Rosamilia expected to announce he will not seek a second term

Mayor Lou Rosamilia is expected to announce he will not run for a second term during his State of the City address on Thursday, according to sources close to the mayor.

Rosamilia was elected in 2011 by a comfortable margin over Republican Carmella Mantello, who is likely to take another shot at Troy’s top spot.

The former Hudson Valley Community College accounting professor and former Rensselaer County legislator has had a tough three-plus years in office and the next four, for whoever is mayor, will be all the more difficult.

This year’s budget contains two huge one-shots: A $1.9 million deferral of a mandated pension payment and the $650,000 sale of the former City Hall site. Plus, all six unions are without a contract, emergency dispatch service is expected to increase by at least $250,000, the city is mandated to build a new courthouse and bonded $1.5 million for the project and has bonded millions more for capital improvements. In other words, the city is broke – worse than broke.

Recently, the state Comptroller said the city spend $5.9 million more than it took in from 2011 through 2013 and Moody’s gave the city’s finances a “negative outlook.”

Over the past three years, Rosamilia has had to suspend the head of his Planning Department, Bill Dunne, for installing sidewalks outside the scope of the federal Community Development Block Grant funds, appointed a police commissioner that threw department leadership into chaos, has had to deal with a hostile Council – the majority of which are of his own party - that conducted an investigation into he and his administration for the first time in 36 years. Federal and state agencies are also looking into the controversial demolition projects on King Street and the King Fuels site.

He just never seemed comfortable in the job. He ran almost reluctantly after taking over the party's first candidate, Clement "Chappy" Campana, who ran into issues of his own.

The mayor’s expected decision will open up the slot of a host of possible Democratic Party candidates. Council President Rodney Wiltshire, an enrolled Democrat, said he won’t primary Rosmailia but since his relationship with the party proper is strained – to put it nicely – he may be forced to primary whoever the party picks if he wants the job. More on potential Democratic Party candidates later.    

Mantello clearly wants to run for the Republicans and Councilman Jim Gordon, R-District 1, also is maneuvering for the party’s endorsement.