Saratoga Springs, NY — Following an update on the city's finances, displaying a potential $5.1 million budget deficit, the Saratoga City Council approved a hiring freeze on Tuesday night.

Finance Commissioner JoAnne Kiernan, who started her term in January 2026, showed the Council a powerpoint presentation detailing the City's financial situation.

Kiernan tied the deficit in part to increasing overtime costs, health insurance, retirement and liability insurance.

"Our employees and their benefits are 83% of our budget, so any employee-related thing is very expensive," Kiernan told CBS6 on Wednesday. "Everyone is seeing increased utility costs, increased material costs. It's just everything we're in an inflationary period, everything's more expensive."

She says the hiring freeze is an "interim solution", giving them time to look deeper into the budget itself. They will now form a recovery leadership team, review vacant positions, identify critical positions and review purchasing, all while developing a revised 2026 budget.

0:00 – Intro & Fiscal Snapshot
Setup of the interview and basic outline of the deficit.

1:30 – Deficit Numbers & Unsound Budget
How the gap grew and why 2025’s budget was a problem.

3:00 – Message to Taxpayers
Why residents need to understand the situation.

4:45 – Public Safety Costs & Overtime
Fire/police staffing, overtime, and SAFER grant impact.

8:50 – Structural Budget Issues
One-year budgeting and missing long-term projections.

10:45 – Hiring Freeze & Immediate Controls
Fire hiring freeze and early cost-containment steps.

14:10 – Revenue & Belmont
Sales, occupancy, parking, cannabis, and Belmont’s net effect.

20:40 – Fund Balance Risks
Drawdown of reserves and charter minimum concerns.

23:10 – Looking Ahead
Vacancy review, contract talks, efficiencies, and audits.

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Albany Mayor Dr. Dorcey Applyrs joins Power & Politics to provide an update regarding the city's finances. She discusses the recent historic State Aid for the City, totaling $44.4 million, which is intended to help mitigate the city's budget deficit now, and in the future. She also discusses the measures they're taking to help provide long term stability for the City's finances, and how they're approaching potential hurdles like Tier 6, the Rapp Road landfill closure, and more.

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Sticker Mule CEO Anthony Constantino and Assemblymember Robert Smullen, candidates in the Republican primary for New York's 21st Congressional District, took the CBS6 debate stage on Thursday evening.

They debated and discussed issues like the North Country, farmers, health care, immigration, President Trump, GOP endorsements and more.

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Bob Ward, former Deputy New York State Comptroller and an Albany resident, joined Power & Politics this week.

Ward served as Deputy New York State Comptroller from 2012-2021, and prior to that was with Rockefeller Institute of Government. He also wrote a comprehensive look at State government workings in his book: New York State Government.

More recently, Ward has been analyzing the City of Albany's budget deficit, writing articles on Substack breaking down everything from the impact of State Aid to the city's debt to sales tax receipts.

Intro and Albany’s Fiscal Crisis
0:00:00 – 0:03:46
Who Bob Ward is, and how Albany’s $19 million deficit and fiscal crisis came into focus.

How Albany Ended Up in the Red
0:03:46 – 0:08:59
Revenue shortfalls, rising debt, borrowing to cover gaps, labor costs, and a heavily tax‑exempt property base.

State Aid, Grants, and Development Slowdown
0:08:59 – 0:16:35
Uncertain state aid, grant management challenges, reduced development, and lost PILOT revenue.

Landfill, Long‑Term Costs, and Debt
0:16:35 – 0:18:50
Rapp Road landfill closure obligations, bonding for environmental costs, and pension deferrals.

Services, Taxes, and Public Accountability
0:18:50 – 0:23:21
Impact on services and taxes, how city leaders are responding, the push for transparency, and how residents can engage.

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Meghan Keegan is the Chair of the City of Albany Common Council Finance, Taxation & Assessment Committee, provides an update on the City of Albany's finances. She discusses the movement towards bringing in the State Comptroller to review the City's finances, the impact State aid could have on the present, and future of the city's fiscal health, along with long-term concerns, and remedies to bring the City's budget back into balance.

[00:00] Intro & Albany’s Budget Crisis

[01:25] Where the Budget Stands Now
Q4 reports, 2025 closeout, early 2026 savings and unanswered questions.

