Sustainable Saratoga is a not-for-profit organization that promotes sustainable practices and the protection of natural resources through education, advocacy and action, for the benefit of current and future generations in the Saratoga Springs area. The November 2, 2021 election offers an opportunity to raise and discuss pressing issues relating to sustainability in this region.

This year, we expanded beyond our typical Saratoga Springs candidate questionnaire and created a more general sustainability questionnaire for all of the candidates running for Saratoga County supervisor. Our goal is to elevate the conversation about sustainability issues at the county level and give our supporters throughout the county the opportunity to learn what their candidates think about these important issues.

We sent questionnaires to candidates in: Ballston, Charlton, Clifton Park, Corinth, Day, Galway, Greenfield, Hadley, Halfmoon, Malta, Milton, Moreau, Northumberland, Providence, Saratoga, Saratoga Springs, Stillwater, Waterford, and Wilton. We were unable to reach Benny Zlotnick Jr. (Milton), Bruce Altimar (Saratoga Springs), and Gabriel O’Brien (Saratoga Springs) by email.

We sent each candidate the same questions. Below you will find the responses of the candidates who submitted a response, verbatim and without any comments. Click on the name to see the responses for that candidate. There is a link to a pdf version of each candidate’s responses at the bottom of this page.

It is important to stress that as a 501(c)(3), Sustainable Saratoga does not, and will not, endorse any particular candidate for an elected office.

City of Saratoga Springs

1. GENERAL SUSTAINABILITY

1A. What does sustainability mean to you in the context of county governance?

1B. What are your top 2 sustainability-related priorities for Saratoga County, and what concrete actions will you take to address them?

As a county official I see my response to Climate Change and sustainability in three ways and in this order 1. Economics  2. Response  3. Prevention.  Economics – As we have learned from the Covid crises, lack of necessary income stops everything from progressing and the economics of the city over the past year and a half has taken a toll on the best of our intentions. If we are to successfully address Climate Change, we need to maintain economic viability. Response – Emergency services and preparedness for disasters are a primary responsibility of county governance. As a result of Climate Change we are seeing an increase in the need for county level funding and training to provide the highest level of security we can for our citizens. Third, we should all be willing to participate in any way we can to reduce actions that impact Climate Change and supporting educational organizations such as Sustainable Saratoga are key to that initiative. 

2. DEVELOPMENT: Saratoga County is growing rapidly. This creates both opportunities and challenges for incorporating sustainability and environmental protections into the planning process.

2A. Given the intense and persistent development pressure in the county, what should be the county’s role in protecting our water resources, including our wetlands, streams and lakes?

2B. Should the county do more to facilitate intermunicipal cooperation and coordination when it comes to development standards?

The following quote is from the County Planning Board outlining it’s vision: I support this vision as it aligns itself with the goals of each individual community. This being said, I would be willing to make sure that the environmental goals of Sustainable were well represented at appropriate committee meetings.

“The primary duty of the Saratoga County Planning Department is assisting the county’s 19 towns, 2 cities, and 9 villages in the administration of their land-use ordinances as effectively as possible.  The Planning Department and Planning Board always strive to strike a balance between the interests of the public and the rights of private property owners.  One of its primary roles is to provide technical assistance in the area of planning and zoning to local legislative boards, planning and zoning boards of appeals and building inspectors, attorneys and planners involved in the land development process.”

3. CLIMATE CRISIS

3A. What role do you think the county government should play in preparing for and addressing the effects of climate change, including extreme temperatures and precipitation events?

3B. Given the urgency of the climate crisis, what policies and programs will you support to curb greenhouse gas emissions?

3C. Many other counties across the state have received state and federal funding for climate initiatives. Do you think Saratoga County should be applying to these state and federal funding sources to address climate change? Why or why not?

I would do whatever I could in the role of Supervisor to appropriate state and federal funding for climate initiatives. I have watched and will continue to support Supervisor Veitch’s initiative for trails throughout the county and am aware of movements for the county to participate in the provision of EV charging stations in areas of the county. 

4. SUSTAINABLE SARATOGA’S ROLE

4A. Would you be willing to work with local organizations like Sustainable Saratoga to help the county achieve greater sustainability and environmental protections?

Yes, I would.  I like many of Sustainable’s initiatives and programs, in particular the tree program and the recycling program.  

1. GENERAL SUSTAINABILITY

1A. What does sustainability mean to you in the context of county governance?

I believe the County needs to look at many aspects of its operation through the lens of sustainability.  Reducing our reliance on non-renewable energies and looking to develop ways for the County to be proactively sustainable are goals that we should be seeking with County governance.  Our operation can be wasteful with an over-reliance on fossil fuel vehicles, not having the ability to transact business electronically, and having outdated facilities and fixtures that do not conserve energy that are prevalent at the County.  My job is to look at these issues and develop solutions that will make us operate more efficiently, and therefore more sustainably.

1B. What are your top 2 sustainability-related priorities for Saratoga County, and what concrete actions will you take to address them?

I believe making our non-emergency vehicle fleet more sustainable through the purchase of hybrid, electric, and natural gas vehicles is something we should begin doing as we move through replacing our various vehicles.  I also believe the County should establish some EV charging stations at some of their parking lots.  Transitioning our lighting, both interior and exterior to LED lighting is another thing we should be doing at our facilities.  Additionally looking at Power generation through a solar farm on County property should be considered.

