And now for odds on potential Republican candidates

The boys in Vegas said it was no easy task to put together a list of potential Republican candidates, and actually chuckled over some of them.

Whoever chooses to run – and that may be enough to get the nomination – will be at a distinct enrollment disadvantage to whoever ends up being the Democratic Party nominee.

MCGRATH

Yes, voters in Troy have ousted entire slates of candidates because they didn’t like the way things were going, and while things are going close to that ouster threshold I’m not convinced they are there yet. Close, but not yet. The Democrats must be thinking along the same lines too since the party’s front man by default, Mayor Lou Rosamalia, just hired a new spokesman and you really don’t do that unless you feel the need to shake things up a bit.

Anyway, without further ado, according to Vegas, the odds on potential Republicans ending up being the candidate come November:

GORDON

-Mark McGrath, 5-1: The former eight-year councilman is probably the party’s strongest candidate given he won handily in a Democratic district four times thanks, in part, to pragmatism that crosses party lines. He also knows city government, has name recognition and will not have to give up a job or another elected office should he choose to run. That said, it will take a lot of convincing for him to throw his hat in the ring.

-Jim Gordon, 7-1: I think the first-term councilman is doing a decent job of being the loyal opposition for the minority caucus of two. He has decent name recognition but had a difficult time winning in the ‘Burgh until this time around when Kevin McGrath decided not to run. Since the Council is also up next November he would have to give up his seat to run for mayor if he chooses. I think he has his eye on it but it would be a risky move by him and the Republicans.  

MANTELLO

-Carmella Mantello, 9-1: The former councilwoman and former Council and mayoral candidate would likely want to give City Hall another run but don’t expect the GOP to be too keen on that idea. She is, however, a hard working candidate and is nearly guaranteed a respectable showing so if the Republicans decide to punt next year and concentrate on the Council, which is a possibility, she may get the nod by default.

-Dan Crawley, 10-1: The former deputy mayor and current executive secretary of the Troy Housing Authority would make a solid mayor but I don’t know if he has it in him to run a campaign as the front man. Furthermore, I don’t know if he wants to leave the cocoon that is THA and jump into the mainstream spotlight. But, his name has been floated and as I said, it wasn’t easy coming up with a list of potentials.



TUTUNJIAN

-Harry Tutunjian, 12-1: The former mayor and councilman would probably like another four years in office but he comes off two city wide losses for Legislature so for him to win this time around – during a presidential year when turnout is generally higher which means more Democrats at the polls in Troy – is a tough sell. Not that Tutunjian had a bad eight-year run as mayor, but if the GOP backs him this time you know there is nobody else.



TEDESCO

-John Tedesco, 15-1: I have no inside knowledge that the police chief would want to give up being police chief, move into the city and run for mayor but if he did he would make a pretty good candidate. Despite Rosamilia’s move appointing a police commissioner Tedesco came out looking pretty good in the end. Again, his name was floated to me so I included him.

-Debbie Witkowski, 15-1: The current comptroller at the Troy Housing Authority and former city comptroller would be a great candidate if they GOP can convince her to run, which is a longshot. She knows and respects the political game but under Democratic and Republican administrations in City Hall, and now at the THA, she has managed to stay above the fray. While she would be a solid candidate, I’d be surprised if the GOP convinced her to run.

 

-Richard “Buddy” McAvoy, 20-1: As I was tying this up someone pitched the deputy chief’s name and since candidates are scarce I figured I would throw it in. I learned too he was considered for sheriff before the party picked Jack Mahar so he has a political bent to him and unlike Tedesco he lives in the city. Outside of that, I really don’t know what else to say about him.

  

(UPDATED) Former THA employees plead guilty to fraud

MEISSNER

I remember when the scandal at the Troy Housing Authority was first unraveling. Four years ago, then vice chair of the board, Jay Vandenburgh, came into the office with what amounted to a shoe box of paperwork outlining how then Executive Secretary Bill Meissner was cooking the books – so to speak.

The pile of paperwork may have looked like a disorganized mess but Vandenburgh knew there was something up in regards to Meissner’s vacation time and with his comptroller, Roger Rosenthal’s pension.

Two years later, Comptroller Tom DiNapoli put the entire thing together in a neat little package and handed it off to Attorney General Eric Schneiderman who Monday announced the two had plead guilty to defrauding the pension system and have to pay back $63,517.41.

