MAILERS & ENDORSEMENTS

THE INFAMOUS MAILER

Have you seen the mailer? It's atrocious. It's out of bounds. It's great. It's true. We've heard it all. That was before we saw it. We have had our crack team of forensic politicos reviewing the Wiltshire campaign's (yes the WFP paid for the mailer but lets be honest) new mailer attacking Patrick Madden. They have dusted for prints, submitted lab samples and have determined that the mailer is not, out of bounds, beyond the pale etc.. It's also not great. It is, in true keeping with the local Working Families Party, an amateur effort that lacks the refined subtlety one expects from a shrewd political party or a Romanee Conti.

The mailer makes a number of assertions, some contradictory and all irrelevant or wrong.
First, "Patrick Madden was hand-picked by Troy Party Bosses despite having no relevant experience." - Wrong. Patrick Madden was endorsed by the party committee. An endorsement that Wiltshire also wanted but was unable to earn. We guess we are supposed to believe Madden will be the puppet of the 'party bosses', despite the fact that most mayoral candidates are picked by the so-called party bosses. Rodney was picked by the WFP bosses, wasn't he? Democratic boss-puppets are somehow worse than WFP boss-puppets? What exactly will the WFP want in exchange for their support?

No relevant experience. True, unless you believe running an important non-for-profit organization, working with budgets (probably showing up for budget votes), neighborhood groups, area municipalities and people from both parties is somehow relevant experience. That certainly doesn't require leadership experience.

Second,  "Madden has accepted over $3,000 in contributions from Republicans, the largest from his sister, Kathy Jimino." And? Madden draws contributions from the Republicans? He gets money from his sister? I guess we are supposed to believe Madden will be a pawn of the Republicans. The line about Jimino is silly and makes the whole flyer looks even sillier than it should look.

Third, "Madden is not a registered Democrat, has supported Republicans in the past and will not register as a Democrat if elected." Again, so what? Madden is clearly not an overly partisan political animal. That is supposed to be a positive. Besides, aren't Rodney and Team Troy making themselves beholden to another party, the WFP? What does Rodney owe them for their support?

Finally, the City Council Video. If you recall,

It began when Jennifer Vasquez stood up at the April 2 meeting of the City Council and claimed that an employee from TRIP Inc. — which manages her apartment building — had sexually molested her daughter. She also alleged that she was being evicted for reporting the allegation to police.

 

"It was a very disturbing story," said City Council President Rodney Wiltshire. "Our jaws dropped."

In an interview, Vasquez told me that she took her claims to the council because she didn't know where else to turn.

 

Now, I should note that Troy police investigated the allegations and found insufficient evidence to support charges against the employee.

 

So the point here isn't to examine the allegation. Instead, I'm interested in what Patrick Madden, the longtime executive director at TRIP, did after the meeting.

 

Madden, in a series of emails obtained by the Times Union, lobbied city officials to have Vasquez's comments edited from a tape of the meeting that would air on Time Warner Cable. Madden wrote that Vasquez "had been allowed to slander us."

 

Here's the political angle: Madden is a potential Democratic mayoral candidate who has interviewed for the party's official nod. (Wiltshire is already running — but he almost certainly won't get the party's official nod.)

City officials agreed to edit the tape. Unlike other council meetings, the April 2 meeting is not online.

Madden insists his request had nothing to do with protecting his political viability. He noted that Vasquez named several TRIP employees, including the man she accused of sexual abuse, when she addressed the council.

 

"The proper place to deal with these things is at the police department, and not the public comment period during a meeting," Madden said. "There's no good that comes of it for anyone."

 

The city broke no laws by providing Time Warner with an edited tape, said Robert Freeman, executive director of the state Committee on Open Government, so long as it hasn't altered the tape it keeps as the official record of the meeting  (From the Times Union, Chris Churchill).

 

Madden did what any responsible CEO would do: try and protect his organization and people from defamatory statements. The police investigated the allegations and no charges were brought. Ms. Vasquez was potentially going to defame a number of people and TRIP. He asked that those portions of the council meeting video be edited. He got his way. It did not have to happen that way. The Council could have said no. Further, the name of the Ms. Vasquez' daughter was edited out of the video as well (an edit fought by Councilman Doherty). Should that have been left in the video? Do we really want the name of a supposed infant victim broadcast on a Troy City Council  meeting video.