2. DEVELOPMENT: Saratoga County is growing rapidly. This creates both opportunities and challenges for incorporating sustainability and environmental protections into the planning process.

2A. Given the intense and persistent development pressure in the county, what should be the county’s role in protecting our water resources, including our wetlands, streams and lakes?

The County’s Soil and Water Conservation district is a great resource when it comes to managing our water resources, erosion control, flood prevention, water conservation and use, wetlands, ground water, water quality and quantity, water pollution, forestland protection, wildlife, recreation, wastewater management and community development.  Working with the County Board of Supervisors, and the County Planning department, the Soil and Water Conservation District can play a leading role when it comes to addressing these issues at the County level.

2B. Should the county do more to facilitate intermunicipal cooperation and coordination when it comes to development standards?

The County should do more to work on facilitating intermunicipal cooperation and coordination when it comes to development.  This is a difficult goal to achieve since each Town, City, and Village can create its own development plan and standards.  The County Planning Board in its advisory role can recommend more cooperation, but cannot mandate it, so I believe we will continue to have more differences in development character among different towns for at least the near-term future.

3. CLIMATE CRISIS

3A. What role do you think the county government should play in preparing for and addressing the effects of climate change, including extreme temperatures and precipitation events?

The County will need to be more prepared for extreme weather events buy bolstering our emergency response, and emergency planning.  Better alert systems for residents and having the infrastructure to account for those residents who are most susceptible to the effects of these events are needed.   The ability to react swiftly in a crisis will be necessary as more and more of these events impact our County.  This will involve some investment of resources up-front, but will save us in the long term of having to spend even more reacting to an event.

3B. Given the urgency of the climate crisis, what policies and programs will you support to curb greenhouse gas emissions?

Other than reducing the County’s carbon footprint, I think we should look at reducing our reliance on fossil fuel vehicles.  Developing more bike paths and trails for transportation are important as then people will be less reliant on cars to get around and will make an impact on reducing emissions from vehicles.

3C. Many other counties across the state have received state and federal funding for climate initiatives. Do you think Saratoga County should be applying to these state and federal funding sources to address climate change? Why or why not?

Saratoga County should apply for State and Federal funding for climate initiatives when appropriate.  However, I do believe that the County needs to come up with a plan to develop those initiatives before applying for grant funding.  It is better to have a roadmap for which initiatives are going to be done rather than to apply for grants piecemeal and have a disjointed or inconsistent set of climate initiatives.

4. SUSTAINABLE SARATOGA’S ROLE

4A. Would you be willing to work with local organizations like Sustainable Saratoga to help the county achieve greater sustainability and environmental protections?

I believe that Sustainable Saratoga has done great work as an organization, advocating for our City to become more sustainable in all aspects of its operation.  The group has spoken in support of several of the various initiatives that either me or Council members have proposed, and that support is appreciated.  I do think that Sustainable Saratoga, through speaking out at City meetings (and also County meetings, if appropriate) does help to shape policy and steer the conversation among our Citizens, so I do believe that Sustainable Saratoga can play a role in achieving our shared goals.  I am happy to work with Sustainable Saratoga in bringing forth any of their issues to the County Board of Supervisors for consideration.

Town of Saratoga

Paul Murphy sent the following statement in lieu of a response to the individual questions in the questionnaire:

Our Environment

Climate Change, also known as Global Warming, is an existential threat to all of our citizens in the Town of Saratoga. We will champion all efforts to focus on Sustainable development and business practices in our Town .

We will ensure that the Town Comprehensive Plan requires Town building and zoning regulations to reflect the threats posed by climate change and drive practices that protect all residents and properties from increased climate driven threats to our welfare.

We resolve to ensure robust zoning regulations are in place to protect the integrity and the health of Saratoga Lake and the Hudson River as well as smaller streams and tributaries.

When elected, we will reverse the Town Board resolution that denied the Saratoga Lake Protection and Improvement District the authority to regulate and protect Saratoga Lake across all four shoreline municipalities, (Saratoga Springs, Saratoga, Stillwater, and Malta). All three of our neighboring municipalities voted for this authority…our town passed a resolution “adamantly” opposing such authority.

We are committed to protect our beautiful Open Spaces, Woodland Forests, and Wetlands from development and to ensuring our natural lands are healthy and sustain Nature and Wildlife.

We resolve to ban the use of pesticides and herbicides including glysophate, neonicotinoids and other noxious poisons on all municipal owned properties.

We resolve to revise municipal mowing practices on all rural Town roads to protect pollinator roadside habitat during the Spring, Summer, and Fall seasons.

We resolve to create pollinator habitat on all municipal properties. We will create Town-wide citizen incentives to create incremental pollinator habitat zones on their respective properties.

We will join The National Wildlife Federation’s “Supervisor Pledge” to create pollinator protection zones, revise mowing practices, and build educational collateral to share critical information to sustain all wildlife.

We applaud the Village Of Schuylerville’s adoption of the New York State Climate Smart Communities Pledge that we will work to implement in the Town of Saratoga. See climatesmart.ny.gov

Click the names below to view the candidates answers as a downloadable pdf.