Well the first meeting of the newly constituted Saratoga Springs City Council took place tonight and newly minted Public Safety Commissioner Christian Mathiesen wasted no time in laying out his agenda for 2012.
1.He doesn’t like the bars
2.He doesn’t like Tom Roohan
As this video shows Mathiesen did exactly what he said he would do in his campaign and used his very first time at the mike to go after the cities nightlife. Well I give him credit he’s keeping his campaign promise. Capitalizing on the latest act of downtown violence {the stabbing at the Metro} Mathiesen calmly and in very measured terms laid out his plan to start the process of closing the bars early. 
Mathiesen is no Ron Kim but let this be fair warning to all the downtown bars and restaurants, Mathiesen has you in his sights. Start organizing now if you want to stay in business. You have been warned.
The other item that took me by surprise was when Mathiesen took umbrage with the Cities Real Estate Committee and the council’s five to nothing vote at the December 6 council meeting to approve their recommendation for a land swap .The matter was a routine property swap and no one raised any objection at the December meeting. Then during discussion it was revealed that Tom Roohan, local city developer was the one seeking the swap. Mathiesen then asked how you go about undoing a deal that took months to work out and that cost Mr. Roohan a considerable amount of time and money. Answer Mr. Mathiesen you don’t. A deal is a deal and the cities good name is what’s at stake. Not to mention Mr.Roohan would be completely within his rights to sue the city for breach of contract. Then when Mayor Johnson asked the council for funding to protect the city from the lawsuit that you caused, you would no doubt take umbrage with that!!
29 comments:
What was the land swap?
What road name was changed ?
A piece of property behind the Public Safety Garage that is a vehicle junk yard on Excelsior next to Starks that I am very familiar with because I lived around the corner on Warren for 20 years. If any private citizen ran it the code dept. would shut it down.
Their is a public hearing to change a street name at the next Council meeting it wasn't done
Thanks.
Isn't that the old railroad track bed ? The one Roohan built the townhouses on (High Rock)and their driveways are also the old track bed...He must have bought the bed in that two - tree block area.
Can we change Elsworth Jones Pl. back to Grove St. ???
Chris Mathieson ran on these issues. He won. I hope and expect that everyone in Saratoga is happy with his plans to shut the bars early. I think he also promised to license bar tenders. sounds like fun times in Saratoga. Certainly the voters are happy.
Going from 4am to 3am is closing early?Bartenders should be licensed as well as the bouncers and they should be subject to a crimnal record check,bars don't need to be open after 1am.
It looks like a gun fight is looming at High Noon between Texas Tom and sissy chrissy.
If Roohan cared he should have done more to support the Republicans.I have no sympathy for anyone in Saratoga who is the least bit unhappy about anything that happens from now on and that includes the Skidmore students. Voter turn out was pathetic. So now don't complain.
How do you license bartenders? Is there a test? A fee? How do they lose their license? Is there an educational requirement? Is this done through the NYS Education Dep't? Is there a statute governing this? What due process requirements are there if a bartender is in danger of having his license limited or revoked? Can your license transfer from one state to another? I am really confused, 8:47. Can you explain this for me? What if I'm working a private party? How about a wedding/ What if I'm a waiter serving wine? Or a waitress giving out mamosas at a shower brunch? Or I'm the college student driving the beer cart on the golf course? Speaking of golf courses are the NYS grounds exempt? ie SPAC, Gideon Putnam, Hall of Springs? What about the track? All those bartenders need to be licensed? Please help me 8:47!!! I'm very confused! But, hey, I didn't think the election applied to me so I "forgot" to vote...
I agree with 8:47 some off the bartenders have no people skills and serve people more than they should, they have to have some of the responsabilty,I do believe in nyc there are some requirements that bartenders have to meet,9:37 your confusion probably comes from being out after closing,you do make some good points though,this move by the city has to involve everyone in the business and to everyone who votes and especially bartenders,does that cover you?
Licensing bartenders is just a way to levy yet another fee on the working class. It will start modest and then go up every year. they lost all the real estate taxes when people stopped buying houses and lost the sales tax when people stopped buying "stuff." so now they can just license everyone. Bartenders now then waitresses, manicurists, janitors,store clerks,bank tellers etc. It's just about getting the fee so they can spend it. I think we should double or triple the dentist licensing fee.
Dentists enjoy inflicting pain.
The Dentist is only worried about Public Saftey,his Deputy is another matter just ask Kevin Veitch.
What does the deputy and Kevin Veitch have going on?
Ok I may be a carpetbagger but many of you need to be confused with the facts. There is Tips training already in place. http://www.gettips.com. It is certification for bartenders and other workers and is usually PAID for by the business owners. Secondly are ALL the bars currently open to four? I THINK NOT! I do agree with Doc M that the streets could be safer. The main roads into the city could be made safer. Streetlights and sidewalks can really make a difference, Beekman Street became respectful after adding lights and new sidewalks.
I understand that some Saratoga bars advertise party buses to bring people from Albany and Troy to Saratoga to drink. How much business do they actually do from 2-4AM in the winter?
