SOME CALM AND COMMON SENSE

Two Troy Police Officers were shot. The shooter was killed by the police. One hundred percent of the objective evidence establishes that the killing was justified. If something comes out that contradicts that, so be it. We wouldn't hold our breath, though. Lets face it, the Troy Police Department isn't perfect. No force is perfect. However, compared to other local departments, they have been able to avoid major scandals and do not have a reputation for racial bias, unless one believes shooting an African-American who is shooting at them is racially biased.

The outpouring of support for the two officers, and the police, has been overwhelming. As well it should. This might remind a few people who bitch and moan about overtime or contracts that policing is a dangerous job.

On the other hand, a handful of people, have raised questions about the shooting. Their questions are not based on any facts or evidence, but are more like knee-jerk reactions. Family and friends of the dead man are angry and sad. That's understandable. They weren't present and they did not do anything wrong. It's natural to morn for a friend or family member. It's useless to criticize them for doing so. Human nature is human nature.

Events like this have a way of getting out of hand. The spark could be anything, even some tiny event that normally would be beneath notice. We need cool, calm leaders and we need to let the anti-police voices (no matter how unjustified) vent for a while, and not engage in a petty back-and-forth.

Someone sent us a link to Ben Brucato's Twitter page. We don't know Mr. Brucato. We wouldn't invite him over for cocktails. He has a right to voice his opinion and we have a right to disagree. But why engage with him and the few like him? Why Tweet and re-tweet this nonsense? Why give him more attention? A human being is dead. Two police officers could very easily have been killed. Some reduce all of this to tweets? Is that what we've come to.

Based on Mr. Brucato's tweets* we don't expect much in the way of rational thought. We do expect more from a former Mayor.

This is what the former Mayor of Troy is reduced to? What about you Harry? Will you be holding a rally to oppose violence against our Troy Police Officers? How will you address this matter? Is the extent of his support a tweet? And yes, he has a few more in there that are petty, silly and do nothing more than call attention to a few jackasses.

And who can forget Harry's war on the Troy Police, whether it was the O'Neil - Centanni fiasco (remember how that turned out?), the Fitzgerald cluster$&*k (how much did that cost us?), and Harry trying to take credit for John Comitale's good police work. There are other stories as well. Harry may talk a good game but his actions, when it counted, speak louder.

You may say, 'Harry hasn't been mayor for four years.' And you'd be right. But as long as he pokes his head up and comments on these things, we'll bitch-slap him. For old time sake.

* Yes, we're guilty of re-posting a few. We're never above hypocrisy.

PLAYING POLITICS

No one should play politics with the recent shooting of two of Troy's finest. That won't stop them though. The Troy Polloi has long been a supporter of the rank-and-file officers, arguing that the residency requirement was ridiculous as well as defending them against the tyranny of the previous administration and the behavior of their chief. We won't stop now.

We are not going to say that the rise in shootings is anyone's fault or that one candidate would magically bring everything under control. Why? Because that's bullshit. Spikes in crime have little to do with who is or isn't in office. There were spikes under Tutunjian and there is a spike under Lou. It happens.

What we will point out is the transparent hypocrisy events reveal about candidates.

This started back in 2014, when the police were called to a little club called Kokopellis. Before the dust cleared, Rodney Wilshire and 4th District Councilman Bob Doherty were all but blaming the police and accusing them of racism and civil rights violations. This, based on selective videos rushed to the press. Doherty even threatened to aid the owners when they went in front of the State Liquor Authority to defend their liquor license.

And now...

There are cases of police brutality and excessive force. It happens. The police and police agencies are not perfect (remember the BCI scandal years ago?). Jumping to defend the Kokopellis crowd shows disrespect for actual cases of civil rights violations. It also makes the recent outpouring of support from members of Team Troy appear less than authentic.

Wiltshire and Doherty were not there when the police needed their support. Now, with the overwhelming support for the TPD on this incident (they just happened to profile a man that not only had a gun but used it?) they don't need your support. Stop embarrassing yourselves.

We believe Doherty is sincere, merely misguided. Wiltshire on the other hand is proving to be a professional at capitalizing on anything that puts his face or his quotes in the papers.

NO, YOU'RE NOT HALLUCINATING...

We have found common cause with Jim Gordon.

Last Wednesday, District 1 Councilman Jim Gordon had some issues. He e-mailed Council President Wiltshire:

Rodney

Today is
Wednesday. I have yet to receive my packet from last Friday.
In addition to my agenda it also included several pieces of
mail that I needed for meetings yesterday and today.              
              
              
I stopped at clerks office Monday morning
and they told me it was just mailed because Adam gets to
pick and choose who he delivers to. Apparently I am not on
that list. Apparently Rhonda delivers Deans packet.
 

What is going on? I am not too happy or
appreciative of this method of conducting business. I have
been embarrassed twice this week because I haven't been
as prepared as I need to be due to failure by a certain
council employee.

What has Adam been working on these days
that prevents the simple act of delivering my packet as we
were guaranteed would be done?

Jim
Gordon
Councilman, Dist.1              
              
That is a perfectly reasonable request. A council member needs information in order to represent their constituents.

Adam did respond:

On Aug 19,
2015, at 12:06 PM, Adam.Sanzone <adam.sanzone@troyny.gov>
wrote:

Everyone, 
I am sorry for this to occur. Last
Friday I didn't have the car and had to be somewhere at
a later time and because the packets are sometime ready late
in the afternoon, it's hard with timing. So, with my
bike, I delivered the packets to members in South Troy -
Eastside since there's a direct route to my house. Some
Friday's can be difficult. 
If I knew it would have taken this
long for the packets to be delivered via mail I would have
delivered them Monday when I was able again. Very sorry
again. 

Adam J.
SanzoneLegislative
Assistant Office of the Troy City
Council___________________________Troy City
Hall433 River Street, Suite
5001Troy, New York              
He followed-up after Sullivan-Teta said she had not received her packet either with:

              
On Aug 19, 2015 12:08 PM,
"Adam.Sanzone" <adam.sanzone@troyny.gov>
wrote:
Lastly, I would like to
apologies for not informing everyone who the packets were
mailed to of this. I lost track of time and never thought
the packets would not be deceived by now.

Adam J.
SanzoneLegislative
Assistant Office of the Troy City
Council___________________________Troy City
Hall433 River Street, Suite
5001Troy, New York

              
Finally:

On Aug 19, 2015, at 12:29 PM, Rodney Wiltshire < wiltshirefortroy@gmail.com> wrote:

Everyone, I'm going to leave my Friday afternoon - evenings completely available now for packet days so everyone will receive theirs. I will also deliver on weekends, if that is the case, but this inconvenience should not have happened. 

Sorry again. 

Adam J. Sanzone

Legislative Assistant to the Troy City Council

________________________________________
On behalf of Rodney Wiltshire, JR. 

President of the Troy City Council

Gordon responds by pointing out that Sanzone is addressing council business and using his legislative title from a Wiltshire campaign e-mail account. Again, a perfectly reasonable observation.

Now, we don't know Adam Sanzone from, well, from Adam. Nor do we believe this is a major issue in and of itself. Sanzone* should perform his legislative duties and keep them separate from his Team Troy endeavors. However, this is a second example of the Wiltshire Campaign flouting laws and rules. His people have repeatedly placed signs on public property. Now, a person who owes his job to Wiltshire and is part of Team Troy is not giving the GOP mayoral candidate legislative packets in a timely manner. He also stiffed Sullivan-Teta, a Wade supporter.

We are not blaming Wiltshire for these specific transgressions. He does need to manage his people and in that he seems to be failing. Further, we have dealt in the past with administrations that misuse public time and resources for campaign reasons. We don't need that again.

* Adam Sanzone is the brother of Record reporter Danielle Sanzone, a fact that we have not seen her disclose in any campaign reporting. If we missed such a disclosure, our apologies.

