Make City Hall Transparent, Accessible, and Accountable
Why This Matters
City Hall should not feel distant, confusing, or locked behind insiders and jargon. When budgets are unclear and decisions happen out of public view, trust erodes—and waste thrives.
Transparency isn’t a buzzword.
It’s how residents know their tax dollars are being respected.
It’s how accountability replaces excuses.
Schenectady deserves a City Hall that works for residents—not insiders.
The Policy: Open City Hall From the Ground Up
This policy commits the city to clear budgets, public reporting, and real access to decision-making—so residents can see, understand, and influence how their city is run.
Clear, Understandable Budgets
Budgets should not require a finance degree to read.
We will:
Publish plain-language budget summaries
Clearly show where money comes from and where it goes
Break down spending by department, contract, and authority
Highlight year-to-year changes and explain why they happened
If residents pay for it, they should be able to understand it.
Real Public Reporting
Transparency doesn’t stop once a budget is passed.
We will require:
Regular public spending reports
Clear tracking of contracts, consultants, and vendors
Performance reporting tied to actual outcomes—not promises
Public explanations when projects go over budget or miss deadlines
Sunlight is the best tool for accountability.
A City Hall That Is Actually Accessible
City Hall should be built around the lives of working people—not the schedules of insiders.
We will:
Expand hours and access for residents who work during the day
Make public meetings easier to attend, watch, and participate in
Ensure public comment is meaningful—not performative
Treat residents as partners, not interruptions
Access is not a courtesy. It’s a right.
Ending Insider-First Governance
Too often, decisions are shaped by who has access, not who is affected.
This policy:
Reduces backroom decision-making
Limits insider-only influence over budgets and contracts
Centers community impact over political convenience
Government should answer to the public—not the other way around.
The Result
Greater trust in local government
Less waste and fewer hidden deals
Faster identification of problems before they become scandals
A City Hall that reflects the people it serves
Bottom Line
Transparency is how we rebuild faith in government.
Accessibility is how we rebuild participation.
Accountability is how we rebuild results.
This policy makes City Hall open, understandable, and answerable—so Schenectady can move forward together, not in the dark.