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Public commenter alleges Commissioner Dylan Moran hired Manhattan attorney, questions council payment of legal bills
Summary
At a Saratoga City Commission meeting a public commenter accused Commissioner Dylan Moran of hiring a Manhattan lawyer at $1,250 an hour and generating more than $60,000 in legal charges in under eight weeks, and urged Commissioner Sangby to explain authorizing payment of those bills.
A public commenter used the commission's public-comment period to accuse Commissioner Dylan Moran of hiring a Manhattan attorney at $1,250 per hour and of creating more than $60,000 in legal bills in less than eight weeks, saying the city is now being asked to cover what the speaker described as excessive charges.
The commenter said Commissioner Sangby had authorized a resolution to pay the bills and called on Sangby to explain how she determined the fees were reasonable. "Commissioner Sangby needs to have the integrity to share this information with the public," the commenter said.
The speaker contrasted Moran's actions with that of two other attorneys, Meg Kelly and Robin Dalton, saying Kelly and Dalton had informed the city of anticipated rates in advance. The commenter also raised a procedural point about subpoenas, saying the resolution references subpoenas and asserting that only one subpoena for records exists; the commenter asked the commission to clarify whether additional subpoenas had been issued.
No one on the dais provided an immediate substantive response to the allegations during the public-comment segment. Mayor Safford and other officials asked the speaker for a name and reminded commenters to direct remarks to the council rather than to individuals.
The claims were presented as allegations by a member of the public and were not tested or explained further on the record at the meeting. The commission did not take a formal vote on any related resolution during the portion of the meeting covered in the transcript.
What happens next: Commissioners noted an executive session would be held later to discuss litigation and related matters; the transcript records that an executive session was planned under Section 105(d) of the Public Officers Law for discussion of pending or current litigation but does not record further action on the specific billing allegations.