TEDESCO BLAMES MEDIA

Following the shooting at Old Sixth and Hutton Street, an angry crowd gathered at Samaritan Hospital. Torches were lit and pitchforks were at the ready. The police were called, it was a scene. Troy Chief of Police John Tedesco called for an investigation and has apparently come to the conclusion that the......media is to blame? Why else would a local news director be getting a Teddy-Gram?

This is so Teddy (he of  "The Beatings Will Continue Until Morale Improves" fame)*. News Flash, Teddy: the media covers news stories. A shooting and a murder is news. It may not make your job any easier but that's not the media's job.

The media even seeks interviews when doing so might be dangerous. Reporters have, yes Teddy, died, covering news stories, wars etc. To blame the media, who deny instigating anything, is a cheap move. It was a charged situation, no doubt. If the media backed off every charged situation and refused to cover controversial situations we would have...The Record.

What did leak was the fact that the 14 year-old survivor was taken to Albany Medical Center Hospital. We'd look in to that issue. How is it that the public is told where a 14 year-old is taken for treatment. A fourteen year-old that many blame for the murder. Given the charged atmosphere, could it have been possible that someone might stroll in to AMCH to look for the young man? Not saying it was Teddy's fault. We're just saying it might be more beneficial to formulate a policy to avoid this in the future.

Meanwhile, the three candidates for the Democratic nomination for Troy Mayor attended an anti-violence rally. Naturally, Republican nominee Jim Gordon wasn't there.

* Remember the good-old days when Teddy wanted to implement a policy that would mandate female officers tell him when they became pregnant? We know there was a draft version somewhere but cooler heads prevailed and the policy  never materialized.

Q & A

Troy's mayoral hopefuls will meet tomorrow night to answer questions posed by the voters. The meeting will be at the YMCA or YWCA, we forget which and are too lazy to look it up.

We do have some questions we think should be answered. We don't need them all answered, just a few. Please.

1. What will you do to reunite North and South Troy? Would you lift the sanctions on North Troy?

2. Would you build a wall to keep people from North Greenbush from crossing the city line?

3. How would you reduce the chances of shark attacks in the Hudson River?

4. Does the Menands Bridge go from Troy to Menands or Menands to Troy? Show your work.

5. Daphne or Josie?

6. Do you have any long-term plans to address Troy's ancient, failing infrastructure?

7. Can you fix my parking tickets?

8. How will you work with a Council that may be politically hostile?

9. Would you move the Atrium three feet to the west, to create more room on the 4th Street sidewalk?

10. Would you send troops to Cohoes to protect our vital interests?

We sincerely hope that the candidates get relevant questions and not too many nonsense questions. We hope they are cordial and we hope no verbal arguments arise. Someone might call the police.

WHEREVER THERE ARE ILLEGAL SIGNS...

...Mark McGrath will be there!

The Mark McGrath sign rage story is low-hanging fruit. It still tastes sweet. The former and would-be-again District 2 Councilman was fed up with illegally placed political signs. So much so that he took the law into his own hands. McGrath said he had every right to take the Wiltshire sign down. Which, of course, is not true. McGrath actually had no right to take the sign down. Still, one can understand the seething rage engendered by such brazen flaunting of the law. What's next? Gangs? Shootings?

McGrath isn't wrong about the Wiltshire campaign, however. We do see signs on public property and the vast majority of them are Wiltshire signs. Strange, though, that this is what stirs McGrath's inner Batman.

For instance, back in the day, McGrath was oddly silent when Mayor Tutunjian used Troy Code Enforcement to punish people for criticizing his administration. The most notable incident involved Jim deSeve.  The Mayor of Troy, using government to punish dissent. Where was McGrath? No doubt keeping the land safe from signs.

Thankfully Mark will soon be back on the City Council. He'll have plenty of opportunity to showcase his trademark jack-assery.

See you at Thursday's debate.

WHY WE'RE BACK

Well, we told you when we last met, if Troy was ever in trouble, just send us a signal. You did and we have not forgotten our sacred pledge. More than ever, Troy needs sane, clear, brilliant political analysis which can't be done in fifty characters. 

Also, we'd like to thank a certain well-known facebook page that has linked to a few posts. Very kind of Mr. Cooper. We appreciate all of you for coming back. We have averaged about 550 unique visitors each day (each day bringing more and more of you back to the finest political blog the area has ever seen*). Not a bad start for being out of the game for so long. Frankly, we thought it would take longer.We're excited, but not in weird way. This is an unbelievable election year. We're as giddy as a bishop in a room full of alter boys.

So much has happened and we'll try to get to it all, schedules permitting .

Lou decided not to run for mayor, possibly the only decision he has actually made in four years.

There are three Democratic contenders for the mayoral nomination - each with their own strengths and weaknesses. If we could combine all three into one candidate, well that would look strange, but you get our meaning.

The Republicans have nominated District 1 Councilman Jim Gordon for mayor (you in the back, stop laughing).

If you believe the comments over at Jim Franco's T-Spin every City Hall employee will soon be arrested by the FBI or the EPA or the BBC...six months ago....three months ago...last week...yesterday....next week... FYI There will be no arrests.

Our new District Attorney has nearly tripped over himself in his eagerness to show how quickly he can become ethically challenged (and lose half the staff he hired, in record time).

All that and a council race!

This is good stuff. Too good to pass up.

We plan on posting two or three times a week, if it's OK with our probation officer and if we get our prescription refills. We'd appreciate that the comments not defame anyone. We had to enable comment approval. Opinions on issues and candidates are fine. Comments based on news articles, also fine. But, we will not sling unsubstantiated rumors that allege a political figure was arrested fifteen years ago, has a child out of wedlock, committed a crime...If it's contained in a newspaper article, that is one thing. If it's based on nothing more than a rumor, well, people in glass houses...

Finally, we will likely wrap this up after the election. But, you never know.

*Opinion of the authors

BAD DAY FOR MARTY

Worse day for Joel.

While much of the recent news has focused on the forty-one count indictment of GOP County Legislator Martin Reid, we must not lose sight of our esteemed DA's ethical issues relative to his Republican colleagues.

                                            Rensselaer County - Republican Safe Haven

According to the story:

"The state Labor Department turned over copies of the judge's ruling, and other records in the case — including Reid's county time slips and his certifications to the state that he qualified for the benefits — to the Rensselaer County district attorney's office for review as a potential criminal case. District Attorney Joel Abelove, a Republican who took over as district attorney in January, declined to pursue the case and, earlier this year, denied his office received a referral from the state Labor Department."

Abelove stated that no referral was ever made. On the news this morning he was quoted as saying that his predecessor had the information and did not act.

However, in January Abelove said:

"We've been dealing with a lot more pressing issues," said Abelove, who recently hired one of Reid's relatives, Christine Labbate, as an assistant district attorney. Abelove declined to confirm how Reid is related to Labbate. But he added that Labbate has experience as a former prosecutor in Essex County and said his decision to hire her will not sway any case under review by his office, including Reid's."

Whatever. This guy is a train wreck.

Earlier in the year Abelove's office dropped charges against Rich Crist, a key player in getting any office seeker the GOP and conservative lines.  Crist, if we recall, was charged with endangering the welfare of a minor. The charge was deemed unfounded by Child Protective Services. It sounded like a dust-up between Crist and his teenage son. Another DA would have, more than likely, dismissed the charge.

Point is, these are softballs pitched right down the middle. Send the cases to another District Attorney. That's it. Easy. End of story.

Anyone who spoke to Abelove after his election but before he took office knows the District Attorney-elect voiced his enthusiasm for cracking down on welfare cheats. Oh, the hypocrisy. And before we get any idiotic comments, we do not, and would not, expect Abelove's office to prosecute these cases. We just expected him to do the right thing.

Instead, people having growing concerns about Abelove's conduct and we are barely 8 months into his term. We should have known. In a massively Republican election year, this guy barely squeaked into office.

