CAN'T ANYONE HERE...

...PLAY THIS GAME?

You know, we wanted to give Carmella Mantello the benefit of the doubt. She has worked in mediocrity the way some masters work in oils. Present but not actively offensive. Recent events have shed a bright light on what can only be termed incompetence, ignorance or arrogance. Ms. Mantello, currently, and until January 1, 2016, is merely a private citizen. She either does not know this undeniable fact, cannot believe it or does not care. To not understand power and the limits of power is a bad sign in the incoming Council President.

At the last Council meeting the Council, as it does, scheduled the next Council meeting for January 7, 2016. This is standard procedure. The Council has been meeting on Thursdays for a long time. Formal notice of the meeting has been sent per the Charter.

Private Citizen Mantello believes she has authority to schedule the meeting for Monday, January 4, 2016. She wants the Finance Committee to meet at 5:00PM as a warm-up for a 6:00PM Council meeting. Apparently, Thursday is a big television night for Ms. Mantello.

-----Original Message-----
From: Carmella Mantello
Sent: Dec 22, 2015 10:49 AM
To: lynn kopka
Cc: erin teta , Mark Mcgrath , Dean , John Donohue , Jim Gulli , Bob Doherty , Kim
Subject: Re: notice for Org. Mtg 2016 Hi all. 

Please be advised that the organizational (regular) meeting of the Troy City Council will be held on Monday, January 4, 2016 at 6 p.m. preceded by a Finance Meeting at 5 p.m. There is no city council meeting on January 7, 2016. 

All council members will be give notice of the January 4th meetings and copy of the agenda in an appropriate manner. 

This meeting is being called pursuant to the Troy City Charter public officers law and second class cities law. Hopefully, this will clear up any confusion. 

 

Thanks. 

 

Carmella

Sent from my iPhone

 

 

On Dec 22, 2015, at 10:59 AM, lynn kopka <lkopka@earthlink.net> wrote:

Can the new council, which is not a duly constituted body until January 1, 2016, set a different date and time or am I misreading the charter? What was reported from December Finance had Jan 7 as the date. Did notice go out from the current city clerk for Jan 4? this is extremely confusing and makes scheduling difficult.

From: Carmella Mantello [mailto:cmantell@nycap.rr.com]
Sent: Tuesday, December 22, 2015 1:30 PM
To: Lynn M. Kopka
Cc: Cheryl.Christiansen; Erin Sullivan-Teta; Ian.Silverman; Rodney Wiltshire
Subject: Re: notice for Org. Mtg 2016

 

Lynn,

 

Once again, the outgoing council has no authority to set meeting dates for the council taking office on January 1, 2016. Rather, the new council will give proper notice on January 1, 2016 along with the agenda for the organizational (regular) meeting and finance committee, for Monday, January 4, 2016. 

 

Looking forward to seeing you at the organizational (regular) meeting on Monday, January 4, 2016. 

 

Carmella

 

 While the Council has the authority to schedule the monthly Council meeting on any day they wish, said schedule is set at the first Council meeting in January. According to the Charter, Section-27:

 

Regular meetings of the City Council shall be held once each month on such dates as the Council shall designate, each year, by amendment to its rules at its January meeting. No local law, ordinance or resolution may be acted upon at a regular meeting unless a copy thereof shall have been delivered under the supervision of the City Clerk to each Council member at least 24 hours prior to said meeting.

 

Also per the Charter (C-32):

 

All meetings of the City Council, regular or special, shall be held in the Council Chambers of the City Hall at 7:00 in the evening unless some other place or time has been voted by a majority of the members of the Council or unless a written call for such meeting, signed by five members of the Council, is filed with the City Clerk 72 hours prior to the time of the meeting and due public notice has been given of such change or changes.

 

The Council has designated the date -  January 7, 2016. Notice has been sent by the Clerk. Ms. Mantello lacks authority to change the meeting to January 4, 2016. First, she currently does not have the authority to do anything. Like Democratus, she is a private citizen who holds no government position. Secondly, nothing can occur at said meeting until the Clerk has delivered proposed legislation, etc. to the Council members 24 hours prior to the meeting.

 

Unless the current Clerk wished to comply, and one doubts she will be working on New Years Day or Saturday or Sunday, their can be no meeting.* This is because the current Clerk remains the Clerk until the new Clerk is appointed. Ditto for the Deputy Clerk. The office of Clerk and Deputy Clerk do not have definite terms and last as long as the Council majority wants them to last. Therefore, until the organizational meeting appoints a new clerk.....you get our point.

 

Also note, Ms. Mantello wants to change the time of the meeting in violations of the Charter. Again, one doubts the City Clerk will be available on New Years Day for the appropriate 72 hour Notice.

 

Does Ms. Mantello know the incoming majority does not yet have their clerk or deputy clerk appointed? Does she not know that she needs the current clerk's cooperation or is she deluded into believing that the individual that will be appointed clerk is somehow, magically, the clerk? A magic clerk that is not yet bonded?

 

As an aside, Ms. Mantello, on Christmas Eve, wished the current Clerk and Deputy Clerk a Merry Christmas and then walked into Human Resources to deliver pink slips for both individuals. This was a small act that is beneath the dignity of a would-be public official. The Clerk and Deputy Clerk know they will not maintain their respective positions after the organizational meeting. What was the point of pink slips? Furthermore, and more to the point, Ms. Mantello has no authority to fire anyone. The Council will perform that act when they appoint new individuals to those positions. Bad form, Carmella, bad form.

 

Ms. Mantello (possibly the bastard child of Evita Peron and Gary Busey) has also asked for the keys to City Hall on January 1st, 2016, so proper notice of the new meeting date and time can be sent. She has been told 'no' twice by the Deputy Clerk and finally told to stop calling. The new Mayor should keep City Hall locked over the weekend. If not, Evita will think she can do whatever she wants, whether the Charter says she can or not. Nip this in the bud, Pat, or it will be a long four years.

 

Past Councils have had regular procedural mishaps. Its what you get when the system is based on part-time, citizen legislators. This, however, is just someone who salivates so much at the idea of some power that she can't help herself. Like Kirstie Allie at an all-you-can-eat buffet or Bill Cosby with free pharmaceutical samples.

Ignorant, incompetent or arrogant? You decide (combinations are allowed).

* They can always meet, maybe have some hors d'oeuvres with a fine Armagnac, but they cannot conduct Council business.