It has been a great honor serving you as your Supervisor, and I wish all residents of our great City a Happy New Year.  I am proud to have made several accomplishments in 2010, and I am looking forward to a new and more involved role at the County for 2011. 

In 2010 the Trails Committee planned, constructed, and opened over six miles of new trails on County forest lands.  I was appointed the chairman of a Public Safety subcommittee that brought a new Reverse 911 alert system to Saratoga County.   The Saratoga Gaming and Raceway Foundation continued its grant program, assisting local not-for-profit organizations that help others improve their lives.  The Racing committee kept up the fight to preserve the status of Horse Racing in Saratoga County, urging the State to act with urgency on the issues of new VLTs at Aqueduct, and to push for an improved solution to the failed OTB model.

For 2011, I have been appointed to several new committees, and remain on others.  I have been appointed as the newest member of the County’s Law & Finance Committee.  This committee is involved with all aspects of County government, including budget, auditing, accounting, law, and personnel matters.  It is an honor for any Supervisor to be appointed to this committee, and it is also important that Saratoga Springs again has a voice on this most powerful of County committees.

I have been appointed to chair the County’s Legislative & Research committee.  This committee’s task is to represent Saratoga County’s interests in government matters.  The primary focus will be on NY State government and making sure the new Governor and Legislature are aware of our needs as a City and County.

The County has created the first Technology Committee, and I am honored to have been selected as the first Chairman of the committee.  The County has identified areas where the technology is not up to date, and this creates inefficiencies and costs within our government.  The committee will be charged with finding solutions to these issues, and upgrading the County’s technology infrastructure.  The goal is to better serve the general public in all their interactions with County government.

Lastly, I will remain as a member of the Racing, Trails, and Public Safety committees.  As the former chairman of the Racing and Trails committees, I will continue to lend my expertise in these issues.  In continuing in my role in the Public Safety committee, I will always keep in mind how the City of Saratoga Springs fits in with the County on this issue.

Looking ahead, I want to thank Chairman Tom Wood from the town of Saratoga for appointing me to these committees, and also my fellow Supervisors for having faith in me to lead on these important issues.  I will continue to work hard to represent all Saratogians as your Supervisor, and will continue to be responsive to your needs, and to be effective as your representative to the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors.