Saratoga Springs Supervisor Matthew Veitch kicked off his reelection campaign alongside family, friends and supporters at the Canfield Casino in Congress Park on Friday, April 29.
It’s been an honor and great opportunity to serve the people of Saratoga Springs as their Supervisor, said Veitch. `I am fully committed, if given the opportunity, to continue effectively representing our city for the next two years.`
Veitch is seeking a third term as supervisor, having been elected in 2007.
Veitch touted his involvement in creating a trails program throughout Saratoga County as chairman of the Trails Committee as one of his largest accomplishments. That project planned and constructed more than 7 miles of new trails.
Veitch was also chairman of the Racing Committee and chairman of the Legislative and Research Committee where he solicited support from neighboring towns to lobby the state to return VLT aid to Saratoga Springs and the county, which was partially restored in the state budget.
Another accomplishment Veitch said he’s proud of is his assistance with implementing a reverse 911 system as chair of a subcommittee within the Public Safety Committee.
`Instead of you calling 911, 911 will call you to tell you there’s an issue,` said Veitch.
The system was used to notify residents of emergencies or issues they should be aware of. Initially the system only contacted residents via landline phones, but Veitch said a new vendor has been secured which expands to email and cell phone notification.
`The subcommittee found a vendor at almost the same cost that added those other functionalities to the reverse 911 system,` said Veitch. `Less and less people have home phones.`
So far, the added options have been a success, with around 5,000 residents registering their cell phones or emails within the first month of it being offered and he said it’s been used with much of the recent flooding in the area.
`It’s a good success and good that we could do something for people of the county,` said Veitch.
If reelected, Veitch said he would continue to improve relationships with and work alongside towns in the county.
`I’m looking to make sure that our relationship with the county is good and we can get whatever benefits the city deserves from the county going forward,` said Veitch. `Staying in touch with other supervisors and working with them as well as making sure that they realize the city’s needs at the county level being a team and working together helps the success of the county, which helps the city, and the other way around.`
Maintaining good communication can be achieved by updating the technology at the county level, something Veitch has been heavily involved in already.
`I think the Technology Committee is where [communication] comes into play for me and that’s more of a full-on county thing, making it more efficient which saves money,` said Veitch. `We need better efficiency at the county to work better for the people, which is why we do what we do as elected officials.`
Veitch said dedication is what voters should see when they look at his name on the ballot.
`Being a good team player helps and making sure I serve residents as best as possible,` said Veitch. `It comes down to public service and doing the best job for the people of Saratoga Springs.`
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