UNSAFE AT ANY SPEED

Remember when Mayor Tutunjian told us of the dangers of working in City Hall? How someone may get seriously injured?

Recently, the firm of Ryan-Biggs determined that Troy City Hall was structurally sound.*

The Democratic majority of the City Council announced Wednesday that an independent study had determined that City Hall was structurally sound, confirming the findings of City Engineer Russ Reeves, who had first noted the fact in a February structural evaluation of the building.

But is it?

From: Kelly Moscatiello [mailto:http://us.mc313.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=kellymoscatiello@msn.com]
Sent: Tuesday, April 15, 2008 6:31 PM
To: Citycouncil.
Cc: Harry.Tutunjian; Dan.Crawley
Subject: City Hall

Dear City Council,

I am requesting that immediate action be taken in regards to the deterioration of City Hall. I am not only requesting this as a Civil Service employee of the City of Troy, but as a taxpayer in this City. I think it is time that some action is taken in regards to moving the employees out of City Hall as soon as possible OR making the appropriate repairs in order to assure myself and my co workers a safe work place. I am also requsting the names, email addresses, phone numbers or physical addresses of the members of the panel that has been asked to study the current City Hall issues. I would appreciate a timely response from the Council President or his liason as soon as possible. Time is not on our side right now. Thank you for your anticipated cooperation

This e-mail is interesting for any number of reasons:

1) Is Ms. Moscatiello** acknowledging that the City Council is really in charge? Why else would a safety concern be addressed to the City Council rather than the Mayor? If City Hall poses a safety risk to anyone, the Mayor should move employees to someplace safe. Where? Not really our problem. We're not the Mayor of a city with a 'strong' mayoral form of government.

2) Ms. Moscatiello lost her job when the Democrats took control of the City Council. She was then offered and accepted a job with the Administration. This raises the question of why Ms. Moscatiello took such a dangerous job. Or, was this e-mail politically motivated?

3) What does Ms. Moscatiello know that Ryan-Biggs and Russ Reeves don't know? Has she notified the PESH (the state version of OSHA)?

If the Mayor believes that City Hall poses a risk to employees, it's incumbent upon him to move city hall employees to a safe location. Not to do so borders on the criminal. Where he moves them and how is not our concern. That is the burden of leadership.


*Although structurally sound, Ryan-Biggs also found that City Hall was not emotionally stable and months of therapy may be necessary.

** No personal attacks on Ms. Moscatiello. Her e-mail raised a variety of questions but no personal attacks will be published.