Democratic Committee selects Patrick Madden for mayor

MADDEN

The Troy Democratic Party Selection Committee is expected to announce it is recommending Patrick Madden, the long-time executive director at the Troy Rehabilitation and Improvement Program, for mayor either later today or tomorrow.

The recommendation will now go to the full committee for a formal vote. The full committee could accept Selection Committee’s recommendation but could vote for someone else who interviewed or someone else altogether. A break from the Selection Committee, however, is unusual and would require a candidate to buck county chairman, Tom Wade, and city chairman, Jack McCann, both of whom serve on the Selection Committee.  

The Selection Committee interviewed a number of candidates for the city’s top spot including Council President Rodney Wiltshire and newcomer Earnest Everett, both of whom have announced their intention to run a primary if they don’t get the party’s support.

Also interviewed were county Legislator Ed Manny and Elizabeth Young-Jojo, the former executive director at the city’s Downtown Improvement District.

Madden, who is not enrolled in any party and can’t vote for himself in a primary, has headed up TRIP, a non-profit organization geared toward housing for low and moderate income individuals and families, since 1987. He is Rensselaer County Executive’s Kathy Jimino’s brother. Jimino is arguably the most powerful Republican in Rensselaer County.

WILTSHIRE

Wiltshire was elected citywide twice and has publicly battled with Wade and the party hierarchy. He has stated he will take his case to the full committee to try to get the party’s endorsement but is prepared to run a primary should he fall short. He will also likely get the Working Families Party support and if that happens he will be on the ballot in November regardless of what the full Democratic committee does over the next couple weeks or the Democratic Party voters say in September’s primary. If Madden is successful in September, as the dynamics stand now, he will have one line headed into November’s general election.

Everett, on the other hand, does not have the ground troops the WFP will provide Wiltshire, and being a newcomer has less of a chance than Wiltshire to swing the full committee to his side. Everett could even have a tough time getting the required 421 signatures – 5 percent of the enrolled Democrats in the city – to get on the primary ballot. But, if the Wade Democrats want to derail Wiltshire, they would help Everett get the necessary signatures because, it is widely believed, he would siphon votes from the council president.

EVERETT (TU PHOTO)

Nobody has formally announced their mayoral intentions for the Republicans but former Councilwoman Carmella Mantello is expected to do so next month. And Councilman Jim Gordon, R-District 1, has all but announced too. Councilman Dean Bodnar, R-District 3, said he is ready and willing to run should the party need him to step up but added he would not primary Gordon should his Council colleague get the endorsement.

Mantello, though, indicated she is moving ahead with her own campaign regardless of what the party does. Appearing on Talk 1300, she said she would seek the Green Party endorsement and create another line along the theme of keeping term limits in place in Troy.

An odd dynamic is that Madden is Jimino's brother and Gordon works for Jimino as the county's DWI coordinator.

Last month, Mayor Lou Rosamilia, a Democrat, announced he would not seek a second term.

More information as it becomes available.       

A police complaint, a notice of claim and there is still a deficit

ZALEWSKI

I was writing a Councilman Ken Zalewski vs. Councilman Gary Galuski column along the same lines as ChrisChurchill at the Times Union, but he beat me to it. And did a good job with it too.

Still, the one unanswered question – in addition to the fact the Troy City Council is squabbling over petty stuff rather than dealing with what is a major financial situation in the city – is why are they even filling a vacant position. Any vacant position. With anyone. It's in the budget, but so what. Spend it somewhere else. 

You can read Zalewski’s account of what transpired by clicking here.

Basically, the argument was about who the Council should hire as the assistant city clerk for $27,000 a year, Rebecca Sweeney or Rhonda Reed. The first is daughter to Board of Elections employee Mary Sweeney who is a loyalist to Democratic Party Chairman Tom Wade. The second is friend of Council President Rodney Wiltshire, or at least his wife. The first ran for a committee seat in District 8 and beat both Wade and Wiltshire (which is still kind of funny to me.)

GALUSKI

During the public debate, Zalewski said the last city clerk, Bill McInerney, was touted by members of the Council, including Galuski, as a hard working member of the Democratic Party. Little did anyone know at the time the hard work he was doing included forging absentee ballots.

Galuski didn’t much like that since he was indicted in the scandal. The charges were later dropped but still, it must have hit a nerve, because he allegedly said to Zalewski: “If you ever embarrass me like that again I’ll take you out.”

According to the Times Union, Zalewski filed a complaint with the Troy Police Department. Now that crime is down in Lansingburgh – history tells us the wanna be gangsters who kept shooting everything up this summer don’t like the cold weather – the TPD detectives I’m sure will send this squabble to the top of their “to do” list.

KOPKA

And still the question remains … why not leave it vacant for a while, save a little bit of money and maybe help close the deficit a little. Instead, both sides were hell-bent on getting their own person into a job.  

