My wife Jane Weihe and I knew Tom McTygue for more than fifty years and in spite of our differences over the years were always quite fond of him and admired and respected his many accomplishments that contributed so much to Saratoga Springs.
In the mid 1980s, Jane and Tom ran competing slates for the Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee's seats. Jane's slate prevailed.
Their campaigns were prompted by differences over a proposed development at Exit 14. Tom supported it, and Jane opposed it.
Jane and Tom went on to run together on the Democratic slate in the city elections the following year. Tom's response to the committee defeat was emblematic of the man and stands in sharp contrast to the toxic divisive world of politics on today's Council.
"Our differences were over issues and never personal ," Jane observes. "In contrast to the current Democratic Committee, there was room for our disagreements over the years. As long as I was direct with Tom about our differences, I felt there was never any acrimony."
Tom was a doer who dedicated his life to improving the city through the many projects that are the foundation of Saratoga's prosperity today. One of his crowning achievements was the restoration of the Canfield Casino. This was an enormously difficult and challenging project, but Tom loved the challenge. He immersed himself in the historical details and worked with the craftsmen who created today's gem.
This was just one of many other projects, which included everything from organizing a team of young people who used an old fire truck called "Flower Power" in the summer to move throughout the city to water and maintain the many flower beds that McTygue added to the city landscape, to the more technical problems of resolving the city's many drainage issues.
Tom did not have time for prolonged feuds because he always needed his opponents' support for the next enterprise to improve the city that he loved.
Jane and I send our deepest condolences to his wife, Sandy, and family.
Jane and I will miss him.
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