 

So, the mailer is typical WFP product: Amateurish and heavy-handed. Remember, this is the same party that insisted on fighting the absentee ballot challenges that lead to the voter fraud scandal. They could have walked away but insisted on fighting the initial challenge. Legendary political operative Bob Mirch was constantly stealing their line in primaries. They are increasingly irrelevant considering the last few elections. The Democrats can win without them and have won without them.

 

 

ENDORSEMENTS

 

We certainly do not plan on making specific endorsements in every race, just a few.

 

COUNCIL DISTRICT 5

 

 

 

 

Former At-Large Councilwoman (no offense intended) Lynn Kopka is facing newcomer David Bissember. We like both candidates but have to go with Kopka. She has been a voice of reason during the last two years and has helped the current Council President when he has screwed-up a number of procedural issues. There are those that laugh at her efforts to reduce the feral cat population. Those that laugh at such humane endeavors...well, shame on them.

 

AT-LARGE

 

 

 

 

Anasha Cummings. There is room for Anasha and we think he brings something different to the Council. He is smart and despite what some may think, not the knee-jerk lefty some think. He also looks like a guy we could have a butterbeer with and he's always there to help us with our Care of Magical Creatures exam (sorry, its meant in a good-natured way).

 

 

 

 

Carey Dresher. Just check out the Dresher's resume. He's a professional, smart and energetic. The type of person we need on the City Council.

 

MAYOR

 

After much deliberation we endorse:

 

 

A careful examination of what Madden can bring to the office makes this an easy choice. Madden has run a large, not-for-profit agency for many years. It is an agency that works on housing and home ownership issues - one of Troy's greatest challenges. There is not a hint of scandal or ego. He is a sincere man that has kept clear of Troy's crazy, partisan politics.

 

In a refreshingly thoughtful statement, he discussed struggling with the decision to run for mayor. This caused our former mayor, Harry Tutunjian (not in office for four years), to exclaim, "If you have to struggle with the decision maybe you shouldn't be running."

 

Really, former Mr. Mayor - not in office for four years. A person takes the time to examine how a run for mayor may impact his family and himself, the agency he runs and, yes, the city he may lead and you question it? As if thought and self-reflection is a bad thing. Maybe Madden doesn't lust for power. Perhaps if you had thought about your decisions at all Troy could have been spared eight years of bullying and incompetence.

 

Rodney Wiltshire...damn, we wanted to like him ever since he was elected to the Council. We still want to like him. A young democrat with a future. He seemed to have good, progressive values, ran a private company, just the type of person the Democrats needed. And yet...

 

1. When Garry Galuski  (District 6) wanted to chair a committee (not an unreasonable request from a member of the majority) Rodney responded, "I'm not going to be his house nigger." An overreaction as well as an immature response. We understand that Galuski was not, and has never, sought household help. We can give him a pass on that. Some stumble out of the gate.

 

2. Council President Wiltshire missed two budget votes. That's right, two. What did he have to say?

 

Last week, with the city in serious financial trouble, eight of nine council members gathered for a big vote on the 2015 budget. The empty chair, of course, belonged to Wiltshire. He was in Florida on vacation with his family.

 

Wiltshire said it was a timing issue. He expected the final budget vote on Nov. 15, so he scheduled the vacation for days that followed. When the vote was delayed, he missed it.

 

"I did everything in my power to be responsible about my duty and my job," Wiltshire said. "But because of all the problems we had with this budget, it didn't work out."

 

We could cut Wiltshire some slack. These things happen. We all make mistakes. Plus, every family deserves a vacation. Nobody should begrudge Wiltshire and his kin a few days in the sun.

 

But he also missed last year's final budget vote, which took place on Nov. 15.

 

What happened then?

 

"Honestly, I don't recall," Wiltshire said. "I know we were on vacation then as well."

 

His best line: "I hope that most people understand that my presence there wouldn't have made a difference one way or the other," Wiltshire said. That about sums it up.

 

3. The ridiculous hearings held earlier this year. First, he could not focus on one issue. Yes, the King Street fiasco was rife for questions (still is). But there was no need to investigate the RFP's for the former Scolite site. There was nothing wrong with the RFP's. He listened to a disgruntled contractor who cried foul when his RFP was rejected. The Council caved and Troy lost 60 jobs for no...zero...reason.

 

The King Fuels demolition. There was no issue there either. If a contractor happens to perform his duties in violation of various regulations, there are already procedures in place to deal with such violations. It has happened before. What could the council possibly have accomplished by asking questions on issues they clearly did not understand. It was clear that Rodney and Zalewski did not understand that the IDA is not the City. They also did not realize, or care, that Russ Revees had an axe to grind and they ignored all testimony that contradicted Reeve's testimony.