The latest complaint comes on the heels of Councilmen Jim Gordon and Dean Bodnar filing a notice of claim against another member of the Council, Lynn Kopka, for an email that hinted the two may have not gone along with a piece of legislation because they were bought off.

Meanwhile, the city spent $6 million more than it took in over the past three years and is staring at what could amount to an $800,000 deficit this year.

The asinine notice of claim and the bogus complaint to the Troy Police Department are indicative of where everyone’s focus is – on petty BS and personal agendas rather than the big picture and what is actually good for the city.  

Across the board public safety fee is an idea worth exploring

GORDON

For years, decades even, the City of Troy has tried to get Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to pay for city services and for years, decades even, the college has refused.

The easiest way to accomplish that would be to charge a nominal public safety fee, as it’s been called in the past, as part of the tuition and that money would pass through the college to the city. But, the city can’t just impose a fee on RPI or any other specific entity without imposing the same fee on all properties, like the recycling fee. And it can’t tax any of the non-profits.

As I mentioned, this has been going on for decades. Now, though, there is a sense of urgency because the city is in the worst financial shape in 20 years.

Councilman Jim Gordon, R-District 1, while appearing on Talk 1300, said he and his Republican colleague, Councilman Dean Bodnar, R-District 3, will propose a possible way to get some much needed cash from RPI and other non-profits.

It’s an out-of-the-box idea, and I have no idea if the city can find a way to implement it, but on the surface it is worth exploring.

BODNAR

According to Gordon, he wants to take all or part of the public safety budget – which equals about half of the city’s total spending per year – and rather than pay for it with taxes spread the bill out among all the properties in the city – including non-profits like RPI – and have them all pay a fee. By bringing such huge non-profits like Samaritan and St. Mary’s Hospital and RPI into the mix, the average homeowner will see an overall decrease in what he or she owes Uncle Sam per year while at the same time it represents a huge, untapped source of much needed revenue.

There are all sorts of road blocks in the way – including how much each property will pay, how to collect the fee, what happens if the fee isn’t paid, odds are the state Legislature will have to pass some sort of law and God knows they can complicate tying a shoe and that’s if the city can even come up with a rationale home rule request.

But, as reported in the Times Union, the city is facing an $800,000 deficit, which is more than 1 percent of the budget. If the city runs the deficit through the end of the year it risks again coming under the auspices of the state Comptroller’s Financial Control Board. That means the Comptroller will pretty much take away the city’s check book and every other aspect of the city’s finances.

Not surprisingly, police and fire overtime are over budget as is temporary help, which is surprising. At the same time some revenues aren’t coming in as predicted such as building permit fees – which I wrote about more than a year ago – and collection of vehicle and traffic fines.

My guess is if the administration of Mayor Lou Rosamilia is saying there is an $800,000 deficit then it’s really $1 million-plus, which will be even harder to make up before the books are closed at year’s end. Or maybe all the mayor, a former accounting professor at Hudson Valley Community College, is worried about is getting the deficit below the 1 percent threshold, or about $750,000.  

ROSAMILIA

And that’s not going to help out next year or the year after that at all. If anything it will just make it harder to get a balanced budget. All of the unions are without a contract, reserves have been spent down in recent years and the city already deferred $1.6 million in pension costs from next year to 2016.

Troy maybe in a little worse shape than other upstate, older industrial cities but it’s not alone in its financial woes. It’s also not alone in having a huge number of non-profits – close to 50 percent – that require a huge amount of city services they don’t pay for.

That’s why Gordon’s idea is at least worth exploring. Of course there will be naysayers and it certainly isn’t going to be an easy lift. But it’s better to get a little creative and explore new ideas rather than point fingers and unilaterally raise taxes on the average homeowner.

 

 

You can't make this up: Councilmen files notice against fellow councilwoman (with EMAILS and DOCUMENTS)

KOPKA

In all my years of covering the Capital Region, in all the arguments, name calling, finger pointing and backstabbing I’ve seen nearly countless members of elected boards engage in with each other, I’ve never seen one sue another one.

But, this is Troy and the electeds here tend to set the bar for everyone else.

Last week, Republican councilmen Dean Bodnar, District 3, and Jim Gordon, District 2, filed a notice of claim against Councilwoman Lynn Kopka, D-At Large, for allegedly libelous comments she made in an email.

What makes it even funnier, Kopka inadvertently sent the email where she allegedly slanders Bodnar and Gordon to Bodnar and Gordon – and who knows who else. Honestly, you just can’t make this stuff up.

The email in question was about a piece of legislation that would require any contractors doing a project for the city worth more than $250,000 to implement an apprenticeship program. The non-union shops are against it while the unions – and by extension the shops that hire union help – are in favor of it. The program would make projects more expensive for the city because the contractors would be required to hire the apprentices. On the flip side, it does provide young people an opportunity to learn a trade.

