Regrets projection

Dear Editor,

Since elected to serve on the Saratoga Town Council, I have strived to encourage public discourse and to promote civic engagement. I believe our best council meetings are the ones when the room is full, when citizens are vocal, when ideas are exchanged, when tough questions are asked and when rigorous debate unfolds about issues that matter to the residents of Saratoga.

For some time now, much of that conversation has been about the Town’s finances. Understandably, this has been an important topic to everyone who cares about the future of Saratoga. Ensuring that the Town’s finances are properly managed and maintained is something I have taken very seriously. While incredibly frustrating at times, I have remained dedicated to protecting our enterprise funds and to fixing the significant financial management and internal control problems that have been uncovered over recent months and in recent independent audits.

Despite that commitment, I made a regrettable decision on the morning of July 4 that has since served to divert the focus away from the important issue at hand. I allowed my frustration with our former mayor to get the best of me. I expressed my disappointment with him by projecting an inflammatory message over Bridge Avenue. This message was not appropriate, and I regret that my actions caused the public dialogue and focus to be shifted away from the real issue; the $3.7 million-dollar general fund deficit that has resulted from over a decade of financial mismanagement within Town Hall.

I therefore wish to take this opportunity to apologize for my lapse in judgement. To everyone who has stood by me and supported my ongoing efforts to resolve the Town’s financial problems, you have come to expect better from me and I let you down. Please know that I value your opinion deeply and that it is an honor to serve as your representative on the Saratoga Town Council. I was given the responsibility to speak on your behalf as your council representative, and I apologize for misusing that voice.

Given the events that took place last week, I believe we are now moving in a positive direction and I look forward to putting the conflict and negativity this council has experienced behind us. Things will get better. However, this is not over yet. We must continue to call for greater accountability and transparency in Town Hall. Public money–your money–must be managed better than it has ever been managed in the past.

Keep watching the council meetings online. Come to the meetings in person if you can. Stay engaged. Please keep asking questions. I know I will and I will try my best to keep my gloves up.

Sincerely Yours,

Jon Nelson