The City of Troy, New York, "Where Henry Hudson Turned Around."

Thursday, November 12, 2015

WANTED - ONE PUBLIC RELATIONS FIRM

According to our good friend Ken Crowe II, over to the Times Union, The City of Troy has finally agreed to pay the legal bills of two Troy Police Officers wounded in a recent shootout.

The head of the police union said the city balked for weeks at paying the legal bills accumulated by the two officers who were involved in a shootout that left them hospitalized and a gun suspect dead.
"Nothing," Police Benevolent Association President Thomas Hoffman said was the response he got from City Hall during seven weeks of requests that the city cover the expenses of officers Joshua Comitale and Chad Klein.

On Wednesday, Hoffman went public with his complaint and within hours Mayor Lou Rosamilia's administration said it would pay $5,000 in legal fees for the officers.
 
First off, saying nothing is not balking. Balking would have been more like:
 
Hoffman: Mr. Mayor, will you pay the legal fees?
 
Rosamilia: Yeah, right! Like that's going to happen. Don't think so.
 
According to the story, the city has, in the past, paid the legal fees for officers involved in grand jury proceedings and civil suits. Under the Public Officers Law a municipality will usually pay for the defense and for any judgment in civil cases brought against public employees if they were acting within the scope of their employment. Not sure about criminal matters. What I suspect might have happened is that the city wanted to wait until the officers were cleared by the grand jury. A municipality typically won't be responsible for city employees if their acts are determined to be intentional, such as a criminal act.
 
If so, why the silence?
 
Like the frozen pipe fiasco, the city may have a very good reason for inaction. In the pipe case, homeowners are responsible for lines running to their homes. The city cannot be responsible for every frozen pipe in the city. Doing so sets a terrible and potentially expensive precedent. Not explaining the issue doesn't help. In fact, someone needed to tell Lou, just thaw the pipes and we'll worry about the precedent later. It's just good politics and bad PR not to. Here, again, silence.
 
Say what you want about Tutunjian, but as long as the person(s) involved had never criticized him or his administration, he would have been down at the house with a hair dryer or Bic lighter trying to thaw the pipes himself. Sure, he probably would have been working on the gas line and not the water line but you get the point. The former mayor understood PR. The current mayor never has, never will and now it no longer matters.

39 comments:

Anonymous said...

Two words. Ian. Silverman.

Anonymous said...

The buck stops with the Mayor. Hopefully, Pat understands that.

Anonymous said...

I know you have defended the mayor in the past but you are correct. They really have no idea about PR.

Larry Johnson said...

I have an Old Ticket From a Boarding Pass on The Titanic I am Going To send it to Lou and Company and by the Way its time to get Rid of Bill Chamberlain He Never has Dunn one thing to Protect The city's best Interests for a long time !~~!

Larry Johnson said...

Funny In The Real world Any one who is fiscally correct has a deal in place to sell and rebuild a building that He Demolishes Only in the Clinically and Politically Induced World of Troy Could The Tax payers not be rioting in the streets
I also Might Add That the Troy Police Chief Johnny Boy Tedesco Had His Men protect these morons from the Tax payers doing a public lynching of these destroyers of Democracy so he can wallow in his juices PS he wants to stay on till 2019 so he can retire @ Full Benefits himself
If The Troy PD Told these Criminals That There on there own if they don't follow the Constitution which Every Troy PD Officer Took and Oath to Protect the tax payer not to hep the politicians Pick There Pockets we might be on better financial footing
Also you have Bill Chamberlain who is going to hang on as long as he can for the Cash Payout when leaving PS he never lifted a finger to reverse any of these problems coming down the pike
Good Luck Troylets Your going to need it !~~!

Phana24JG said...

Lou by all accounts was a good legislator. You need a very different approach to be an administrator. This is doubly true in elective office. Simply tell people the situation. First one to speak on an issue gets best chance to spin, and can usually define the terms and conditions of the debate. Politics 101.

Anonymous said...

It's actions like this that completely break the morale of the TPD. Coupled with a command staff that nit picks over small issues while refusing to address the larger ones. The rank and file are lining up to find employment with other agencies with all of the BS and nonsense going on.

Anonymous said...

Here we go! GASP, our highly skilled cops are going to leave us. How will we survive? No one leaves TPD unless it's for some self serving reason.
Here's a clue , stop stealing 911 tapes from your own evidence room and giving them to Lyons and we might take you more seriously.

Happy job hunting, don't let the door hit you in the touch hole.