(It’s odd in that a liberal Democrat like Kopka would be staunchly against a piece of legislation favored by the unions and seemingly go out of her way to stop it while two Republicans voted for it. Again, you can’t make this stuff up.)

Kopka, in an email note, to Josh Reap, legislative representative to the Associated Builders and Contractors of New York State, said:

“I thought the 2 republicans - Dean Bodnar and Jim Gordon - were leaning toward a no vote. I think the unions bought them off somehow. They do not have any of the info you provided to me. If you approach them, please do not mention my involvement - just tell them that you represent various contractors, etc and are aware of the legislation.

Your info and a call from a Troy contractor may push them to call the mayor to veto. Time is ticking thought. Keep me posted.”

Bodnar was infuriated and sent this scathing email to Kopka:

“It's 7:50 am on Saturday, and I'm seeing this for the first time. When you phoned me yesterday you didn't mention exactly what you'd written in this email which you'd sent to Jim "by mistake". You just said you sent him something and that now Jim had probably sent it on to everybody in the world...

BODNAR

REALLY? You're accusing Jim and me of being "BOUGHT OFF" on this issue? Do you have any idea what you've said here? Damn it Lynn, I want you to march right over to your acting district attorney and insist he impanel a grand jury to look into this. How can you possibly assert something like this when all we did was disagree with you on a legislative issue. I'm shocked and disgusted--what the hell kind of person are you? I'm copying Kelly Cramer on this---Kelly, please inform us if we have legal grounds for a suit for slander.

Jim's right--the ABC and anyone else who opposed the apprenticeship resolution had every opportunity to speak to all councilmembers for weeks prior to the vote. Where the hell were they? In fact, Jim and I had many conversations during that period in which we actually solicited opinions from local contractors to get their input on this. We honestly studied the issue, presented concerns in public forums on two occasions, sought dissenting views, and ultimately voted in favor based on the information provided. Isn't that what legislators are supposed to do? And because our vote was at odds with yours, WE WERE BOUGHT OFF???

Lynn, I really don't get upset very easily, but if you smear my reputation, or try to hurt my family--that gets me upset. You've got some serious backtracking to do here. If Jim and I decide to go public with this, you've got one hell of a PR problem 
. And maybe a legal one.”

Gordon too took exception. Here is his email to Kopka:

“This is an interesting thread. Interesting that you suggest that we were "bought off somehow". That's is a very serious accusation especially in the word of public service and ethics. I don't know who Joshua Reap is, but he along with anyone else had the opportunity to express their concerns during the two council meetings this was debated at for several hours. I did have a number of concerns with the original draft and those concerns were mitigated. Additionally, we were assured that any non-union contractor, through their association with the ABC had access to the AP and therefore would be a "qualified" contractor with the city.

GORDON

Finally, I am assuming my eyes were never intended to read this email. And you simply where attempting to make claims regarding myself and Dean privately and suggesting Mr Reap lobby and pressure us to change our mind long after the fact. The issue has passed and is over.

I wonder how many other people may receive this email accidentally...”

 The two Republicans, in turn, filed a notice of claim against Kopka. The opening paragraph of the draft notice of claim states: … “the claimants, Bodnar and Gordon, hereby claim and demand from respondents, Kopka and the City of Troy, monetary compensation for the compensatory and punitive damages sustained by reasons of respondent Kopka’s malicious composition and publication of an electronic email containing numerous libelous statements made of and concerning the claimants.”

  In the end, at the July 10 meeting, the legislation passed by a vote of 6-2 with two other Democrats, Gary Galuski, District 6, and Erin Sullivan-Teta, At Large, voting no and Kopka being absent.

And finally, here are texts of the emails between Kopka and Reap prior to the one Kopka sent to Bodnar and Gordon where she is trying to steer Reap into the best way to get the mayor to veto.

Kopka to Reap on July 24:

“I have not spoken to the mayor yet. will do so later today.”

From Reap to Kopka later that day:

“It was a very good opportunity to voice some concerns and share with the mayor the potential legal problems this legislation may cause both for the city and the many contractors who currently do work for Troy but would no longer be able to do so, should this bill become signed into law.

I have reviewed the legislation you sent me last night and I'm drafting a letter which will highlight our position as well as some of our concerns with the legislation. I will be happy to share a copy with you once its complete. I also got to speak with Bill; it was productive.

I want to thank you for inviting me to that meeting.”

From Kopka back to Reap:

“Josh - get the letter to the mayor (and me) as soon as you can. He only has a day or so before he must act. Happy to include you. All the material presented prior to today's meeting was one-sided.”

Reap to Kopka:

“You got it; letter will be shared tomorrow.”

Kopka to Reap:

“I am not optimistic that the mayor will veto - he is concerned that the council will override (currently split 6 for; 3 against).”

Back to Kopka:

“Thanks. Are there members of the council who voted "yes" but were on the fence?”

And that’s when Kopka sent the email to the world – where she accuses Gordon and Bodnar of being bought off - she thought she was sending just to Reap.

