Saratoga MPs avoid complaints about signs at polling stations | News

On Saturday, the committee’s Facebook page published a photo of the playground near the city’s DC with a caption questioning the legality of the signs.

It is not clear who placed the signs there.

Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee Chairman Otis Maxwell said no further action should be taken on the matter.

“It’s tempting, but it’s kind of like hitting a mole,” he said. “There are so many people involved, and they were going to pull it off one way or another.”

Such materials met state requirements regarding the distance to polling stations, but allegedly violated local code. Requirements for political signs vary from municipality to municipality, according to the Saratoga County Board of Elections.

“If I were a Republican, I would be a little more cautious and understand that I have to be on my best behavior and they’re not,” Maxwell said.

Saratoga Springs Republican Committee Chairman Michael Brandy says the signs were not posted on behalf of his organization.

He believes that the situation was inflated by the opposition. He shared a photo above the text of two people waving placards in support of the Democratic Equal Rights Amendment outside the Recreation Center on Monday afternoon.

“It’s done every year,” Brandy said of the signs. “If you drive by on Election Day, you’ll see Republican and Democratic banners closing the polls 100 feet away.”

Photos: Saratoga Voices in the Saratoga High auditorium

(Under state election law, political signs must be within 100 feet of a polling place. At the recreation center, the signs exceeded that limit, according to Saratoga County Democratic Elections Commissioner Cassandra Bagramian.)

Dillon Moran, the city’s budget commissioner, proceeded to remove the signs in his official capacity after what he said was a complaint filed with city police.

Brandy said such actions should have been aimed specifically at code enforcement instead of Moran, who is also the vice chair of the Saratoga County Democratic Committee.

“Is it because (Moran) wants the Democratic candidates to have some advantage because they didn’t see the (Democratic) sign coming in?” Brandi asked.

Brenda and Moran already have bad blood. Over the summer, Judge Dianna Freestone granted a court order sought by Brandi and attorney Chris Obstarczyk to freeze legal fees for the commissioner of accounts.

Brandy Moran considers the latest attacks to be an attempt to distract the public from the election.

“People can say a lot of things,” Moran said. “Mike Brandy is a terrible lawyer and he doesn’t know anything.”

Moran said both he and Public Safety Commissioner Timothy Call responded to the situation, but declined to comment on whether he specifically physically removed any of the signs.

“Dude, I’m not going to do this with you,” Moran said. “This is such a stupid conversation. The fact that we’re talking about it at all makes me angry because it’s such a distraction from what’s in front of us.”

Coll recalled in an email how he arrived at the Recreation Center on Saturday afternoon. No political signs were visible, he noted.

“It is my understanding that Commissioner Moran has removed the sign,” Coll wrote.

A sign displayed by the Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee appeared to display campaign materials for state Sen. James Tedisco and Saratoga County treasurer candidate JoAnn Kupferman.

Treasurer candidate Michele Madigan (D) briefly displayed signs outside at the Recreation Center. According to the Democrat’s Facebook comment, she took them down herself after learning from law enforcement and deciding they were in bad taste.

Allegations related to the signs have been a key point of local controversy during this election cycle. Groups like the Ballston Republican Committee and many individuals, including Moran, claimed their political signs were stolen.

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