CHARTER COMMISSION PUBLIC HEARING

A public hearing on proposed changes to the Troy City Charter was held last night....Christ, we can't even fake interest. If you can't sleep, here's the latest proposed draft. The Times Union also has a summary of the proposed changes.

The biggest change, or lack thereof, is the power of the City Council to remove the Bingo Inspector from office. What ever happened to separation of powers? Furthermore, shouldn't the Bingo Inspector be elected? We have no idea what the current, appointed, inspector does but my bingo hasn't been inspected in three years.

Oh, right...reducing the number of council seats from nine to seven. There would be one at-large seat and the unfortunate that wins that race would be the Council President, entitled to two phone books for his/her chair. By 2019, the Council President's term would be four years.

Thoughts anyone? The four year term seems clumsy otherwise, does anyone care?

The Commission members are a pretty good, diverse group and we don't see anyone grinding any axes.

What the mainstream media won't report are the proposed changes ultimately rejected by the commission. Some of the proposal are controversial. Others shocking.

1. Reduce the number of council seat from 9 to seven but not the number of council members thereby forcing at least two members to stand through the entire meeting.

2. Surgically reduce the council members by 2-3 inches.

3. Increase public comment period to ten minutes but allow audience to throw sharpened projectiles at anyone who speaks for more than three minutes.

4. Each meeting to open with Lita Ford's Kiss Me Deadly.

5. Passed legislation does not become effective until Council President bangs gavel and says, 'Fuck Yeah.'

6. Council President to be chosen by line dancing competition.

7. Tequila Tuesday.

8. Appointed Officials to wear Swiss Guard uniforms.

If you have an opinion one way or the other, let us know. Admit it though, number 5 would be cool.

THE TROIS IS STILL IN THE MENAGE

Shalom Aleichem, faithful readers.

Recently, a challenge to the petitions of mayoral hopeful Ernest Everett was kicked out of court. The Judge found the challenge, brought by former council candidate Russell Ziemba, untimely.

The political ménages à trois * that is the Democratic primary makes for interesting theorizing for both conspiracy fans and political watchers.

Council President Rodney Wiltshire is seen as an anti-establishment candidate. Patrick Madden is  seen  as the establishment candidate and Ernest Everett, another anti-establishment candidate. It could be that these are just three men who want to be mayor. Or, is Everett clandestinely working for the establishment (Democratic Chair Tom Wade) in order to split the anti-establishment vote, ensuring Madden wins the primary. Or is Everett  sincere (and we think he is) but with a candidacy that plays into the hands of the establishment's hope of a split in the anti-establishment vote?

It's not a stretch to believe Ziemba brought the challenge at Wiltshire's behest. Ziemba would likely be a supporter of Wiltshire.

There is also nothing wrong with Wiltshire trying to knock Everett off the ballot for any legitimate reason. Wiltshire is vying for a serious political position, not president of his neighborhood watch association or the local Elks Club. Legal challenges exist for a reason and there's nothing wrong with exercising those challenges.

Thing is, Wiltshire should tread carefully. The Wiltshire and Everett campaigns feel like insurgent campaigns, with dedicated supporters that will go out and vote for their candidate in a blinding hail storm. Madden, of course, appears to be relying on the more run-of-the-mill primary voter. Perhaps more numerous, but less dedicated. Do Everett supporters move to Wiltshire if they feel Everett got an unfair shake? That's not a guarantee. The more logical step would be for Everett to step aside and support Wiltshire this go. As for Everett? Perhaps a run for council next time around. He appears to be a promising young man with a future, if he plays this hand right.



* Who is the bread and who is the meat in this sandwich yet to be determined

WHATCHA GONNA DO WHEN THEY COME FOR YOU

On Thursday, July 16, GOP mayoral candidate Jim Gordon met with the Troy Police. It wasn't a campaign visit though. Troy's finest were invited over by Mrs. Gordon. According to the story:

"The incident was called a "verbal argument" between Councilman Jim Gordon and his wife, by the responding officers, police said Friday."

The Republican candidate went on to say that "his wife called police and later regretted it?"

Setting aside this story, we at the Polloi have a few questions:

- How many times have you called the police during an argument with a spouse?

- Is a spouse somehow unbalanced or irrational if they phone the police unnecessarily?

- Does a spouse phone the police during the first verbal argument or does the spouse have some reference point from prior arguments and knows that police presence is required?

As for the story, Gordon used some rather unfortunate words: His wife phoned the police and later regretted it? How and in what manner did she regret the call?

Finally, the Times Union used an unfortunate photo to accompany the story.

Note: All females wearing sunglasses. Just sayin'
 

TESTING, TESTING

Is anyone out there?

A FUN RIDE

Well folks, it been a fun ride.

We decided to end this blog after three-plus years of covering area politics.

When we started this blog, there was a Republican governor, Republican DA, Republican Congressman, Republican Assemblyman and a Republican-controlled Troy City Council.

Things have changed and it is more fun shooting up than down.

We may or may not return in the future so please check back occasionally.

Thanks to all of our readers, supporters and detractors as well as the areas elected officials. Without you, this never would have been a successful venture. In the world of local blogs, we think it was successful:

1- over 350,000 visitors;

2- over 4,500 comments;

3- Mentions in The Record, Times Union, Metroland + City Council meetings;

4- Comments from political candidates;

5- 3 indictments but no convictions;

6- 2 communicable diseases.

But, again, it was you, the reader, that made it all possible. So, thanks. Take care, be safe and always question our elected officials, even if its just to knock them down a peg. It's our duty it's fun and it's fat free.

A special thanks to the area print media, including people like Jim Franco and Chet Hardin. They always gave us a fair shake and did not dismiss the potential of this new medium.

Sincerely,

Democratus

VACATION TIME

The Troy Polloi is on hiatus for the next week or so.

Talk amongst yourselves.

WHAT'S ON THE VERIZON

The Mayor of Troy has called a special meeting for August 20th to discuss leasing the Verizon building as a temporary home for City Hall while something happens on the waterfront. What that something is, no one knows...yet.

We have no problem leasing the 30,000 square foot Verizon Building as a temporary home for City Hall provided:

1) The lease is contingent on Troy actually getting the money from the State. We think that is suspect in light of what is going on in Albany at this time. Albany just lost a ton in aid which may prompt lay-offs;

2) Judge must disclose Judge Development's operating agreement and we need to know who the real parties in interest are in the group that sold the building to Judge. The Verizon Building has been the center of this issue. It was sold to Judge at a time when it looked like City Hall would be moving there. The City needs to know who benefited financially when the building was sold to Judge with the expectation that the City would then rent the building;

3) Judge must renovate the building for the new tenants, at Judge's expense. If we're forking-over more than 25k a month, the building should be in move-in condition;

4) Relocating should be put out to bid. If there are no other viable options, no problem. But again, Harry seems obssessed with handing money over to Judge Development, without inviting others to the table;

5) Lower the rent. 25k per month is too high. Please. It's not like people are tripping over themselves to rent the Verizon Building.

MORATORIUM

A moratorium has been placed on this blog. Time constraints will make it difficult to post for the next few days.

Feel free to engage in polite conversation.

REGAN CLAIM DISMISSED

The New York State Division of Human Rights has dismissed Colleen Regan's claims of sexual harassment. Regan claimed that high-level GOP functionary, Richard Crist, had made numerous sexual advances which, when turned down, led to Regan's termination as a GOP staffer for the County Legislature.

According to The Record:

The division found that of the 20 alleged incidents claimed by Regan only two were within the statutory period. And, it found, Crist was not her supervisor, as Regan had claimed.

So, what happened? It looks like 18 of the allegations occurred too long ago to be acted upon. More importantly, the Division of Human Rights determined that Crist was not Regan's supervisor.

See, in legal terms, you can only properly harass someone if you have some type of authority over that person. Sexual advances made towards a fellow co-worker, no matter how inappropriate, is not harassment because the 'harasser' can not retaliate against the harasee. In the case of co-workers, such behavior is consider 'acting creepy' or, in some rural places, 'going a courtin.'