And here is a draft of the notice of claim:

 

Notice of Claim

'Draft Mark McGrath' signs were funny, but they weren't a prank

In what is one of the funniest political gags in a long time someone, or a group of people, littered the landscape with campaign signs for a candidate that has been nothing but coy about his future ambitions.

Black and white “Draft Mark McGrath” signs were put up hours before the Uncle Sam Parade stepped off and minutes before speculation over who was actually responsible for putting them up hit social media and the telephone lines.

Without even reaching out to him, McGrath, the former councilman in District 2 who has not really given a straight answer whether he will run for mayor next year, sent a text saying he had nothing to do with it.

Some believe that’s the case. Others aren’t so sure.

Still others swear Kevin McCashion, the Twitter animal who coined #troycrazy, was behind the entire plot. I don’t know if he is or is not, but I know he did Tweet a photo of a “Draft McGrath” sign that was placed in front of what he claimed to be the home of Councilwoman Anastasia Roberston, D-District 2. You have to admit that’s pretty funny.

MCGRATH

But, since now is the time when the jockeying starts for any mayoral hopeful, the signs can’t be discounted as a simple prank. In the very least, it has people talking. If it was a prank, it was hysterical. If it wasn’t, it’s a pretty clever maneuver.

McGrath along with Councilman Jim Gordon, R-District 1, are the two credible names bantered about with the most regularity as Republican candidates.

Gordon, I think, wants it more than McGrath and Gordon probably has more support among the Republican Party proper than McGrath. But, Gordon would also have to give up his Council seat to run for mayor and he has a full time job. McGrath is retired from the state Comptroller’s Office and really has nothing to lose with all the time in the world to try

GORDON

McGrath, appearing on Talk 1300, said he isn’t liked by the mainstream of either party. And while that much is true, it is common knowledge being a political outsider plays well with voters and he just recently started making it a bigger issue that it is. He was elected to four terms with Republican support, after all.

His shoot from the hip style is endearing to those who agree and infuriating to those who don’t. I think though, that style plays well with the voters – if not the insiders - of both parties too. That said, he is an enrolled Conservative adding another dimension to the mix should there be a primary.

Gordon, on the other hand, works in a political job and is a Republican through and through. While he has, in his first nine months on the Council, played nice with the Democratic majority, the Democrats are split so his vote and the vote of his GOP colleague, Councilman Dean Bodnar, R-District 3, are needed by Council President Rodney Wiltshire. And for those votes the Republicans got committee chairmanships and appointments. It wasn’t done on the count of any ideology outside of partisan politics.

ROSAMILIA

That said, Gordon has worked his way up the ranks doing a host volunteer work for the party and his Lansingburgh neighborhood. Something McGrath can’t really put on his resume.   

To make a long story short. I don’t think the signs were a prank at all. I think they were a well-planned - and well-played - move to force the Republican hand and come court him to run for mayor. McGrath may or may not have known about it, but there are some in the GOP who think he is their best shot at beating Mayor Lou Rosamilia should he run for re-election next November - or any other candidate for that matter.

(As an aside, I was talking to someone who was postulating on the possibility of a Wiltshire vs. McGrath race next year. He said, and I paraphrase: “It would be a macho kind of race … you know, who can bench the most weight, who can run up The Approach faster and who can win a stare-down contest.”)          

Wade vs. Wiltshire in ED 8

WADE

       Primary Day is Tuesday, and one of the most interesting is a lowly committee seat in the City of Troy.

As first reported here, Chairman Tom Wade, who has been a committeeman for decades, will go head-to-head with Council President Rodney Wiltshire in Election District 8. Their respective running mates are Rebecca Sweeney and Rev. Tim Sherman.

It’s an anomaly in that political parties often have a difficult time filling committee seats let alone have more than two people to fill the slots in each of the 30 election districts city wide. And, it is because two of the party’s leaders are battling each other for the thankless, unpaid position.

The fallout began last year when Wiltshire accepted the Independence Party line from the Republicans setting him up for the presidency, knocking party loyalist – in other words a Wade ally - Lynn Kopka out of the spot.

WILTSHIRE

Wiltshire, however, said he knew he wasn’t getting any support from the party and was fighting for his political life. As such, he was left no other option but to take any line available.

The president also alienated himself with the party proper by appointing GOP members of the Council to chair committees. His strongest ally, Councilman Ken Zalewski, also backed a Republican candidate, Dean Bodnar, R-District 3, during the election a year ago over the party’s candidate, Michelle DeLair.

When Wade and the Democrats refused to circulate nominating petitions for the two in June, the chairman threatened to bounce them from the party if they opted to run on their own. Obviously, they took that option.

There are only 344 enrolled Democrats in Election District 8 and of those 300 are “active” according to the Board of Elections. If 35 percent of those show up to the polls – or are taken to the polls by Wade or Wiltshire – it will be a healthy turnout.