HG4YN

Anonymous said...

Nobody cares what you think HG4YN. Except maybe your cats!

Anonymous said...

This just in.........Harry Tutunjian discovered electricity, nuclear fusion, the cure for pollio, fire and the wheel. He also improved the turkey trot, paved the roads with gold, taught men how to walk upright and walked on water while he was Mayor. We were lucky to have him

Anonymous said...

Based on the track record of legislators I'm glad we are going into this with Madden.

Anonymous said...

Lou wanted to pay the bills but Rodney Wiltshire's ego stopped him. Haven't we all learned by now the council president has more power than the mayor, which is why all the bad things in Troy are Rodney's fault?

Anonymous said...

Great pr firm cox and cooper...bahhha

Anonymous said...

Still he was mayor 2 terms with easy victories. HG4YN

Anonymous said...

HGYN, what self serving interests are you speaking of? I'm interested to hear all off your inside information and why you think the officers have it so good. It must be lousy salary and the lack of contract. It must be the great Chief that has all the respect from his subordinates. Or maybe it's the fact that the city turned it's back on the officers that were shot in the line of duty. Sounds like a great place to be employed right now!

Anonymous said...

@1026 I think he discovered your mom too.

Anonymous said...

Steve McLaughlin announced he would not be running for congress- Chris Gibson's seat. Hmmm he must be looking at something a little closer to home.

Anonymous said...

read again moron...said self serving reason...like better jobs!

Anonymous said...

2 terms and we had money, more then I can say for right know. Blame harry for everything its an easy cop out

Anonymous said...

Bob - Hooked on Phonics has an app. Get some help - in all aspects of your life.

L Welcome said...

Bring it

Anonymous said...

3:12 and then he got pounded twice by the voters when he tried to run for the Legislature. Even when he got appointed to the seat and could run as an incumbent. He couldn't get elected as a street sweeper in Troy at this point.

Anonymous said...

Can't wait for Steve to explain his support for Gordon, running against some woman with Clinton on the ballot next year. The Gov will not want to put any money in that race cause he and Steve are best buds, I saw them together on one of Rich's mailers. Ask Jim to borrow that purple ribbon pin, it works great!

Anonymous said...

Still termed out mayor. Easy back to back wins.

Anonymous said...

Who cares? Move on.

Anonymous said...

Hey McAssion. Gary Gordon NOT arrested. Embroid that, douchebag!

Anonymous said...

I see the girl with the polo tattoo is protecting her man again. 49 days and your out. Another day with no calls. The team has been picked. Your out.

Anonymous said...

I don't know about the Napoleon complex but he's got a sweet comercial piece on Hoosick street.

Anonymous said...

9:39, ask Gary if you can use his phone.

Anonymous said...

But, Harry's daddy says he's special (in a heavily pronounced accent with questionable syntax). He should watch more wrestling to help him form moral opinons......Tom Banacek

Neil, Down & Pucker said...

Our PR firm is not as well known as some in your area, so the first consultation will be free.

It's down to mostly name calling which is a good indication that the major debate has run it's course.

Democratus-It's time to turn on the heat lamp and crawl back under the rocks.

For those of you on the other side, the Shot Spotter as detected a fat lady singing.

Thank you all for making time travel is possible. Your fair city has been transported back to 1993.

Better luck this time.

Anonymous said...

Oh, Kevin. Time to go embroider something, isn't it? Is it Gordon or Fountain? Just because he's retiring?

Why don't you go snoop around the new DASNY scandal. Don't know about that one, do you? Pathetic.

Anonymous said...

3:56, he wouldn't like my mom, she's not into wrestling

Anonymous said...

@6:29, Democratus stifled my first amendment rights by not posting my response. Do you know a struggling lawyer who may be out on her own to argue my case?

Signed
Pathetic

Anonymous said...

The First Amendment guarantees that the gov't won't shut you up, not a private concern. Do you even understand your Constitutional Rights or just babble on about them?

Anonymous said...

Termed out Mayor who couldn't keep a county seat handed to him, because the people love him so much. Talk about delusion. "Termed out Mayor" got blown out in two elections since he was termed out! Let's throw that in Harry!

Anonymous said...

They sit around thinkin' 'bout, glory days, in the wake of a fat boy's eye, glory days....

Anonymous said...

Who gets the boys on Thanksgiving? Pathetic.

Anonymous said...

so he received something from his father, Why is that a big deal? Your mother pays your bills!