The Division of Human Rights obviously ignored the political reality in county government, where politics blurs the chain of command. They also ignore the fact that many women do not report this conduct for fear of being fired or labeled a troublemaker. The lesson here is report the conduct to the appropriate person, in writing, close in time to the incident. If no action is taken, move up the chain of command. If there is retaliation for making the report, that retaliation can form a seperate basis for a suit.

The Troy Polloi did not cover the harassment side of Regan's story. Unlike some, we refuse to accuse someone of sexual harassment without any evidence. Regan had her side of the story, Crist his and only those two know the truth. Those who claim "Crist didn't do it' or 'Regan is telling the truth,' are merely guessing.

Crist said he is keeping open the possibility of suing Regan for making the false claims against him but added "there are more important things for us to focus on."

Crist won't sue Regan. He'd face the same problem Regan faced: He said/She said. Regan can still sue as well. She won't.

We're far more interested in the following:

In an unrelated matter, Regan charged that Crist, Mirch and others used the county office building and county employees to run their own political consulting business. Albany District Attorney David Soares was appointed special prosecutor but there is no new information on the case.

BUSINESS AS USUAL

The Troy City Council has been sued over the one-year moratorium against so-called 'Mini-Dorms." Background can be found here. The basis of the suit is that the moratorium discriminates against little (or mini) people.


According to sources, the Mayor has prohibited Corporation Council from representing the City Council in the matter. Under the City Charter, part of the duties of the Corporation Council is to defend suits against the City, City Council etc.


This is an odd move, even for Tutunjian. Perhaps he fell off his Segway and struck his noggin (feel free to make up your own caption for the photograph that accompanies the link).


The suit seeks equitable relief. If successful, it would abolish the moratorium against 'mini-dorms.' As far as we know, no money damages are sought. So, what has the Mayor accomplished:


1) Violated the Charter;


2) Placed his own Corporation Counsel in a very bad position;


3) The Council will now hire it's own attorney, a sort of mini-patronage gig for a Democratic attorney;


4) The Democratic attorney will be paid with funds likely coming from the Corporation Counsel's budget;


However, the last point seems unfair. If the Mayor has ordered the Corporation Counsel to not defend the Council, then maybe the cost should be born from the Mayor's budget.


The Democrats could bring an Article 78 compelling the Corporation Counsel to appear and defend the Council. They would be successful. But why bother when Tutunjian has given them the opportunity to get their own counsel.

It's a win-win for Democrats but sets a poor precedent for the future. The Corporation Counsel is legal counsel for the City, not the Mayor. There's a distinction but we suspect that distinction is beyond the current occupant of the 2nd floor.

SALARIES

The issue of salary boosts to the City's highest paid employees was indirectly on the table again at last Thursday's Finance Committee meeting.

In a controversial move, City Council President Clement Campana, D-At Large, introduced a proposed ordinance during the council's Finance Committee meeting Thursday which would amend the city's non-represented employees' policy by eliminating unnecessary positions and allowing city expenses, including salaries, to be adjusted in order to reduce the operating costs of city government.

We love it when they talk non-represented employees policy. Gets us hot and bothered. OK, so far so good. Moving on:

The 28-page ordinance took many members of the council by surprise as they attempted to quickly scan over the document in order to have some sort of objective discussion about the proposal, which would eliminate longevity payments and a tuition reimbursement program for city employees, as well as a number of administrative and clerical positions.

We're throwing the bullshit flag on this because it isn't fair to the Council. The Administration, by way of the previous Council, did that crap all the time. If you have a proposed ordinance, let the Council members see it in advance, especially one that is 28 pages long. Come on! Some of these guys haven't read twenty-eight pages since they were assigned Animal Farm in 8th Grade (and they know who they are).

One amendment to the policy which drew the most criticism was the redaction of a sentence in the "salaries" section which read, "In no event shall any employee in Group 'A' be paid less than that which was paid to the employee in the prior year budget."Corporation Counsel David Mitchell, the highest paid, mayor-appointed city employee in Group "A," with a current salary of $85,700, immediately warned members of the council that they would be met with litigation if the proposal was approved with that sentence redacted.

Mitchell then asked Campana, as well as other City Council members and City Clerk Bill McInerney, if they knew who had redacted the sentence. When no one answered him, after a brief shouting match, Mitchell stated that the matter would be settled in court.

Now we get down to the outrage. Lets discuss:

The Council has every right to strike that wording from that section. It's called an amendment and legislative bodies do it all the time.

Mitchell has no basis for any lawsuit surrounding the striking of that language from the existing ordinance. Just ignore him, like McInerny does. Mitchell has learned that McInerney cannot be intimidated.

More important is the history of that section of the ordinance. If you recall, that section was added at last year's Pig Out, when the post-election raises were handed out. That section violated the Charter then and violates the Charter today.

As the Mayor made clear, he sets salaries for a number of appointees, including the Corporation Counsel (remember, ignore him), the Deputy Mayor and the Comptroller.....

C-48 The Mayor shall fix, within the appropriations made therefor by the City Council and Mayor in the budget process, the salary or compensation of all officers and employees appointable by him/her. (Sec. K).

Setting aside the nuances of that section, in particular what can and cannot be done at budget time, it's clear that the Mayor fixes the salary of various appointees. And the fix was certainly in here.

§ C-21. Powers of City Council

(2) To amend this Charter by local law in accordance with the provisions of the Municipal Home Rule Law except that any local law which abolishes, transfers, or curtails any power of the Mayor shall be subject to mandatory referendum.*

The section at issue curtails the Mayor's power to set the salaries of appointees. Those salaries can be raised by the Mayor, with Council approval, but not lowered. Why the Mayor, and his attorney (ignore him) would want to curtail the Mayor's authority is beyond us. Beyond us or not, it violates The Charter.

So, their you have it. The Council should not back down, especially in light of threats. They should not have backed down before and should not back down this time. There's no shame in being sued for trying to prevent raises for political appointees. Even if you lose, it's a win. This Spring, when the issue first came up, some majority members seemed to panic. A lawsuit! Egad! No, no and no! The public doesn't give a damn about legal technicalities. They knew the raises stank, knew they were sneaky, and the Council wasn't going to take a beating from the public for trying to pull the trough away. Remember, they only people who were outraged were those who directly benefited from those raises.

What they do after that section is taken off the books, and when they do it, is another story.

* And, if possible, the express, written consent of Major League Baseball.

CLUB 21

Whazzzup in the Twenty-First:

BUHRMASTER AND VASQUEZ IN COURT

From The Times Union:

21st Congressional candidate Republican Jim Buhrmaster’s legal challenge of opponent Steven Vasquez’s petitions was adjourned in state Supreme Court in Albany until Wednesday morning. The two sides met with Justice Roger McDonough in chambers this morning and agreed to the adjournment.

Buhrmaster’s spokesman Josh Hills said Vasquez’s attorney and spokesman, Warren Redlich, needed time to gather witnesses in the case. Redlich, however, said it’s up to Buhrmaster to prove his case, and that Vasquez’s side might not call any witnesses.

Redlich said after reviewing the original petition, he’s confident that Vasquez can’t be knocked off the Sept. 9 primary ballot. He said 106 signatures are likely valid, which is about 40 more than Vasquez needs to stay in the race.

STECK:

Albany County Clerk Thomas Clingan is the latest elected official to endorse Phil Steck in the race to succeed retiring Congressman Mike McNulty. First elected to the county-wide post in 1988, Clingan is a popular elected official in Albany County, which is expected to represent over 55% of the 7 county vote in the September 9 Democratic Primary.

Steck also went after the oil speculators:

Democratic congressional candidate Phil Steck said today that Congress should reform the Commodities Future Trading Commission (CFTC) before departing for the summer. He said that action is needed immediately because a great number of financial news reports continue to suggest that the price of oil will reach $200 by the end of the year. The price of oil was in the $20 range when George Bush took office in 2000.