 

The hearings were scattered, unfocused, far to broad and any testimony that contradicted Wiltshire's pre-conceived notions was ignored. They exhausted the council's discretionary budget and accomplished? Anyone? Anyone? Nothing. The final report is full of recommendations (already addressed by state and federal codes, rules and regulations)but not one has been acted upon by this Council. One is forced to conclude that the whole exercise was fabricated to embarrass Mayor Lou and promote Wiltshire's political ambitions. While the events investigated have resulted in numerous indictments...oh, not yet? Soon? Any day now?  

 

Wiltshire has had ample opportunity to lead. He hasn't. The only talent he has shown is for self-promotion.

 

We take no joy in pointing out these failings. Wiltshire has an excellent opportunity to be the Democratic nominee and will actually have an easier time defeating Gordon than Madden will have. There's just no there, there. Hopefully, if elected, Wiltshire will take the job more seriously than he has his current position.

THE BIG DAY

We are two days from the Democratic primaries. This may be the most important contest this year. Maybe of our lifetime. Maybe ever!

By Thursday night we will know who the Democratic candidate for mayor will be. More importantly, we will know if Democratic County Chair Tom Wade can still bring it. Or, will the insurgents upend traditional politics?

We at The Polloi have no idea, hint, prediction....of what happens Thursday. Since the reintroduction of the mayoral system, there has not been a primary for mayor in either party. We have no idea how many people will vote. We have no idea if the bulk of registered democrats, those not politically active, even know much about this race. Will they vote? Will they vote if the rain on Thursday is heavy during prime voting hours?

According to the highly respected Troy Polloi Poll, Wiltshire has it cold.*

Tomorrow, the highly prized Troy Polloi endorsements. Today, give us your predictions. Who runs better against GOP candidate Jim Gordon. What happens to Wade if Wiltshire and Team Troy wins?


*Margin of error +/- 43%

CANDIDATE FORUM

Seventeen candidates running for ten positions met fifty residents at Friday's Candidate Forum. 
Present were mayoral candidates, Rodney Wiltshire, Ernest Everett, Patrick Madden, Jim Gordon and Jack Cox, Jr.,  City Council At-Large candidates present included Andrea Daley, David Martin, Anasha Cummings, Cary Dresher, and Peggy Kownack. Other candidates included Jessica Ashley in District 1, Anastasia Robertson in District 2, Bob Doherty, Barbara Higbee and Collin Fox Thomas in District 4, David Bissember in District 5 and Corey Jenkins in District 6.

Said one potential voter: “They go around and stick stuff in your door, but it was good to get a chance to hear them.” Unfortunately the  resident failed to elaborate on the term stuff, leaving us to wonder if she meant campaign literature or rotten fruit, vegetables, used Kleenex, body parts or other miscellaneous items.

 

 

 

The following is a partial list of the questions the candidates faced.

 

1) Should I fake orgasm?

 

2) If  a train leaves Penn Station travelling west at  90 miles an hour  and another train leaves Union Station travelling east at 87 miles an hour, why do you suck?

 

3) What was the real nature of Frodo and Sam's relationship?

 

4) Only three root words in the English language begin with dw- use them all in one sentence. 

 

5) Why is '70's porn lit so poorly? 

 

This could be one of the most exciting elections ever. Why is it so boring?                                                   

MEMORIALS AND STUFF

OK, everyone in your seats. Settle down and open your texts to page 7

First, we are pleased to announce that August, our first month back, saw 7,342 unique visitors. So, thanks to everyone that stopped by. We will have a special gift for our 8,000th visitor.

On the other hand, its not like we are surprised by our success. The Troy Polloi has been called, "The smartest political site, maybe ever," - "Brilliant, insightful, possibly the blueprint for a new civilization," - "A blog."*

Now, street memorials. We've all seen them, either in news reports or in person. Candles, pictures and ball caps on the sidewalks. Crosses planted along the roadsides and highways. Come to think of it, it looks like an urban and rural phenomenon, not yet de rigueur in the 'burbs.

The Troy City is contemplating legislation to prohibit such memorials. We now know it was yanked off the agenda at last night's meeting.

First, would such legislation even be necessary. We do have a City Code.

Section 251-3 states:

"It shall be unlawful for any person to place or maintain, or permit to be placed or maintained, upon the street or sidewalk opposite to any lot, store or building owned or occupied by him/her, in whole or in part, or upon any street in the City, any article, thing, case, box, fence, counter or structure, which shall in any manner encumber or obstruct such street or sidewalk or in any way impede, restrict or interrupt the full and free use thereof, except as otherwise expressly provided in this chapter." 

