Saratoga Springs council appoints member to Civilian Review Board after debate over leadership and training

The Saratoga Springs City Council voted 5-0 to appoint Justin Garfolo to the city's Civilian Review Board during the council meeting. Commissioner Tim Cole moved the appointment; a second was given and the motion passed unanimously.

The appointment followed public comment from Kristen Dart, who identified herself as "Kristen Dart, City of Saratoga," and urged the mayor to reappoint her as chair of the Civilian Review Board (CRB). Dart told the council, "You in multiple meetings committed to reappointing me as chair of the CRB," and urged officials not to let "politics keep you from being a man of your word." She said she had missed a single email and one meeting that led to a delay, and said the board could not proceed because required mediation training had not been provided since the CRB was established in 2023.

Commissioner Tim Cole, who moved Garfolo's appointment, said the CRB's administration falls under the mayor's office and cited the city code: "If there's any questions about that, please refer to chapter 37 of the code, section 37 dash 5." Cole said the mayor's office had announced an opening for a CRB position on Nov. 6, 2024, and that Justin Garfolo's application was posted on the city website on Jan. 21, 2025. Cole described steps taken to identify candidates, including an interview with Garfolo on Dec. 31, 2024, and contact with the school resource officer who recommended Garfolo.

Cole also addressed criticisms reported in media coverage that some council members had opposed or delayed the CRB, saying he had been proactive in preparing the board for operation and had sought examples of procedures from Schenectady's CRB. He said the department of public safety is not the CRB administrator and that the board's ability to act has been limited by the absence of mediation training.

Council members then voted on the motion to appoint Garfolo. The vote passed unanimously; council members recorded in the meeting as voting in favor were Mayor John F. Safford, Commissioner Sanghvi, Commissioner Dylan Moran, Commissioner Kohl and Commissioner Kosinski.

The council did not adopt any new CRB procedures or finalize a training schedule at the meeting. Council discussion and public comments identified outstanding items for the board to become operational: completion of the mediation/mitigation training required for CRB members and clarity about which office will administer that training and any related requests for proposals. Kristen Dart told the council the mayor's office had "sat on a response to a request for proposal for mediation training," a point she said prevented the CRB from taking up complaints after its 2023 establishment.

Justin Garfolo was described during debate as 21 years old and a caretaker for a North Side Saratoga property; Cole said Garfolo "is a person of strong character and he's responsible and he can maintain confidences which will be really important on the CRB." The council provided no timetable at the meeting for required mediation training or for when the CRB would resume full operations.

Background: the Civilian Review Board was established in 2023 to provide civilian oversight of the city's public safety operations; council members and public commenters discussed outstanding procedural steps, including required mediation training for board members and administrative responsibilities in the mayor's office.

The council's action Tuesday was limited to the single appointment; no enforcement actions, complaint adjudications, or procedural rules were adopted during the meeting.