“Speculation on the energy futures market is like the Wild West. The average consumer doesn’t really understand exactly how the market works, and speculators are raking in huge profits reminiscent of the heyday of Enron,” said Steck. “Oil companies and their lobbyists are writing our energy laws and have stifled reform on this issue in Washington .”

A number of economists have said that this energy speculation continues to drive up the price of oil, which is having a devastating effect on American consumers. They believe that speculation alone is to blame for $20-$60 additional in price per barrel.

SHAHINFAR ON THE MIDDLE EAST:

Darius Shahinfar, Democratic candidate for New York's 21st Congressional District, today issued the following statement on the Bush administration's recent Middle East policy shifts of a "time horizon" troop withdrawal in Iraq and tentative steps to restore diplomatic relations in Iran:

"After years of intransigence, the Bush administration has finally begun to follow the advice of the Democratic Party and do what is necessary to bring greater stability to the Middle East.

"The Democratic Party, Senator Obama and I have been calling for action on troop withdrawals in Iraq and opening high level diplomatic talks with Iran for months. These common sense solutions to stabilizing the Middle East, lowering gas prices here at home, and bringing an end to this reckless war will help renew America's promise to its citizens and to the world."

BROOKS HITS THE AIRWAVES:

Democratic Congressional Candidate Tracey Brooks tonight launched her television ad campaign delivering a message of standing up to the Republicans in Congress and making government accountable to people again.

"I am not like the other candidates in the race," said Brooks. "I have a different kind of hands-on experience working in our communities at the Schenectady Family Health Center, in the Community Services Corps, as a Girl Scout leader and basketball coach, and working with our families to help solve the very real and growing problems they're facing."

Brooks continued: "That's why I'm running for Congress – to help solve these problems, to take on the Republicans and special interests in Washington, and to make government accountable to the people once again. I have focused my campaign on the issues important to working families like providing affordable health care for all, standing up for a woman's right to choose, ending the war in Iraq and reinvesting that more than $12 billion a month here at home, and addressing those skyrocketing gas prices."

Finally, The Sanctuary for Independent Media is offering a free summer camp this week. Too bad it's already Wednesday:

For the week of July 28 through August 1, youths in North Troy
will get a chance to combine the things they love into a learning
experience geared toward multi-media communication skills they need.
Weekday mornings between 9 and noon, kids will gather at AME Zion
Church (103rd Street at 5th Avenue in Lansingburgh) to work with
poets, dancers, bike mechanics and chefs as the raw material for
their experiments with video making and computer animation. The
Sanctuary Summer Media Camp is free for the 25 young people who pre-
registered, as are the breakfasts and lunches kids get every day.

"This is the first year we've done this--the response has been
incredible," said spokesperson Steve Pierce. "Everyone involved is a
volunteer and thrilled to participate. If we can get the funding in
place, we'll offer an expanded program next year."

Activities include:

MONDAY Poetry workshop, video scavenger hunt
TUESDAY Dance workshop, video production
WEDNESDAY Bike workshop, computer animation
THURSDAY Audio for video production
FRIDAY Food sculpture, final presentation

The camp is being organized by the non-profit Media Alliance, which
operates The Sanctuary for Independent Media in North Troy
(www.mediasanctuary.org). Co-sponsors include AME Zion Church, the
Troy NAACP, 518 Positive Reinforcement, Troy Bike Rescue, Holy
Serenity Church of God in Christ, the Honest Weight Food Coop and
made possible in part by the New York State Council on the Arts and
hundreds of individual contributors. Food is provided by the
Nutrition Consortium of NY State Summer Food Service program of the
NYS Department of Health through the Rensselaer County Unified Family
Service--Department for Youth.

No word yet if Commissioner of Public Works, Bob Mirch, has phoned Homeland Security.

We also tracked down Brian Premo's website. We were using Yahoo and couldn't find the site. Then we Googled Premo. Don't tell anyone.

RESIGNATIONS

***UPDATE***

Nick Kaiser is now one of two candidates for Marco Island's top cop job. Kelly Farrell has the story. If Kaiser is selected, he's one lucky man. It looks like a great spot. It's not South Troy, but it ain't half bad.


KAISER OUT?

According to the Times Union:

City Police Chief Nicholas Kaiser is a finalist to be the next top cop in Marco Island, Fla., Police Department, according to a news release issued by that community.
Kaiser is competing against four other candidates to head up the Florida community's police department.




Why anyone would want to leave the area for Marco Island is a mystery.





Chief Kaiser is not without his detractors. We found him to be a good man but not the strongest of leaders. He has a difficult job and the current administration has not made that job any easier. A concerted effort by the Administration last fall to oust Kaiser (an effort paid for by taxpayers) failed when the GOP lost control of the Council. That is the type of political distraction a Police Department does not need.



Interestingly, the Administration's choice for the head job, Assistant Chief John Tedesco, has also been reading the want-ads. Tedesco was up for the job in Guilderland, and received high marks, but didn't get the nod. He's also tested the waters in Massachusetts.



We hope Kaiser gets the job. Why he'd want to move to a dump like Marco Island is beyond us.

MARTINIANO OUT

Robert Martiniano, Confidential Assistant to Council President Clem Campana, will resign his position effective this September.

Martiniano's tenure as Confidential Assistant was tainted by scandal over accusations that his position was a "No-Show Job." Well, taint isn't the right word. There was a concerted effort by some to manufacture a scandal, an effort that duped local television journalist Greg Floyd into not only investigating the allegations but running a story that failed to substantiate any of the allegations. They certainly get an A for effort.

The substance of the allegation was that Martiniano was not physically in a City Hall office like the former Confidential Assistant. Which really explains a certain public sector mindset. The only problem with the allegation was that its proponents failed to produce any evidence of a No-Show job. Martiniano's role was not that of a glorified receptionist, a point that seemed to bother the former glorified receptionist.

That said, we have issues with the position of a Confidential Assistant to the Council President or one for the Mayor. It's a position that is funded by the taxpayers but can be used for the benefit of one political party. Martiniano functioned as Campana's 'right hand man' or right hand person. That's fine and perfectly acceptable in Troy politics. We just have doubts that the position is necessary (we harbor doubts that many other positions are necessary as well, such as Public Works Commissioner).

Good Luck Bob. We wish you every success in the future.

LIKE SAND THROUGH THE HOURGLASS

On Thursday, the Troy City Council approved a deal that would settle the City of Rensselaer's water debt.

Rensselaer would pay Troy $1.2 million for the bills it has not paid since 1998 plus $250,000 in interest. The $1.45 million would be paid by the end of October.

The agreement received not only unanimous approval, but every Council member voted for it as well.

What the hell happened? What happened to the $3.5 million the Administration says is owed? Will the Mayor veto this agreement? What about Councilmen Wojcik and McGrath not agreeing to anything less than the full amount owed? Will Madge ever find the baby she put up for adoption?

Councilman Brown's proposal, often the target for Wojcik and McGrath's condemnation, would have recouped more money and we all know that the only thing better than recouping money is the initial couping of money.

So what happened?



Lots of fun stuff to discuss this week and we hope to get to it all:

Martiniano resigns;

Revisiting the Non-Rep Policy;

And much, much more.

BLOG DOWN

The blog is being reassessed for the next few days. Talk amongst yourselves.

REASSESSMENT & YOU - A GUIDE

If you're like us, it's been a long time since you took property reassessment in high school or college.

For those of you wondering: Is there a site that can answer my questions about reassessment, the answer is here. The Office of Real Property Services has a pretty good site that will meet many of your assessment and reassessment needs.

Try it for a limited time and if your not completely satisfied, return it in the self addressed stamped envelope provided.

One question we have is this: The Administration tauts commercial development and increasing the tax base. We know many of the projects mentioned do not pay property taxes. These are projects sponsored by the Industrial Development Agency. They receive a PILOT or payment in lieu of taxes.

