being elected, about their concerns over the program? Have you heard from them that their business has been negatively impacted by the paid parking program?
Yeah, I didn't shoot from the hip completely on that. I mean, it came from the business owners. You know, I think that panhandling is a concern of them as well. So, it's not just, you know, parking, but I think as the economy has softened, and certainly with the new administration and then some different takes on things, I do think we have to be receptive to the needs of our business community. You know, number one thing I've said, and I'll say it again here and repeatedly, you know, downtown is our, second to our people, downtown is our biggest asset. So, vacancy on Broadway does nobody any good.
Do you think the discord at the city council meetings for whatever reason over the past year or two have detracted from officials’ ability to be able to run the city as efficiently and effectively as possible?
Yeah, 100% I mean, you just look at how much energy is consumed by that, the creation and dilution of that noise. So, I definitely think that when it gets off kilter, it doesn't benefit anyone. You know, one of the things I repeatedly said when I ran was, I’ve been a participant in over 500 municipal meetings, city councils, town boards, village boards, zoning boards, planning boards, and, you know, not necessarily looked upon, you know, all the time favorably. So, I've been the receiver of somewhat contentious commentary. So, yeah, I think I have a calming effect. I do think that, you know, the shift in the, for lack of better terms, perception, at least, will definitely lead to a calmer going forward.
Do you think the city council has been missing the bigger picture, as far as you know, meeting the needs of city residents?
I wouldn't say that, you know. I think while I might not agree with all the council members all the time I think that most of the time they're just trying to put their best version of Saratoga forward. And while it might not agree with, you know, how I look at it, I think that what we have to do is just understand where everyone's coming from. And I said this the other day, Minita’s son, you know, Commissioner Sanghvi’s son goes to school with my kids. It doesn't benefit either of us to let that spill out into the community. One of the things I think that the planning board did well was you bring something to the table, it gets batted around the table, and then when it's in the form that it leaves or is approved, it's typically not the form that it came in at. And I just think that that's listening to the voices, you know, again, pulling the pieces apart, putting them back together.
The future of this office has been in question since Jason left in August – a number of lawsuits to get an election to move forward, and disagreements every which way you can possibly imagine. How hopeful are you that, you know, now that you are in office through the end of this year, completing those uncertainties that would be able to put that sort of more tension-filled chapter of city leadership in the past?
Yeah, I am, you know, I’ve got to think about this one for a little bit, but I do think that, like I was speaking to a staff member the other day, and, you know, they raised a concern about an administrative function that the department's responsible for, and it's, you know, it's clear within the code we're responsible for it. And I asked them, I said, you know, why are you escalating this function, which seems very day to day to me, like just again, trying to learn why or how people do their jobs. And they indicated that, because the three, you know, she's on her fourth commissioner in two years, and that other commissioners literally wanted to see, you know, every piece of paper that came in or out of the office. I'm not that guy, and I think that they, you know, understand and do their jobs very well. So to me, the consistency for the end of the year is step one. But really it's the consistency for the next, you know, two years plus. Like, it's, it's, you know, we're already gathering petitions for November. You know, I have said I'm running. I'm gonna run. So, it's consistency for the next nine months isn't, you know, what people are really targeting, what people are really looking for is longevity over time.
Republican Chuck Marshall will serve as the Public Works Commissioner for Saratoga Springs through the end of the year, creating effectively the first GOP majority on the council in a decade. He also works as the Director of Real Estate for Stewart’s Shops. Marshall is set to run for the post again in November against Democrat BK Keramati.