[03:02] Comptroller, Trust, and Impact on Residents
Why Keegan wants the state comptroller, council split, tax and affordability concerns.

[07:10] State Aid, Essential Services, and Tax‑Exempt Land
19‑a and capital city funds, what “essential” means, 62% tax‑exempt land, regional hub costs.

[17:30] Housing, 81 Questions, and Data Problems
Housing crunch, Keegan’s budget questions, mis‑stated revenue lines, need for better data.

[24:04] Oversight Reforms and Debt Limits
Council’s limited power under the charter, Local Law I of 2026, why borrowing can’t fix a structural deficit.

[31:17] New Administration, Comptroller Review, and Next Steps
Framing the comptroller as a trust‑builder, collaboration with the mayor, aligning spending with real revenue.

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Former United States Department of the Interior Inspector General Mark Greenblatt speaks with Tom Eschen about the State of Minnesota moving forward with adding a Statewide Inspector General, and how that impacts the rest of the country when it comes to taxpayer money, especially regarding Medicaid. He also discusses the recent letter from the Department of Health and Human Services to States to prosecute Medicaid fraud. He discusses the DOJ's audit of the release of the Epstein files as well.

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In the midst of her 3rd annual "AI Week", NYS Senator Kristen Gonzalez (D-Queens) joined Power & Politics. 

Gonzalez discussed her legislation targeting chatbots and data centers, along with the current dynamic between the federal government and state government when it comes to regulating artificial intelligence. 

The second half of the podcast features John Thickstun, Assistant Professor at Cornell University. He discusses the fears surrounding AI, where the U.S. stacks up in the world when it comes to this technology, data centers, and who should craft policy in this industry.

00:00–00:52
Opening: AI Week at the NY Capitol

00:52–05:37
Guardrails for Chatbots

05:37–09:29
AI Literacy, Surveillance Concerns & Corporate Responsibility

09:29–13:51
Hyper-Scale Data Centers, Climate Law & Energy Grid Stress

13:51–18:12
Worker Protection, Federal Overreach & New York’s AI Agenda

18:12–19:38
Transition: From Statehouse to Lab – Introducing Cornell’s Perspective

19:38–27:06
John Thickstun on AI’s Evolution, Economic Shocks & Historical Parallels

27:06–35:08
Regulation, Copyright, US–China Competition & Energy for AI

35:08–39:30
Data Center Debates, AI Efficiency & How People Should Prepare

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Lara Blume McGee and Jordan Merson discuss their trip to the New York State Capital, advocating for legislation to hold offenders accountable, and eliminate the statute of limitations.

00:00:00–00:01:40 – Testimony at the Capitol
00:01:40–00:03:25 – Breaking Silence After 20 Years
00:03:25–00:05:20 – Statutes of Limitations vs. Justice
00:05:20–00:07:10 – Federal Inaction and Holding on to Hope
00:07:10–00:08:40 – Grooming in the Modeling Industry
00:08:40–00:10:15 – From Constant Fear to Empowerment
00:10:15–00:12:10 – The Adult Survivors Act and What’s Still Missing
00:12:10–00:14:19 – Epstein Files, Accountability, and Men Speaking Up

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NYS Senator Jeremy Cooney discusses his legislation aimed at creating more State regulation around prediction markets, while NYS Assemblymember Phil Palmesano talks about the late State budget, and his remarks on the floor.

[0:00:00] NYS Senator Jeremy Cooney

[0:00:52] What Are Prediction Markets? – Popularity, NYC mayoral race, consumer risk

[0:02:52] Cooney’s Proposal – DFS oversight, licensing, comparison to other financial products

[0:04:12] Sports Betting Angle – Role of Gaming Commission, federal-state turf issues

[0:07:49] Ethics and State Worker Ban – Hochul’s order, insider info, need for consistent rules

[0:12:24] Asm Phil Palmesano and the late NYS Budget

[0:12:39] Palmesano on Energy Bills – Disconnect with voters, push for direct ratepayer relief

[0:15:51] Climate Law and Costs – Natural gas vs renewables, NYSERDA memo, cost impacts

[0:19:01] Transparency and Power Balance – One-party control, governor vs legislature, delays

[0:21:30] Utility Deferment Bill – Asm. Hooks’ proposal, optics of benefiting lawmakers

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