Will properties with Pilots be reassessed so we can see the value of those properties and how much the developers are not paying. If tax reassessment is about redistribution of tax burden, exactly who is bearing more of the burden, average people or large, commercial endeavors.

Interestingly, not all commercial endeavors want Pilots. The Pilot for John Scanlon Market Block has been retired. David Bryce, who will purchase the property, does not want a Pilot.

On the other hand, the entity behind the Hoosick Street Hotel, has applied to have Pilot for Hoosick Hospitality LLC transfered to Hoosick Development Group LLC.

Industrial Development Agencies do many things but remain fairly off the radar for most citizens. We're not suggesting anything sinister, just that a reporter out there may want to do a feature story on what these entities do and how they do it.

You can find IDA info and well as their meeting minutes at the City's website. The meeting minutes can be found here.

Interesting stuff, particularly the meeting minutes. For example, at the March 19th meeting, Sondra Little said that since the IDA was required to post all it's activities on-line, Freedom of Information requests had increased. Her suggestion was to implement a FOIL "policy."

Does anyone shudder when they hear about government agencies or quasi-government agencies formulating FOIL "policies." It doesn't have to mean, but such policies usually make it more difficult for the average citizen to obtain information.

MONDAY, MONDAY

It's mid-summer so we're taking it easy. Light posting. It's less filling but tastes great.

In the race to replace Joe Bruno, Assemblyman Roy McDonald has dominated the coverage. However, there's another candidate: Rensselaer's own Brian Premo. He's the only Rensselaeroid in the race.

Premo showed just how serious he is about taking Joe Senate seat by funding his campaign to the tune of $70,000.

Brian Premo, the endorsed Democratic candidate in the 43rd State Senate District, has funded his campaign with $70,000 of his own money.

Rensselaer County Chairman Tom Wade issued a statement saying Premo always knew it would take money to challenge State Senator Joseph Bruno, R-Brunswick, and that’s why only Premo was willing to run against him.

We don't know if Premo's the best candidate the Democrats could offer. We do know, he's the only one to step forward and announce his candidacy when everyone thought Bruno was still in the race.

Ironically, Joe's departure may have hurt Premo's chances. Running against Bruno, especially this year, had some built-in themes for the savvy challenger: change, Bruno as part of the problem....Not saying it would have worked but it was a theme, a message to use. That's more difficult with McDonald.

One thought: It will be interesting to see if this race becomes more about Rensselaer County against Saratoga than it is partisan.

Found this interview with Premo. Short but it's a start. We can't find Premo's website. If he doesn't have a web presence, he should remedy that as soon as possible.

Another challenger for Bruno's seat is Joanne Yepsen, from Saratoga County. We know nothing about Joanne but based on the picture on her older site, we could definitely support her. She'd raise the Senate's cuteness factor by 200%. We're all about priorities.

THE FLEET IS IN TOWN

Uncle Joe Bruno is spending money like a drunken sailor on leave in Bangkok after six months at sea. His latest? The big man just stuffed a cool $6,000,000 in Troy's G-string (we know, disturbing imagery).

City Hall will be torn down and replaced with a park, an underground parking garage and a possible mixed-use building housing new city government offices, officials said this morning.

The total project will cost $8 million, Sen. Joseph Bruno, R-Brunswick said this morning. He added that $6 million in state funds will be made available for the project, which includes an esplanade running from Monument Square north to the Green Island Bridge and other park and recreation improvements.

We're going to have an esplanade!*

Now imagine, we were going to give this property away to Judge Development for the Verizon building. Does the Verizon building have an esplanade?**

Now, we think this is great. But, before everyone sports a big woodie, it's not like Joe's spending his own money. It's our money. And, instead of luring 150 well-paying jobs that will keep college graduates in the area, we're building a municipal building.

Joe's gone after today. Next year we'll be bitchin' about Long Island getting millions from Albany by way of Dean Skelos. They're going to want their own esplanade, after all.***

We have a tribute to Senator Bruno planned. He's truly one of our favorite Republicans. On the other hand, the tributes written by area reporters have been shameful in large part. It's true that Joe spent a lot of our money on the area. It's also true that after all those years, we're still faced with this and this.

The U.S. Census Bureau released its latest population estimates Wednesday, with the data showing the predictable trend: Most suburbs continue to gain as cities see further slides -- with some exceptions.

In Schenectady, the latest figures show the population growing from 61,481 in 2006 to 61,531 last year. That's still down from where the city was at the last full census of 2000, when 61,821 called the Electric City home.

Saratoga Springs continues to see growth, from 28,589 in 2006 to 28,782 in 2007.
In Albany, Mayor Jerry Jennings said he is pleased because the city's population decline is less than half a percent. Albany now has 94,172 residents, down from 94,603 in 2006.

"It's more stable than in the past, but I am not sure how accurate it is," he said. "It's encouraging that it's stabilized."

In Troy, the city saw 75 fewer people calling the Collar City home, with the population dropping from 47,819 to 47,744.

Albany and Troy weren't alone among upstate cities. Buffalo's population of 272,632 was down 0.93 percent over the year; Rochester, at 206,759, was down 0.49 percent; and Syracuse, 139,079, was down 0.78 percent, according to the estimates.

On a lighter note, we saw this headline and thought it was another story about Mirch.


* What the hell is an esplanade?

** Seriously what the hell is an esplanade?

*** It's food, isn't it?

CLUB 21

UPDATE ON THE 21ST

OY VEY

Who: Democratic Congressional Candidate Tracey Brooks along with other Democratic and Republican candidates.

What: Congressional Candidate Forum hosted by the Jewish Family Services of NENY's Neighborhood Naturally Occurring Retirement Community (NNORC) Program.

Where: Sidney Albert Albany Jewish Community Center, 340 Whitehall Road, Albany, NY 12208. 518-438-6651.

When: Thursday, July 17, 7:00pm-8:30pm.

Note: The event is free and open to the public. For more information call the NNORC office at 518-514-2023.

Signed,

Epstein's Mother

STECK HAS IMPRESSIVE QUARTER

Albany, New York (July 16, 2008) – Phil Steck, Democratic candidate in the race to succeed retiring Congressman Mike McNulty (NY-21) announced today that he has raised over $320,000, including 872 individual donors. He reported $120,000 raised from 520 individual donors for the 2nd Quarter report to the Federal Election Commission (FEC). Over 95% of the money he received is from individuals and over 80% of those donors live and work in the Capital Region.

“I am very pleased to report that our campaign has successfully raised over $320,000 from 872 individual donors; 80% of whom live and work here in the Capital Region,” said Steck. “I am very grateful to people who have contributed to this community-based effort. Our fundraising has exceeded expectations and we are confident that our local approach to the campaign, including our fundraising, puts us in a stronger position to win this September.”

BUT SO DOES BROOKS

Democratic Congressional Candidate Tracey Brooks today announced ActBlue, the nation's largest online fundraising source for Democrats, has listed her on their Top 10 Candidates list for the week of July 7-13, making it the third time she has been ranked among the nation's top 10 Democratic online fundraisers.

"It's a tremendous honor to be among the nation's top Democratic online fundraisers for the third time, a group that includes Barack Obama," said Brooks, who also made the ActBlue Top 10 weekly lists for the first and second weeks of June. "This recognition is directly related to the hard work and dedication of our entire campaign team and is a reflection of our tech-savvy, grassroots, online-based approach to campaigning."

Brooks also headed over to the blogosphere today (now yesterday). You can find her interview over at The Albany Project. We're not taking sides in the 20th Primary. Like Brooks or not, she's smart and knows the issues. We hope the others follow suit and do Albany Project interviews, including Buhrmaster.


AND PAUL TONKO

...has a run-in with the web. Welcome to the internet, where every misstep can be captured by the bane of all politicians, the print/Screen button.

BUHRMASTER

Like Fox News, we are fair and balanced. There is a Republican in the race. Buhrmaster raised a handsome amount, under the circumstances.