It's unlawful to place or maintain any article, things case, box, fence, counter.... Couldn't they leave it at things? Aren't the other items listed just things? Anyway, this looks like it would authorize the removal of any such sidewalk memorial, making further legislation unnecessary.

Is it too much of a stretch to think any such legislation is unnecessary and simply pandering? We know that many feel that the Faison memorial is a slap in the face to the police. But would the Council contemplate such legislation simply as a reaction to the Faison memorial? Lets take a peek at what they may have thought.


On Wed, Sep 2, 2015 at 8:18 AM, lynn kopka > wrote:

 

Ken - you noted that the city council should do better with the memorial legislation. can you please send the suggested revisions so they may be incorporated? many thanks. Lynn

 

 

 

From: Ken Zalewski
Sent: Sep 2, 2015 8:29 AM
To: lynn kopka
Cc: city council , "Ian.Silverman" , "John.Tedesco"
Subject: Re: memorial legislation

I'll propose amendments on the floor.

 

On Wed, Sep 2, 2015 at 8:35 AM, lynn kopka  wrote:

we need  be sure that such amendments are legal and enforceable so please get them to ian. many thanks

 

 

From: Ken Zalewski
Sent: Sep 2, 2015 8:52 AM
To: lynn kopka
Cc: city council , "Ian.Silverman" , "John.Tedesco"
Subject: Re: memorial legislation

 

That's the problem with rushing legislation, Lynn.  Impulsive legislation always has problems, with both the verbiage itself, and with public reaction.  Again, I'll reference the SAFE Act.

 

There are better ways to support our police officers.  Mike and I tied a blue ribbon around a tree in our front yard last week.  It's our own way of showing solidarity with TroyPD.

 

I don't have the time to formulate the proper verbiage yet.  Hopefully, I'll have it ready for the meeting on Thursday.

 

 

On Sep 2, 2015, at 9:22 AM, lynn kopka  wrote:

we worked extensively with the NYCOM attorneys. Again, if you have identified problems with the memorial legislation, please send the suggestions. Supporting the police and regulating memorials seem to be two different issues.

From: James Gordon [mailto:jgordon003@nycap.rr.com]
Sent: Wednesday, September 02, 2015 9:41 AM
To: Lynn M. Kopka
Cc: Ken Zalewski; city council; Ian.Silverman; John.Tedesco
Subject: Re: memorial legislation

 

Being a part of this process I can say I am comfortable with what the result is. We know the issue and we understand the objective. The legislation addresses the concerns and does so in a respectful manner and within the confines of Constitutional law. We should pass this as is and move on. 

Jim Gordon

Councilman, Dist. 1 

 

 

Rather disturbing, no? Lynn and Ken seem to be reluctant yet supportive. Kopka does point out the difference between supporting the police and legislation on street memorials. Ken, remarkably, admits that the legislation is a sham and meant not so much to regulate conduct but to support the police. Gordon is gung ho! Lets do this thang.

 

No matter what you think, government cannot pass legislation designed shut down expression, even under the guise of a content-neutral law. This e-mail exchange establishes the motivation behind the legislation and its best that it was withdrawn.

 

Then there's the law of unintended consequences. We may feel a degree of satisfaction when a would-be cop killer's memorial is taken done. Our reaction when a memorial to a child, one adorned with teddy bears or other symbols of innocence, is removed is going to be quite different.

 

*See, Democratus on The Troy Polloi, Troy Polloi Press, 2015.

ARE WE THERE YET?

Before we get to our post, we have this:

Just funny, that's all. Why does God hate District 2?


Here we go: just a friendly reminder of who is running for what in Thursday's Democratic  primary. Remember to vote. If you don't, the terrorists win. (A reader points out the primary is next Thursday, our mistake. We should have been clear).

Mayor

Ernest Everett
Patrick Madden
Rodney Wiltshire

Wiltshire will have the Working Families Party line in November.

City Council At-large (top three vote-getters in the general election punished by getting a seat on the City Council).

So-Called Wade Democrats will be listed first, followed by Team Troy.


Erin Sullivan-Teta (incumbent)
Carol Weaver
Carey Dresher

Peggy Kownack
Anasha Cummings
David Martin


Council District 1

Laurie Ryan
Jessica Ashley

Council District 2  *
No primary

Council District 3
No primary

Council District 4

Barbara Jones Higbee
Bob Doherty (incumbent)

Council District 5

Lynn Kopka (At-Large incumbent running in a district for first time)
David Bissember

Council District 6

Wayne D'Arcy
Corey Jenkins

With a few exceptions, this is a veritable 'who's that' of the political world. A bad thing? Not necessarily.

