August 5, 2020
We have so many local governments in NYS. If you live in a town in Saratoga County you have a Town Council with a Supervisor. That supervisor also represents your Town as a member of the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors. And then you have a school district with a school board. And most likely you have a fire district, water district, sewer district and maybe even a park district. And every one of those districts has a board that meets periodically. Cities and villages have a more unified government, but they do have at least a council with a Mayor and a separate school district. And all those governments could benefit from watching! But it is sure hard for one person to watch all those local governments. That’s why the League encourages you to become an observer of ONE of your local governments.
Right now, in the time of COVID-19, it is easy to become an observer. That’s because many of these governments are making it possible for the public to attend meetings remotely. The Saratoga County Board of Supervisors has arranged a phone line for the public to listen in on their meetings. This month it is 1-978-990-5145 and the access code is 1840389. So you can be doing the dishes or knitting and know what is happening. The City of Saratoga Springs has for years broadcast City Council meetings live. Use their website http://www.saratoga-springs.org/ to access the meetings. Or https://townofwilton.com/government/town-board/town-board-meeting-videos/. Or your own Town’s Council or your School District. Just by being “present” you improve the quality of your government.
Linda Gush coordinates our Observers, so contact her for more information on being an observer at president@lwvsaratoga.org and also let her know what government you will be observing.
by Barb Thomas, Steering Committee of the League of Women Voters of Saratoga County