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David Buchen urges council to drop proposed ERA resolution, says it risks using taxpayer dollars
Summary
At a Saratoga Springs City Council meeting, David Buchen, chairman of the Saratoga County Conservative Party, asked the council not to adopt a resolution supporting Proposition 1 (ERA), calling it a partisan campaign effort and warning that using official positions or taxpayer funds to influence a ballot issue is illegal.
David Buchen, chairman of the Saratoga County Conservative Party, used the public-comment period at the Saratoga Springs City Council meeting to urge council members not to adopt a proposed resolution in support of Proposition 1, the Equal Rights Amendment ballot question.
"You can't campaign for a ballot issue using government money or taxpayer money," Buchen said, arguing the resolution is a partisan extension of local party activity and pointing to Schenectady as a recent comparable case where officials pulled a similar item from an agenda.
A staff member noted the ERA resolution was not on the council agenda for that meeting. Commissioner Moran pushed back on the characterization that the issue is strictly political, saying equal rights are a human-rights matter and defending the council's interest in the topic. No formal action or vote on the resolution occurred during the meeting.
Why it matters: Council resolutions declaring a position on statewide ballot measures can prompt legal and ethical questions about the use of government platforms for campaign purposes. The exchange highlighted partisan disagreement and a procedural point — that the specific resolution Buchen criticized was not formally on the session's agenda.
What’s next: The resolution was discussed only in public comment and through informal remarks; the council did not vote on the matter during the session.