We'll have to go back to the "day the Music died" 5/4/10 for the answer,( i Saratoga)
Thank you, 8:17 pm for clarifying this TIPS class. Is this what Mathieson proposes. Would it apply to everyone? How many bartenders in Saratoga have already been certified? Really, thanks.
One of the best ways to keep down any crime is to be sure the police are actually standing on the street. Certainly on nights where crowds are anticipated such as New Years and St Patrick Day and, of course, the entire tourist season, there should be a uniformed officer on every one to two blocks on Broadway, Plila and Caroline as well as Putnam and Maple. Nothing enhanses the safety of a city and the comfort and security of tourists than visible police officers. They must be trained (like in NYC) to be friendly and customer oriented (ie give directions if asked). They should, of course, also look out for trouble before it erupts into violence. How do you think 42nd Street went from a den of porno palaces, strip clubs and prostitution to Disneyland. It was done, in large part, by taking cops out of patrol cars and putting their feet on the sidewalk.
I do not like the party bus thing. I didn't know that. So when Chris Mathieson was talking about buses bringing in outsiders he wasn't talking about the Route 50 bus? He was talking about drink buses? I guess it's better than drunks driving but I had no idea. Must be hard to pick up someone in the bar.
7:39
If, as can be inferred from your comment, there has been illegal conduct or even an inappropriate "courtesy" between any police officer and any Deputy Commissioner it should be reported to the State Police BCI. If there is no basis to your claim, you are being very unfair.
Kevin Veitch is a police officer?
How many Veitchs' work for the City, what are their full names, what do they do, what are their salaries, where do they live, how are they related, & how did this munici/nepotistic nightmare develop?
Kevin Veitch is Skippy's 3rd deputy after Tim Cogan & Donna Buckley but the taxpayers are paying his salary as a code enforcer, his son one of Skippy's new hires for dpw.
Now you are going after the Veitch family? Don't you people ever quit? They got their positions by hard work. They had to pass civil service tests to get those jobs. Sounds like jealousy. Get a life.
Not "going after" the Veitch family. Just saying the taxpayers of Saratoga are paying Kevin Veitch to be a code enforcer, the position he earned by hard work, not "Skippy's" side kick 3 out of 5 days a week.
Code enforcement must not have a lot to do because Kevin has spent the last 4 yr. either in Skippy's office or in Skippy's car driving around or enjoying 2 hr. lunches.
mamie - let's not give them too much credit for "hard work". Isn't PBA prez Paul still trying to settle the civil charges levied against him for allegedly BEATING A HANDCUFFED MAN and calling him a terrorist in 2005? Perhaps the pacer account could be turned loose of Veitch v Naja.
Mamie I hate the way we left it and I still remember our last date
Dave:Baby, I been havin a tough night so treat me nice aight?
Mamie: Aight.
Dave: Slip out of those pants baby, yeah.
Mamie: I slip out of my pants, just for you, Davie.
Dave: Oh yeah, aight. Aight, I put on my robe and wizard hat.
Mamie: Oh, I like to play dress up.
Dave: Me too baby.
Mamie: I kiss you softly on your chest.
Dave: I cast Lvl. 3 Eroticism. You turn into a real beautiful woman.
Mamie Hey...what the fuck?
Dave: I meditate to regain my mana, before casting Lvl. 8 Cock of the Infinite.
Dave: Don't f*ck with me bitch, I'm the mightiest sorcerer of the lands.
Dave: I steal your soul and cast demons out of your vagina , then you not smell so bad
Dave: Robots are trying to drill my brain I want Japanese schoolgirl,
Mamie: Don't ever call me again you piece of shit.
Dave: baby? I think it's getting hard now.
Dave: Baby? My nostrils are flaring, I lower my head. My head, like some phallic symbol of my potent virility, You are now a ragdoll suspended in the air on my mighty dick.
Dave; Mamie,Mamie? I'm shrugging my weiner all floppy. I am feeling faint..
It is on the floor, laying there... I am looking at it, damn, my dick fell off........
Mamie: You are fucking sick.
Dave: I had sex with a turkey.
Dave: Mamie don’t look at me like that.?
Mamie:you say you have sex with turkeys. You call my vagina smelly. Doesn’t that seem strange to you?
Dave: I need you talk like a pirate. When I start to go limp... you say "HARRRR!!!"
Mamie; HARRRRRRRRRRRR
Dave:Mmmm I grab your swelling buttocks in my hands. uh oh ...going limp. You gotta do better than that!
Mamie: HARRRRRRRRRRRRR
Dave: I pry apart that battleship you call your ass. Then I tear off your wooden peg leg.
Mamie: YOURE A FUCKING PYSCHO!!
Dave: ...going limp again.
Dave: Mamie
Dave: Say it!
Dave: HAARRRRRR!!!!
Mamie: You perverted piece of shit
Dave: Mamie don’t leave,come back, I’ll pull apart your ass cheeks, burry my face in the dingle berry encrusted hair mass, and inhale deeply through my nose just don’t leave me!!!
This is incredibly great reading. You can't buy stuff like this.
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