ZALEWSKI

Both sides are working hard too. Below is a letter written by Zalewski to a number of Democrats, including City Hall employees. Notice he “signed” the email as his Council title, president pro temp. As I said, Wade been involved in the nitty-gritty of Democratic Party politics for decades and nobody in the county can count votes – or get his people to vote – better than he.

In the end, regardless of who wins, and it could conceivably be Wade and Wiltshire, it won’t matter too much in any practical manner. Wade can still be chairman without being a committee man and not being a member of the committee does not prevent Wiltshire from holding onto his Council seat or running for higher office like mayor.

If one is on the losing end, however, it will be a blow to their egos and will certainly be used by enemies in either of their future political endeavors.

Polls are open from noon to 9 p.m. Tuesday.

There are a number of other committee primaries across the city. Here is a link to a map of the Election Districts in Troy. And here is a link to all the primaries in Rensselaer County.

KZ letter

Wiltshire and Zalewski are not backing down

WILTSHIRE

ZALEWSKI

As one prominent Troy Democrat said: “Hey, if we don’t have any decent Republicans to fight … we may as well fight with each other.”

And there is no doubt a fight brewing within the Democratic ranks.

Chairman Tom Wade is looking to oust Council President Rodney, his wife Jolene and Councilman Ken Zalewski, D-District 5 from the Democratic Party Committee. He strongly hinted that if they don’t walk away from the seats quietly, and instead challenge his picks by waging primaries, he would look to have them removed from the party for disloyalty.

Safe to say, the three are not going quietly.

“As a proud registrant and committeeman of the Democratic Party, I have consistently proven my loyalty to the party leadership, elected Democratic officials, voters and constituents,” said Wiltshire, a former president of the Rensselaer County Young Democrats, in a statement. “If the chairman wishes to proceed down this path I, along with my attorney Kathleen O’Keefe, will pursue this in court.

WADE

“I am a Democrat through and through. I have never supported nor given money to a non-Democratically endorsed candidate. I take these allegations seriously and I am prepared to take this as far as it needs to go.”

O’Keefe worked for Sen. Cecelia Tkazyk in her nail-bitter recount win over Assemblyman George Amadore and has long been counsel to the state Assembly majority. In other words, she knows Election Law and if Wade does try to bounce the three from the party it could ultimately end up in court.

The disloyalty, Wade claims, started when Wiltshire accepted the Independence Party endorsement in exchange for giving the Republicans committee chairs and other appointments. Zalewski’s disloyalty, according to Wade, was when he backed incumbent Republican Councilman Dean Bodnar over his Democratic challenger Michelle DeLair during the District 5 race last year.

KOPKA

Both sides are coy about their strategy too. The way it works is a committee representative can run in any Election District within the Assembly District where they reside. So few signatures are needed to get on the ballot that they can wait until the last minute to show their hands and disclose who is running where. In other words, we likely won't know who is running where and against who until petitions are filed next month. It really doesn't get more down and dirty than a good committee fight.

The brewing battle became public when Wade handed out committee petitions for the “solid” committee members. I say “solid” because there are 30 Election Districts in the city, and with each having two committee members it’s not easy to fill the entire slate and there are always vacancies. There are those party loyalists, however, who have served for years and who run without question every two years. The Wiltshires and Zalewski were once considered “solid” committee members.

ROSAMIlIA

That started to change when Wiltshire accepted the Independence Party line, which helped him knock Lynn Kopka, D-At Large, out of the presidency she held for two years. Kokpa is a tried and true Wade loyalist.  

Add that to the ongoing investigation the Council is conducting into two controversial demolition projects headed up – or ordered by – members of the administration of Mayor Lou Rosamilia, another Wade loyalist, and Wiltshire’s well known ambitions for higher office and … well … we have a war. 

The winner of the war, should the two sides continue with the game of chicken and actually bang heads when petitions are due next month, will likely have control of not only the Democratic nod for mayor but the Rensselaer County Democratic Party.  

   

 

 

The politics of Scolite

WILTSHIRE

Now that the dust is settling on what was a pretty dusty deal to sell the Scolite property to RJ Valente one thing is clear: Council President Rodney Wiltshire is setting himself up for a mayoral run.

True, the dynamics changed a bit since Wiltshire was one of six votes to move the deal out of committee two weeks ago, but if he wanted to play nice with Mayor Lou Rosamilia and the rest of the Democratic Party proper, he would have tabled it as the mayor wanted to do Thursday morning.

The dynamics I’m referring to, of course, are the FBI making inquiries and a strongly worded letter written by the attorney representing one of the bidders - a conglomerate of companies including Don Fane - not awarded the South Troy chunk of land which indicated a lawsuit was coming should the Council approve the deal.