As the September primary approaches, the outcome of this race remains unclear. Brooks and Steck were out early, raising money and collecting endorsements. Tonko has name recognition, as evidenced by a recent poll. Then, there's geography. You have to wonder if Steck and Brooks will split the Albany County vote, allowing Tonko to take it by a plurality. Just our thoughts.

HEADLINES

ORPHANED?

State Senator Joe Bruno will resign from the Senate on Friday. Given the timing, the 43rd Senate District will be without representation until 2009. Abandoning his district is a strange way to go out, especially since the legislature is out for a large part of the Summer and there's less than six months left before the term expires.

Are we eligible for a Foster Senator? Maybe the Big Senator Program? We need a positive male role model.

NO TEXT FOR YOU!

From the crowd that gives you $30+ Grand in post-election raises, no more texting. Wouldn't you love to get your hands on those text messaging bills? Who knows, maybe we will.

HOTEL NEWS

Guess these guys didn't know that the Democratic Council has ended development in Troy.

LEGAL BILLS

In an effort to counter the growing perception of greed and cronyism over their post-election raid on Troy's treasury, Mayor Tutunjian announced that Attorney John Bailey's legal bill would be paid by the Tutunjian campaign.

A review of Tutunjian's July 15 filing shows that has not happened.

Tomorrow we'll catch-up on the race to replace Mike McNulty and the race for Joe's seat.

BLAME GAME

How to Know When the Administration Screws Up: A Primer*

The Administration's delay in the proposed sale of the Dauchy and River Triangle Buildings has jeopardized 120 Troy jobs. Now, see if you can spot the clue that the Administration screwed up and circle that clue. Go ahead. This will be on the final exam.

The approval of a proposed deal to sell the Dauchy and River Triangle buildings, located at 275-283 and 264-276 River Street, respectively, was delayed until the City Council's August meeting last week due to the fact that neither the council nor Mayor Harry Tutunjian submitted an ordinance authorizing the sale of the buildings.

An unofficial deadline of July 2 was previously established by the Herzog Law Firm, which represents the River Triangle partners who currently own the properties, for Tutunjian to sign off on a contract authorizing the sale of the buildings to David Bryce and Dan Yamin, of Cornerstone Communications, who hoped to expand his growing business in the Dauchy Building.

No contracts were signed on July 2 because an ordinance authorizing the sale of the properties was never submitted to or approved by the City Council. "I can't sign a contract without council approval," said Tutunjian, who noted that the council had first raised the issue of the sale and could have crafted its own ordinance which he would have then approved or vetoed.

If you circled the phrase "council approval" congratulations.

The Council was informed of the July 2 deadline on Saturday June 29 via letter from the Law Department. Why the Mayor and his Corporation Counsel did not forward the appropriate legislation to the Council in a timely manner remains a mystery.

But not really. This is the Administration's MO when they screw up or worry that there is a potential screw-up. It's the blame game and their attempts the lay the blame elsewhere are as thin as Mary Kate Olsen. Why the reporter did not ask the Mayor why Corporation Counsel did not draft the ordinance is another mystery. Reporters should try that. Not only are follow-up questions enlightening, who doesn't enjoy watching Harry try and think on his feet?

Only the Mayor can enter into an agreement on behalf of the City. A review of the Council meeting minutes* shows the typical pattern:

1) Corporation Counsel drafts an ordinance authorizing the mayor to enter into an agreement, contract etc.

2) The proposed ordinance is sent to the appropriate committee for whatever legislative voodoo is necessary.

3) That ordinance is introduced by a council member at the request of the Mayor and approved.

It's no secret that the Mayor despises this City Council and believes they are incompetent. He and his henchmen have said so. So, why rely on the Council to do the work the Mayor is supposed to do? It simply doesn't make sense. Furthermore, the Mayor has a track record of screwing these things up. Remember SEFCU?

The only thing this Administration does in a timely, competent fashion is protect their raises.

THURSDAY GRAB BAG

POLICE NEWS

The city was awarded $604,425, of which nearly $375,000 will to directly to the Troy Police Department. The remainder will be split between the Rensselaer County District Attorney’s Office, the Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Office and the Rensselaer County Probation Department.

The funds will be used to purchase GPS devices. * A mistake, yes. It's not pleasant for the unfortunate resident. However, if you want aggressive policing, the occasional mistake is going to occur.

WHAT IF THEY HELD A DOG & PONY SHOW...

and nobody came?

TROY - It was the empty seats that made a statement Monday night, at an information session about a plan for a city-wide reassessment in Troy.

The public and the City Council were invited, but none of the nine council members showed.

And then, the disappointment.

"The fact that they didn't show up tonight to hear the question and answers and presentation is not a good sign for the residents," said Mayor Harry Tutunjian. "They're elected to make tough decisions and when they choose to stay away, it's disappointing to me."

Another bad sign for the residents is a Mayor that sends notice to Council members two days before the meeting is scheduled. Perhaps, if Council members received notice before Saturday, July 5th, some may have showed, including his his own party.

On the other hand, as a seperate branch of government, they are not at the mayor's beck and call. If the meeting was so important, perhaps the Mayor could have coordinated this better. It's all very disappointing.

THE FIGHTING 21ST

Phil Steck, Democratic candidate for Congress in New York’s 21st congressional district, is calling for immediate federal and state action to allay the fears of Mohawk River Valley residents of more disastrous flooding.

“It is a disgrace that state and federal officials have done nothing while the people in this region live in fear of the next big flood,” said Steck, who spent the weekend personally knocking on doors at the homes of over 200 residents in the Villages of St. John sville and Fort Plain. “After all we’ve seen in New York and across the country, you would think the politicians in Albany and Washington would have learned.”

Stech also received another endorsement:

Albany ’s 4th Ward City Councilwoman Barbara Smith, a prominent black feminist, has endorsed Phil Steck in his campaign for Congress. Smith’s written work on racism, gender and class, have appeared in a variety of national publications.

As for Tracey Brooks:

In the wake of repeated local gun violence and the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision, Congressional candidate Tracey Brooks today asked local communities, law enforcement agencies and gun safety advocates to join her in a renewed pledge to keep our kids safe, keep guns off our streets and out of the hands of criminals.

Brooks also supports:

-Requiring firearm license applicants to be 21 years old to carry, posses, repair or dispose of firearms.

-Banning the sale, use or possession of 50-caliber or larger weapons.

-Childproofing devices and legislation that prohibits weapons, like pistols and revolvers, without mechanisms incorporated into the design that effectively preclude an average five year old from firing it.

-Bills, like the Children's Weapon Accident Prevention Act, which require safe storage of weapons.

-Weapons safety programs in our schools and communities.

Brooks is also set to announce a major endorsement today, Vinnie Barbarino style:

Who: Congressional Candidate Tracey Brooks; Cohoes Mayor John McDonald; friends, supporters and special guest

What: Tracey Brooks will receive a significant endorsement in the 21st Congressional race.

When: Thursday, July 9, 11:00 AM

Where: Marra's Pharmacy, 217

Darius Shahinfar gathered enough signatures to make the ballot for September's primary.

Former Assemblyman Paul Tonko appears to be doing absolutely nothing. He also appears to be winning.

And finally, Congressional candidate John Aretakis bids adieu to his Washington ambitions, restoring a level of dignity to the race that is very disappointing.

* Yes, we know they entered the residence that was in the warrant.

LETS MAKE A DEAL

The Troy City Council agreed 9-0 to an agreement that would end the water dispute with the City of Rensselaer. The full amount of the debt - minus approximately 200k - would be paid off in ten years. This include a $1,950,000 balance and $500,000 in interest/penalties.

The City of Rensselaer recently counter-offered: a $1,400,000 lump sum payment...in small, unmarked bills to be left in a breifcase in the bathroom of the train station.

Naturally, Mayor Tutunjian declined the offer.

