Anthony “Skip” Scirocco
Civic Leader, Tinkerer, Musician
Anthony “Skip” Scirocco (1948–2022) was a Saratogian through and through. He was born in 1948, a leap year. Skip grew up on Beekman Street and was a typical West Side kid. He loved Beekman Street and especially growing up in the neighborhood. He attended School Number 1, and like most of his classmates participated in neighborhood events like the Feast of St. Michael. Skip was a talented child and developed his lifelong hobbies early. At age 8 he learned to play the accordion, which blossomed into a lifelong love of playing and performing music.
As a teenager, he started to work on automobiles, which also became a lifelong passion. Skip was also an athlete, excelling in track and field as well as football. When he was 14, he was riding his bike down Beekman Street when a girl named Corinne noticed him and asked a friend who he was. Their paths kept crossing, and they married young, soon creating a life and family together.
Skip was not a big fan of school, and dropped out before graduation. He nonetheless completed his GED and started his first career, as a barber. That was short lived, and he soon took a job in campus security for Skidmore College. In 1975 he was hired by the City of Saratoga Springs as an animal control officer, a job he held until 2007. Skip was never off-duty. He picked up stray animals, helped people with aggressive dogs, and even responded to a call about a car full of snakes—he hated snakes, but he loved the community of Saratoga Springs, so he did his duty.
In 1998 Skip ventured into politics and was elected Supervisor, representing the City of Saratoga Springs on the County Board of Supervisors. He held seats on or chaired all kinds of committees, and was responsible for the establishment of the county Animal Shelter. Skip was elected Commissioner of Public Works in 2008. Probably his favorite part of the job was caring for the Canfield Casino and Congress Park.
In his tenure Skip oversaw the restoration of many historic features in the Park and Casino. He was involved with the stabilization of the foundation and new basement of the casino. He oversaw replacement of the aging roof, restoration of the dining room and plaster, the repair of the west wall after it partially collapsed, and emergency repairs of the chandeliers in the parlor that could have fallen at any moment. In Congress Park, Skip worked with the State Historic Preservation Office and Preservation Foundation on restoration and rehabilitation projects. He supervised the replacement of the brick sidewalk and front stairs of the Casino, and restorations of the Morrissey fountain after it was twice vandalized. He also had replicas of the dog statues from the front stairs made from the original artifacts kept within the museum. Skip worked with the Preservation Foundation to restore the Spirit of Life fountain and Katrina Trask staircase, and also restored the 77th NYV monument after it was vandalized in 2020.
Skip Scirocco loved the City of Saratoga Springs. He enjoyed the city’s history, its heritage, and the people—longtime Saratogians and new residents alike—who call it home. He believed in doing good things. Because of his contributions to preserving the history of this city, we honored Skip Scirocco as the 28th member of the Saratoga Springs History Hall of Fame.