WADE

But still, Wiltshire could have tabled the ordinance. Instead, in an email to his Council colleagues Thursday, he said he was pushing it to a vote and it ended up getting shot down by a 5-4 count. Wiltshire and Councilwoman Anastasia Robertson, D-District 2, changed their votes and Councilman Dean Bodnar, R-District 3, who was absent from the committee meeting also voted no.

Thursday morning saw a flurry of activity. First Rosamilia wanted to amend the ordinance to remove the licensing provision extended to Valente and convert it to a straight sale pending state approval. But, that would have needed six votes that obviously weren’t there. Then the mayor wanted it tabled, but since it was already on the agenda it was Wiltshire’s call and he refused. He really couldn't orchestrate the administration's unorganized efforts but he certainly took advantage of them.

KOPKA

It’s a pretty gutsy move by Wiltshire because he did make Rosamlia look bad - and weak - and he further alienated himself from the party and that includes Chairman Tom Wade.

If you remember, Wiltshire got the Independence Party line thanks to the GOP and he used that along with Working Families Party support to wrest the Council presidency away from Councilwoman Lynn Kopka, D-At Large, a party loyalist. True, Kopka came in third behind Erin Sullivan-Teta, but she too is loyal to the Dems. In other words he made no friends by playing footsie with the GOP and lost even more by butting heads with Rosamilia.  

Wiltshire has said he wants to run for mayor but won’t primary Rosamilia should the mayor opt to run again. I don’t think he will, and I don’t think the Dems will support Wiltshire. That means there could be a primary – the first for a major party line since the city changed to this form of government nearly 20 years ago – if Wiltshire continues down the path he’s started to clear.

ROSAMILIA

In fact, I’m told the last time there was a mayoral primary for a major party line was when Republican Neil Kelleher Sr. defeated Frank Pop in 1959 before the city changed from an elected strong mayor form of government to an appointed city manager. It changed back for the election of 1995. Pop, by the way, was the party’s choice and Kelleher went on to win the general election.

I’ve been trying to get in touch with Vegas to get some odds on potential mayoral candidates and hopefully they get back to me sometime over the weekend. When they do, I will post.

Cox causes Council to call for more cops

ROBERT COX with a KITTY CAT

The Troy City Council is asking for an addition police officer at their monthly meetings after a regular, and vocal, critic threatened to get a gun and shoot members in retaliation for a family member being denied the purchase of city owned property.

And police are taking the threats made by Robert Cox seriously, according to an email sent to the Council by Chief John Tedesco. (Emails to and from members of the Council can be seen below.)

It appears Cox was unhappy with the Council for voting down an ordinance that would have sold two city owned properties – 30 and 36 Dowu St. – to his nephew Jack Cox Jr.

I’ll let the emails speak for themselves but I will sum them up as best I can: After the meeting, Robert Cox, unhappy with the vote said, “among other things” that he was going to get a gun and shoot people; off duty Police Officer Bob Fitzgerald overheard him and told Councilman Dean Bodnar about it; Bodnar in turn told the rest of the Council and Tedesco. Councilman Jim Gordon, since Cox singled him out from the podium at the meeting, said in one email he is getting an order of protection.

You can get a more comprehensive picture if you read the emails, and I provided info that isn’t included like who made the threats and the officer who overheard them. As to the latter, it’s kind of ironic in that it’s similar to one of the reasons given by then Mayor Harry Tutunjian to place Fitzgerald (pictured right) on paid administrative leave a few years ago.  

Before you move on, though, a little bit of history. This is not the first time the Council has been threatened in such a way. Once, probably 16 years ago, Fran Pomiber, an original member of the Trojans for Troy, threatened to shoot the entire Council with a machine gun. On her way up the stairs, with a police officer graciously escorting her, she turned and yelled: “I don’t want to see this in Talespin, Franco.” Of course, I put it in Talespin and that was the last anyone ever heard of it.

Now, thanks to tragedies like Columbine, Sandy Hook and the SAFE Act, such threats throw everyone into a panic.  

Anyway, I’ve always like Jack Cox Sr., I don’t know Jack Cox Jr. (pictured left) that well but he ran for mayor a few years ago and for that I give him credit, but Robert Cox has a tendency to just fly off the hook once in a while. I know that first hand because I’ve been on the receiving end of his tirades more than once. Is he dangerous? There are those who think so, so I guess it’s better to be safe than sorry.

 THE EMAILS

From: "John.Tedesco" <John.Tedesco@troyny.gov>
Date: February 7, 2014 at 3:47:09 PM EST
To: "Rodney Wiltshire" <wiltshirefortroy@gmail.com>, <all-members@troycitycouncil.com>
Cc: "Tony.Magnetto" <Tony.Magnetto@troyny.gov>, "Ian.Silverman" <Ian.Silverman@troyny.gov>, "Richard.McAvoy" <Richard.McAvoy@troyny.gov>, "George.Vanbramer" <George.Vanbramer@troyny.gov>, "Rick.Sprague" <Rick.Sprague@troyny.gov>, "Chris.Kehn" <Chris.Kehn@troyny.gov>
Subject: RE: Urgent Security Matter

Greetings,

After speaking with Councilman Bodnar, I advised Captain Sprague of this
issue. In turn, he spoke with Officer Fitzgerald and directed that he
complete a report on the matter. I have since received calls from two
additional Council members expressing their concerns for personal
safety.