Of course the Democratic line for mayor is the big enchilada. It is not only a straight-forward contest between two candidates, it may determine Democratic Chair Tom Wade's future. While a Wiltshire victory has no technical effect on the chairmanship, it will weaken Wade's influence and perhaps ignite another attempt to oust him at the next organizational meeting. If Wiltshire wins, what does it say about Wade's ability to run the party? Beth Walsh bucked the system in her run for Family Court, but Troy mayor is like the jewel in the Democratic crown. If Wade has no input into the patronage mill his influence will have to wane.

If Wiltshire and most of his people lose the primary, is that that? Is he done, over, neutralized? Can Bob Doherty, the Team Troy player with the best chance of winning, carry the Team Troy banner into the new year?**

Outside of the mayoral contest, the big race to watch is District 5 (nestled cozily between Districts 4 and 6). It is well-known that Wiltshire and Lynn Kopka do not like each other. Team Troy is concentrating most of their efforts in this district and the results will be telling. Or not. We have heard good things about Mr. Bissember and we like Lynn Kopka (yes, feral cats and all). District 5 should be in good hands.

* Based on their choice between McGrath and Robertson, Council District 2 sent use a hostage video where they blinked S.O.S on a continuous loop

** Not a figure of speech but an actual banner he will have to lug around in public

Q & A PART II

Next Question:

How do you plan on continuing and growing the downtown Renaissance?

Madden: Replace the Uncle Sam statue with a giant statue of Copernicus.

Wiltshire: Hold hearings on who erected the giant statue of Copernicus and how to prevent it in the future.

Gordon: Who is Copernicus?

Cox: Make everyone wear pantaloons!

Everett: Who took my pantaloons?

In half seriousness, a synopsis:

Jack B Cox, Jr
The first thing I will do is to make Troy a more business friendly environment. Many wonderful projects have been lost due to inappropriate political and personal behavior in our planning and zoning departments.* As a student of Civil Engineering,** land development is my passion. If there is one department I will be extremely hands on with when elected, it will be planning and zoning department.

Jim Gordon
The rebirth of our downtown is at a point of being, for the most part, self staining,*** but does require support and nurturing of the government.

Rodney Wiltshire
Working with the BID and truly partnering with them for both marketing and services. We need to encourage more local entrepreneurship as well as seeking outside interest.****

Ernest Everett
I feel what's happening downtown is fantastic in many ways but we could always be better. There are a few high-crime spots that deter growth in certain sections... and I feel a safer downtown will bring in even more business. Creating a lasting and useful riverfront is also a priority as we would attract new businesses and residents who in turn, invest in our city. I'd also like to partner with the BID to use them as an example for both South Troy and Lansingburgh to foster economic growth in ALL of Troy, not just downtown.*****

Patrick Madden
The downtown renaissance is stunning. I think we are all thrilled and amazed. A resilient, vibrant and diverse downtown core is a prerequisite of any great City. This is an important and significant accomplishment. Despite the momentum, however, the City still has an important role in the continued development of the downtown. Several crucial tasks remain, including:
Development of 1 Monument Square. This is a vital location sitting on the riverfront in the heart of the downtown. Whereas a few years ago we may have been desperate to get any reasonable development on the site I think this is no longer the case. The interest in our downtown gives us the luxury of taking our time to get it right as opposed to getting it fast.****** The City should ensure that any proposed project aligns with our architecture, our desired access to the riverfront and the growing vibrancy of the neighborhood.

* Cox refers, of course, to the infamous Zoning Board purple nurple debacle.

** Is Cox an engineer or just a student of engineering?

*** Self staining but not self-cleaning

**** Outside interest includes but is not limited to stamp collecting, curling and Jarts.

***** How come I don't get an asterisk?

****** Pay attention ladies, Madden respects  foreplay.

Q&A THE MEN WHO WOULD BE MAYOR

OK, settle down kids and take out your number 2 pencils

Here's the first part of our multi-part series were we examine how the mayoral hopefuls answer questions posed by citizens.

Troy mayoral candidates recently responded (in writing) to questions submitted by the voters. What a novel concept. The Times Union has the goods.

Question#1 - How to stop burned-out, building blight and random acts of alliteration.

