Heidi Owen West, a local business woman in Saratoga Springs, announced her candidacy for mayor in March of 2020. West, a native Saratogian, has been a business owner downtown for three decades and currently owns three boutique stores on Broadway: Lifestyles, Caroline & Main, and Union Hall Supply. She is running under the endorsement of the Saratoga County Republican Committee, but is personally an Independent.
In her interview with The Skidmore News, West emphasized her role and skills as a local business woman, which she believes will make her an effective city leader.
What motivates you to run for the position of Saratoga mayor? What do you think qualifies you to step into this city role?
Throughout the interview, West emphasized her background as a local business woman; “as a business owner, you can imagine I’ve worked with city hall for many, many years,” she commented. Even more, West explained how she felt that the decision making process of Saratoga’s city hall, especially during the COVID pandemic, has excluded small business voices. With her background, West believes she can change city hall’s environment for the better, as she “really [has] skin in the game” and wants to bring the voices of small business owners “to the forefront.”
From her 30 years of living day-to-day in the private sector, West explained her gained leadership experience and transferable team management skills. For example, she cited her knowledge of how to create great teams, surround herself with the best people, meet payroll, budget and collaborate with her teams to work around challenges. She trusts that these expertises will allow her to effectively uphold the position of Saratoga’s mayor, and function alongside the other commissioners in the city government.
Can you give a general description of your platform for students who may not be familiar with city politics?
Despite not being a registered Republican, West chose to be endorsed by the Republican Party. West stated, “I don’t fit neatly into a political party, and it’s hard to step away from those definitions given the national climate.” Interestingly, at the start of her candidacy, she “was also talking to the Democratic party, hoping to put politics aside, and get a cross endorsement.” However, the Democratic Party ultimately endorsed Ron Kim for mayor on Tuesday’s ballot.
Nonetheless, West noted her belief in the importance of working beyond party politics within local government. She elaborated, “in city hall, you have to be able to work across all parties.” As Saratoga Springs follows a city commision style of government, where no elected commissioner, including the mayor, has more power than another, West was adamant that parties should not cause division within city hall. She elaborated, “since no one has more power than anyone else, [it is] imperative that we work together across parties.”
Which of your intended policies do you believe will be of most interest to Skidmore students?
West outlined public safety as one of her main priorities for the city. “I really want people to be safe, and to feel safe when they come here,” she stated. West mentioned that she’s aware that “we’ve had some [safety] issues” recently in Saratoga, vaguely referring to young people getting jumped in Congress Park and fist fights happening on Caroline Street. To address this, West said that, if she were to be elected, she intends on working closely with the new Commissioner of Public Safety to ensure that the Saratoga community, including Skidmore students, feels protected when in the city.
Bolstering Saratoga’s recreational department was also of concern for West. She hopes to expand recreational access for adults in Saratoga, specifically developing the city’s arts and dance programs.
Additionally, West spoke on reshaping city hall to alleviate the challenges and costs of starting up a business in Saratoga Springs. “I’m looking to make city hall more business friendly,” she explained, “I would love Skidmore students to stay and open businesses after they graduate.” In fact, West would like to establish an incubator possibility or liaison within the city that would support early stage companies on how to successfully navigate the management of a startup. She hopes that this kind of initiative would incentivize Skidmore students to work locally after graduation.
One of the issues that we believe Skidmore students care most about is the city's treatment and policies concerning BLM activists. How would you work to repair the relationship between the SSPD, Saratoga City Council, and BLM activists?
West acknowledged the 48 police reform recommendations brought forth earlier this year by the Saratoga Springs Police Reform Task Force, and was clear in her support for the implementation of a Civilian Review Board. She expressed how imperative it is for “all stakeholders to get to the table and have the [necessary] conversations.” Having mentioned her ability to successfully direct business teams earlier in the interview, West believes that she could take the lead on implementing a Civilian Review Board to urge others to better understand everyone’s unique perspectives. Ultimately, West sees how the process of repairing city relationships starts with listening to and hearing others.
Skidmore’s new cultural and community space, The Center, was also referenced in Skidmore News’ conversation with West. She conveyed her admiration for the new space and its intention of bringing people from varying backgrounds together to collaborate towards a shared goal. West mentioned a vision of The Center as a place where Saratoga stakeholders could convene to discuss how to move city politics forward.
What do you visualize as the ideal change for Saratoga political culture? And what issues would you prioritize for the community moving forward?
West echoed a desire for nonpartisan elections within Saratoga Springs; a similar sentiment was expressed by Independent candidate for mayor, Robin Dalton, in her interview with The Skidmore News. West elaborated on her support of nonpartisan local elections by referencing Ballston Spa. In January 2021, the Village of Ballston Spa, located within Saratoga County, announced they would be holding nonpartisan elections. While West said that she is “not sure they're ready” in reference to the political climate within Saratoga Springs, she hopes her “ time in office can move people in the direction” of advocating for nonpartisan elections.
West described partisan politics within the city as “frustrating” and explained, “it’s been a challenge to define [my] own voice because I thought going into it each candidate would talk about what they have to offer.” She has found that this has not been the case, and in reality “you’re constantly being defined by an entity working against you.” West hopes that for local issues voters in Saratoga Springs can step away from the national party standpoint.
Furthermore, West wants to bring back trust in the relationships between community members and Saratoga’s city hall. “Right now, there is very little trust in our city government,” she claimed. However, West did not seem deterred from taking on this challenge. “I do believe our community is ready to heal,” she elaborated, “and I would like for Skidmore to be a part of that process.”
At the culmination of our interview, West acknowledged that she knows the typical Skidmore student would hesitate to vote for a Republican-backed candidate, but she hopes that voters can look at the type of person she is, rather than just her party endorsement. She shared, “I want people to understand who I am as a person, and how I’ve spent my lifetime creating businesses that support women and girls locally, and brands that give back in layers.” For any voters at the polling booths on Tuesday, West advises them to “not buy into a story that you’re being told.” On the contrary, she wishes to gain votes through quality of character and community experience.
Campus Polling Information sent out by Skidmore College:
The campus polling site in The Center, located on the second floor of Case Center across from the Campus Life and Engagement offices, will be open for voting on Tuesday, Nov. 2, from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Where to vote:
If you are a student living on campus, the campus polling site will be your polling place.
If you are living locally in an off-campus house or apartment, check your polling place here.
If you are living outside New York state, find your polling place here.
Read Skidmore News’ Interview with Democratic Mayoral Candidate Ron Kim.
Read Skidmore News’ Interview with Independent Mayoral Candidate Robin Dalton.