This matter is now assigned for investigation. A detective will be
contacting each of you early next week. Also being questioned is the
performance of the officer assigned as the Sergeant at Arms.

Please be assured that the Council's ability to vote free from threats
is of the utmost importance, and we view this issue as a priority.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any additional concerns.

Chief John F. Tedesco
Troy Police Department
55 State Street
Troy, N.Y. 12180
john.tedesco@troyny.gov
Office: (518) 270-4525
Fax: (518) 270-4452



-----Original Message-----
From: Rodney Wiltshire [mailto:wiltshirefortroy@gmail.com]
Sent: Friday, February 07, 2014 3:00 PM
To: all-members@troycitycouncil.com
Cc: Tony.Magnetto; John.Tedesco; Ian.Silverman
Subject: Re: Urgent Security Matter

I will of course treat this seriously as well.  I think it might be a
good idea to have an officer in the Front as well as the back in
general.

Who reported this threat, and what has been done at this point?

If it is substantiated and credible, I would consider implementing a
restrictive policy on allowing people who have made threats against us
to appear before us at these meetings.

Thank you,
   Rodney

On 2/7/2014 1:32 PM, James Gordon wrote:


   I have been in contact with TPD this morning and will be
following up this afternoon.

   The same information was relayed to me as well and in light of
being singled out by the Coxs' during their speeches I will be pursuing
an order of protection.

   This behavior will not and should not be tolerated.

   Thank you
 
 
   Jim Gordon
   Councilman, Dist. 1

   Twitter: @jimgordon4troy
   Facebook.com/jimgordonfortroy

   Sent from my iPhone 5

   On Feb 7, 2014, at 1:18 PM, Dean <bodnard@hotmail.com> wrote:
 
 

       Rodney,
       
       I'm writing to make sure you're aware of a security
threat against the city council. The threat was relayed to me, after the
final meeting of the night, by an off-duty Troy police officer as we
waited for an elevator. According to the police officer, a member of the
Cox family said that, among other things, he was going to get a gun and
start shooting people in the wake of Jack Cox, Jr.'s unsuccessful
attempt to obtain two city-owned parcels of property on Douw Street.
       
       I called Chief Tedesco this morning and asked him to
look into this matter, which he agreed to do.
       
       The issue here is not whether the threat was made out of
anger, frustration, or the mental instability of the person uttering it.
The issue is the safety of our colleagues, and the public, who are
simply participating in the democratic process of government. As
president of the council, I'm calling upon you to take this matter most
seriously and take additional steps to increase security at our public
meetings. Specifically, I'm asking that two police officers, at a
minimum, be present for every public meeting, and that one of the
officers be stationed at the front of the room (perhaps near the council
secretary's door), facing the crowd to enable him/her to respond quickly
in the event of a threat.
       
       Please inform me, and the rest of the council, how you
plan to proceed.
       
       Thanks
       Dean
     


--


Rodney G. Wiltshire Jr.

President of the Troy City Council



Phone (518) 279-7134

Fax (518) 270-4639

Email: Wiltshire@troyCityCouncil.com



City Hall

433 River Street

Troy, New York 12180



Please Think GREEN Before Printing this Email!

Troy Council minority will likely get its counsel

GORDON

It doesn’t appear hiring a lawyer for the two minority Troy Council members is dead yet.

Councilman Jim Gordon, R-District 1, said he and Councilman Dean Bodnar, R-District 3, will discuss the matter with Mayor Lou Rosamilia in an effort to find the $15,000 necessary to pay attorney Kelly Cramer.

KOPKA

There was some confusion at the first Council meeting earlier this month as to how to pay the salary. It is, after all, the first time the minority opted to take advantage of a section of the Charter that was changed to allow the hire in 2009. But, it’s also the first time members of the minority were given committees to chair so the need for an attorney to draw up legislation is there, Gordon said.

While the Times Union indicated the matter never came up for a vote, it said President Rodney Wiltshire did not have the majority five votes necessary to allocate the money. Two members – Lynn Kopka, D-At Large, and Gary Galuski, D- District 6 - asked where the money would come from. A legitimate question, it appears nobody really had the answer to.

I don’t see how Rosamilia can do anything but find the money somewhere since the position is in the Charter so the minority will likely get its counsel. But, since there was not a line item allocating the salary in this year’s budget, the mayor will have to find the money and then ask the Council to formally transfer it. The amount, according to the Charter, is the same as the majority counsel, $15,000, who is now Joe Liccardi.