“It will come as no surprise that this latest attempt by Rensselaer to shirk their outstanding debt is unacceptable to this office,” aid Tutunjian.

“If Rensselaer’s proposal of $1.45 million is intended to satisfy the entire debt, the proposal will not be accepted and we will move forward with our court action.”

After shirking his responsibility for 3.5 years (as did Mayor Pattison before him), Tutunjian wants 'all' the money owed.

Rensselaer Mayor Dan Dwyer's argument is twofold: the first explains a lot about the City of Rensselaer, the second is more interesting.


First: "Dwyer has repeatedly stated that he did not believe he was responsible for paying those fees because he was not in office at the time the bills were not paid...


He's F-----g kidding, right?


Second: ...and because there was no standing contract between the cities which outlined punishments for missing payments."


The second point is of interest. No contract, no penalties. Which leaves us with balance + interest.


Troy, or at least all Council members, seem to have agreed on accepting $2.1 million over ten years. One observant reader wants to know the present value of 2.1 million. That is, what would someone pay today for the opportunity to receive 2.1 million in ten years. The short answer is something in the neighborhood of $1,400,000. The calculations get complicated because of the periodic 175k payments over the course of those ten years.


Troy has the upperhand in this matter. Rensselaer owes us money. At trial, Rensselaer cannot deny they took water, contract or not. Rensselaer obviously has at least 1.4 million on hand and is willing to pay this amount now or after a judgment.


Does anyone get the feeling that Rensselaer is jerking Tutunjian around? Despite the upperhand, Troy's mayor is looking weaker and weaker, running to the press and complaining. Take all deals off the table and just go to court. Various deals offered have been fair.

E-MAIL FLAP

There have been several well publicized crimes in recent weeks. According to some, crime appears to be on the rise in Troy. However, well-publicized crimes does not mean that crime is on the rise. Only time will tell.

We do know that Troy's Street Crimes Unit has received good (and well-deserved) publicity in recent weeks. For example, the SCU nabbed Stanley Lewis in late June:

Members of the city Police Street Crimes Unit arrested an armed man Friday night who repeatedly resisted arrest and had to be tasered before he could be apprehended, police said.

Stanley Lewis, 46, was arrested near the intersection of Swift Street and Sixth Avenue around 10:22 p.m. as he was concealing a fully-loaded .380 caliber handgun.

That's a big gun, about three times as big as a .126 caliber handgun. And, these guys got him before he used it, which is the real trick, isn't it. In fact, Dean and the SCU (soon to be a new Law and Order franchise) are doing such a good job they have garnered praise from fellow officers:

From: Joseph.Centanni
Sent: Friday, June 27, 2008 5:25 PM
To:
Subject: STREET CRIMES UNIT (SCU)

Hi- Thanks for taking a moment to read this. I just want to point out to everyone that it is important to recognize the impact that the SCU has had on reducing violent street crimes in Troy. Dave Dean has done an amazing job ( as always!) in taking this unit from an abyss and getting the most out of it. The positive press generated from Dave on behalf of Troy in the last 5 days has been awesome. Troy is SAFE!!

If you see Dave around, please thank him on behalf of a safer citizenry. Thank him for me also.
GO SCU!! GO DAVE!!!!!!!!!

Sincerely, Joe Centanni

P.S. I will be out of town for the next few days working on my eating disorder and pumping iron.

Nice, huh.

But, Centanni sent a follow-up:

From: Joseph.Centanni
Sent: Monday, June 30, 2008 2:27 PM
Subject:

On 06/27/08, I made the error of leaving my computer unlocked while Dave Dean was around. By now you are all aware an e-mail was sent with my name on it. I would like to set the record straight and tell you all, that was not me. Dave Dean isn't doing that good of a job with SCU. The unit runs itself. Any credit for its success, should be given to the patrolman assigned, not Dean.

The real Joe Centanni

We'd list the recipients of both e-mails but that would be everybody: city hall employees, administration, council members etc.

The first e-mail is obviously over the top hyperbole and we'd be astounded if anyone took it seriously before they even reached the PS.

The second sounds rather harsh if the first was mere ball breaking. We've heard that Dean and Centanni sit next to one another (due to assigned seating). We've heard they're friends. We've heard they're not friends. Whatever the case may be, and despite the damn fine ball-breaking in the first e-mail, using someones e-mail without their consent is bad touch.

We understand that Internal Affairs is now involved.

As Mike Brady would say: I think we all learned a valuable lesson. What that lesson is remains to be seen.

CHARTER REVIEW

There's a lot of talk....OK....very little talk about the Charter Review Commissions. And, while we won't discuss what happens when former City Manager Steve Dworsky gets involved with things, here's our thoughts:

1. Charters should be reader friendly. Not just for bureaucrats and lawyers but for average citizens. Like any good piece of writing, the opening has to hook you. The first order of business must be the opening. The reader has to be compelled to turn the page. They have to want to find out what happens. A few suggestions on the opening:

• "Whan that Aprille with his shoores soote..."


• "It was the best of times it was the worst of times..."


• "We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold. "


• "Marley was dead, to begin with."

Or, feel free to use this:

"If you're reading this City Charter I'm dead and someone in City Hall is responsible."

2. There's been chatter about reducing the size of the City Council from nine members to seven members. We disagree. We think the Council should remain at 9 members. However, the number of chairs provided for Council members should be reduced by 2. That way, the last two members to arrive at a meeting have to stand.

3. If Troy is experiencing a Renaissance, the Mayor and his administration should dress the part: frilly collars, hose and cod pieces. Police, get out those Beafeater costumes.

NEW NEWSPAPER?

We recently received this e-mail:

I'm a new reader. Someone told me about your blog at Francesca's -- one of the guy's starting the new Troy paper. You hear anything about that? I was there when Harry was rubbing elbows with the two guys starting it, getting his photo taken and stuff.

So, if you know anything about a new newspaper, feel free to chime in.

Have a safe Fourth of July weekend.

TROY NEWS

We now return to our regular scheduled programming.

BEGGING FOR DOLLARS

How do you know budget time is just around the corner? The City goes begging for dollars:

The city wants Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to pay a public safety fee per student that could generate as much as $1.26 million annually to cover police, fire and ambulance coverage provided to the campus.

City officials want RPI to pay to offset additional demands placed on city emergency sources due to the school's massive building program that includes EMPAC, the acronym for Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center, and the East Campus Athletic Village.

The City would like RPI to pay $200.00 per student, per year.

City Council President Clement Campana said RPI needs to recognize that it places a lot of demands on city services.

"The public safety fee is something that is long overdue. Given the number of calls we make up there, it's fair to assess something," Campana said.

Campana would prefer the fee isn't directly assessed on the students by RPI. But he said a payment for public safety would improve RPI's image among city residents.

"It's always been the feeling RPI doesn't do enough for the city," Campana said.

And, of course, we have the trademark diplomacy of Deputy Mayor Crawley:

"RPI is noted for saying we're having a grand opening and inviting everyone before they have a CO," Crawley said. "If the invitations go out for October and their place is not completed, they're not going to get a CO."

One rarely sees that caliber of sophisticated diplomacy on the local political level.

The fact of the matter is that RPI benefits Troy directly and indirectly. The opposite is not true. Theoretically, RPI could move to North Adams and flourish. RPI does not need Troy.

As for a fee, why single out RPI? Why not Kennedy Tower as well. Why not assess a fee on students at Doyle Middle School? The police are up at Doyle quite a lot. Why not charge every resident a $200 fee and use it for public safety? We understand that attacking an institution of higher learning plays to the lowest common denominator and that's what the Administration does. There's just better ways to get money from RPI than veiled threats.

THE BID

Going once, going twice....

The Troy Downtown Collaborative plans three meetings to gather comments and suggestions before the proposal goes to the Troy City Council for approval. Owners in the proposed district and the state comptroller’s office also must sign off on the plan.

Clearly, the BID is an important.....we believe it will....screw it. We really don't care.