Madden gets points for substance. You can tell the guy knows this end of things. How? Our eyes started to glaze over by paragraph 17. He does speak in specifics and in this type of forum, that is fine. We hope he can distill these thoughts into a more concise statement for actual debates. GRADE: A (as a sedative, A+).

Everett's answer had promise but he jumped straight to 'allocating' more money. That money has to come from somewhere. Does it come from the existing budget or from a tax hike? GRADE: B

Like Everett, Gordon's answer has promise but misses some key issues. The city has 20,000 properties that need to be inspected. How many code officers are there? Four? How many can read? The other issue is investment properties that have fallen into disrepair. Many are owned by LLC's etc. They can ignore delinquencies, bills, penalties and just declare bankruptcy. No single person or persons are responsible for the property. Still, it shows promise. GRADE: B

Rodney failed on this one. We are disappointed and expected more from him on such an important topic for this city. More details Rodney. GRADE: F (or an incomplete, but we will mark him down one letter grade for each day he is late).

Jack Cox had some intriguing ideas as well, although there could be legal hurdles in the idea of aiding neighbors in tearing down adjoining properties. GRADE: B

We applaud all the passing grade candidates for at least adding to the conversation. Wiltshire needs to step-up his game. He has a very real chance to wrest the nomination from the Democratic establishment. If he can do that, we think it could be a blow-out in November. We need more than two-sentence answers from a man that has a real chance of being mayor. Rodney has a reputation for being lazy and these answers, or lack thereof, reinforce that reputation. We want to hear what he has to say or know that he has something to say.

Question#2 - Improving Regional Transit in the City

This was an unfortunate question* as seen by the answers. Are we talking about ease of travel in the city or making travel from and to Troy, easier?

Madden spent way too much time explaining why the question was poorly phrased. GRADE: C

Cox had the same problem but actually answered the question and it made sense. GRADE B+

Gordon referred the reader to another of his answers which we didn't bother to look at. We won't grade him. We don't want him angry.

Wiltshire. Another haiku answer but an answer. Damn, man. More substance and don't speak in acronyms and if you do, explain it. REDC? Not everyone is going to know REDC. GRADE C-.

Everett. Uh, bike lanes in our major corridors? That sounds dirty. Anywho, maybe. Some day. Right now, an emphasis on improving road quality and making Troy a parking-friendly city would be more useful. Bikers are a pain-in-the-ass for commuters. Especially in Troy, with it's many narrow, one-way streets (and their stupid shorts and shirts and goofy helmets, god we hate those mother....sorry, pause for a station break). GRADE B.

There's not much vision here.** Perhaps that's the nature of the question or perhaps it reflects the candidates. Years ago, and we're fuzzy on the details, John Hedley proposed a high-speed rail between downtown Troy and Albany. It was to run on a track adjacent to the banks of the Hudson (ie. over the water) so very little land would be needed. Imagine, two or three stops in Troy and then right to downtown Albany. Yes, there are many issues. The State and the Feds would need to be involved and it would be a longshot. But it is the type of big idea were are missing in today's politics. Plus, it would be way cool.

We will do part II soon, if we can keep our eyes open.

*Regarding poorly phrased and/or stupid questions: In the future, the candidate that answers such a questions- Shut the fuck up, that's stupid - gets our valued endorsement.

** Not one candidate mentioned George Jetson-like flying cars! Really?

HE JUST DOESN'T GET IT

Harry just doesn't get it. He's still posting his inane tweets. Jesus Christ! It's like trying to deal with Fredo.

                                                         "I'm smart! I can do things!"

Lets talk about spikes in crime. Remember this oldie but goodie. Yes, crime rates wax and wane. Why is the former mayor fanning the flames? Does he want someone else to get hurt? We guess he just can't play the elder statesman.

Why have we decided to dedicate some posts to our old pal? He is having problems letting go. Unlike former Mayor Pattison, Harry can't let things go. He wants desperately to be relevant. The faded, garish Tutunjian sign still sits on Hoosick Street, just over the town line, the ghost of Harry's glory days, He has to insert himself into the dialogue and, based upon our Gordon campaign informant, is trying to turn GOP mayoral candidate Jim Gordon into a Tut-Bot. In the small, dark hours, Harry dreams sweetly of a third term. This is not healthy. Harry, help us help you. Help us, help you.

As for the Tutunjian Administration's support of the Troy Police, remember the Brian Owens story*? No? You can find it here and here. Cop overseas, fighting for his country: Fuck 'em.

*Not to be confused with the Brian Piccolo Story.

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.