I’ve gone back and forth on the need for the minority attorney since I first heard it discussed back in the 90s when Republican Carmella Mantello was the vocal opposition. On the one hand, the minority should have legal expertise in the spirit of a true two-party system. On the other, the corporation counsel is supposed to work for the entire Council so, in a perfect world, the minority has access to that office. It’s hardly ever a perfect world, however, and the corporation counsel is hired by the mayor and knows who to thank for a paycheck.

While it was nothing more than a discussion for years, by a local law that largely flew under the radar then President Clement “Chappy” Campana, a Democrat, successfully steered through an amendment to the charter allowing the appointment in 2009. It was vetoed by then Republican Mayor Harry Tutunjian, and the Council eventually overrode. Tutunjian and Campana, in an odd spirit of bipartisanship since they’ve never had that great of a relationship, both spoke against the hire and/or procedure at the meeting earlier this month.

The fact the salary was questioned, however legitimate, is another indication of the divide between the majority caucus. Whiltshire (pictured above) should have known about the transfer of funds but there is a learning curve with any new president. I also suppose the Council could have just OKed the salary and put the onus on Rosamilia to find the money and then formally transfer it later but that didn’t happen. While it wasn’t all out animosity, it was a sign that people of both parties are going to be watching every move Wiltshire makes.

 

 

The Troy Council committee chair chess game

WILTSHIRE

As reported in the Times Union, the Troy Council has agreed on which members will serve as chair to which committees.

Generally, it’s not huge news, but the political intrigue behind the picks this year can’t be ignored. Ken Crowe, of the TU, did a pretty good job addressing it in a straight up news story but since I have the luxury of expressing opinion as well as reporting news, I will expound on Crowe’s astute observations.
For starters, two Republican councilmen were given committees to chair – Jim Gordon, R-District 1, who was elected in November, will chair the Law Committee and Dean Bodnar, R-District 3, who will enter his third term, will chair the Planning Committee.

KOPKA

Despite reports to the contrary, Gordon will not chair the high-profile Public Safety Committee. Rather, that will go to Bob Doherty, D-District 4, and with it comes the unenviable job of dealing with the Troy Police Department drama. And, despite Council President-elect Rodney Wiltshire’s pledge to not give Councilman Gary Galuski, D-District 6, a committee to chair, he now has two – the Parks and Recreation and Public Works Committees. Council President Lynn Kopka, who will be a straight up At Large representative come Jan. 1, will chair the Public Utilities Committee and not the Planning Committee as she wanted.

A few things stand out.

One giving two minority members their own committees to chair just does not happen and is indicative of the fractured majority caucus. Sure, it’s easy to hide true motives behind the guise of starting the New Year with a “bipartisan spirit” but I’ve been around long enough to know there is more to it.

And that is, quite simply, Wiltshire wants a couple things – a new city clerk and Councilman Ken Zalewski as pro temp - and is unsure he can get five Democratic votes so he needs the two Republicans.

Wiltshire wants to elevate Cheryl Christianson to clerk but the current city clerk, Karla Guererri, is Kopka’s girl. To replace her, Wiltshire needs five votes and since Christianson is Galuski’s sister in law he has to abstain so Wiltshire needs the two Republicans to ensure he has the votes. If it’s a four-four tie, which was a real possibility, Guererri would remain clerk until the tie is broken.

The same goes for pro temp. Galuski (picture left), in an email, said he was going for the job and could have gotten enough votes to put a monkey wrench in Wiltshire’s plans to give it to Zalewski but instead now has two committees to chair.

Another point worth mentioning is, as Crowe points out, Wiltshire and Galuski seemed to have buried the hatchet after a nasty email exchange last week where Galuski said he would vie for pro temp and Wiltshire said he would not be Galuski’s – or anyone else’s – “house nigger.” Nasty stuff, without a doubt, but this is Troy.  

Finally, by not giving Kopka the Planning Committee, Wiltshire sends a clear and distinct message to Kopka and by extension Rensselaer County Democratic Committee Chairman Tom Wade that he is the president, he has some juice and is not afraid to use it.

All in all, it’s pretty savvy chess moves on Wiltshire’s part, unless of course hard core Democrats start getting upset with him playing footsie with the GOP again like he did by accepting the Independence Party line earlier this year to ensure him the presidency. One such Dem is Wade (pictured right) and another is Kopka, and you can bet both are already starting the “treason” whisper campaign among the party faithful. Honestly, I can't say as I blame them.

To wrap up, according to the Times Union and not The Record, Councilwoman-elect Erin Sullivan-Teta, I-At Large, will chair the Human Resources Committee; Wiltshire by default will chair the Finance Committee, Zalewski will chair the Technology Committee and Councilwoman-elect Anastasia Robertson, D-District 2, opted not to accept a chairmanship at all, which is kind of odd but I can’t blame her for avoiding the fray.

The respective committees and the chairs will be formalized on Jan. 9 during the Council’s organizational meeting.