Honestly, I thought they forgot about the whole thing and was as surprised as anyone, including Vandenburgh, to hear of the settlement. Not because the two weren’t guilty of something but because it took four years to come to a conclusion. Here is a column I wrote about the whole thing two years ago.

It could have been worse for Meissner and Rosenthal too but they hired one of the best attorneys in the city, E. Stewart Jones, and they struck a deal rather than face more serious penalties including outright theft of vacation time. If I recall correctly, Meissner used to take vacation, claimed he worked during them so they weren’t really vacations and then reimbursed his unused vacation time for cash -including the time he took a trip to the Caribbean for his daughter’s wedding.

In the end, the two former THA officials plead guilty to fabricating and backdating a contract in an attempt to show that Rosenthal, who retired from the THA in 2005, was working within the pension system parameters. The contract they fabricated, however, had letterhead that wasn’t even used by the THA until three years after the date the “contract” was signed. Yes, that is the epitome of #troycrazy.  

It wasn’t all Vandenburgh, Executive Secretary Dan Crawley took over for Meissner and when he went to the THA he brought with him city Comptroller Deborah Witkowski – who knows numbers, money and spread sheets like an 80-year-old bookie but is honest as the day is long.

Meissner and Rosenthal really had no chance, yet Meissner came out swinging against Vandenburgh.

There was some scuttlebutt by the commenters on who appointed who and if I recall correctly then Executive Secretary Mario Musolino, a Democrat hired by a board appointed by Mayor Mark Pattison, hired Meissner as comptroller. After Musolino went back to the state, Meissner was appointed acting executive secretary, by a board headed up by Republican Vince Jimino, and then he brought aboard Rosenthal. As one commenter astutely put it – Meissner was keeping the seat warm until Crawley was ready to make the jump from City Hall to the THA.

Anyway, good for Schneiderman and DiNapoli for following through with what Vandenburgh, Crawley and Witkowski uncovered. It took them four years but at least they got some of the public’s money back.  

Below is the press release by Schneiderman and DiNapoli:

A.G. Schneiderman And Comptroller DiNapoli Announce Guilty Pleas By Former Troy Housing Authority Employees Who Tried To Defraud New York State Retirement System

Roger Rosenthal, Former Comptroller For The Housing Authority, Conspired With William Meissner To Submit Forged Documents

Rosenthal Collected Pension While Earning More Than $200,000 From The Housing Authority

TROY — Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman and Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli announced today that William Meissner and Roger Rosenthal, former Troy Housing Authority employees, pled guilty to defrauding the New York State Retirement System (NYSRS).

Rosenthal retired from the Troy Housing Authority in 2005 and began collecting a full pension with the NYSRS, then went back to working as a supposed ‘consultant’ with the Authority, collecting more than $200,000 in a three-year period in addition to the pension. 

When the validity of Rosenthal’s ‘consulting’ arrangement with the Housing Authority was questioned, Rosenthal and Meissner submitted a falsified, backdated contract in an effort to cover the illegal retirement payments.   As part of today’s plea agreement, Meissner and Rosenthal have paid New York State Retirement System $63,517.41 in restitution.

The case stems from a report produced jointly by the State Comptroller’s office and the U.S. Housing and Urban Development - Office of Inspector General and is a product of the Joint Task Force on Public Integrity, a cooperative effort between the offices of Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman and Comptroller Thomas P DiNapoli that seeks to root out public corruption and maximize the resources of each office.

“These men abused the public trust, defrauded the New York State Retirement System, and harmed both taxpayers and retirees,” said Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman. “I applaud Comptroller DiNapoli for referring this case to our office and for his continuing work in our partnership to ensure that those who defraud taxpayers are held accountable.”

“This case is about pure greed and Mr. Rosenthal scamming the retirement system by unlawfully double-dipping to collect $63,517,” State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli said. “He and his accomplice, Mr. Meissner, were thwarted by the swift actions of my office in partnership with the HUD Inspector General and Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. As a result of our joint efforts, we exposed the crime and have recovered the money stolen from the retirement system.”

“The arrests and charges today of Mr. Rosenthal and Mr. Meissner serve to remind the taxpayer that law enforcement will continue to pursue corruption, in all forms, especially those that impact the integrity of housing authorities overseen by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban

Development. It is especially disappointing to learn that Mr. Rosenthal and Mr. Meissner used their positions with the Troy Housing Authority to facilitate their greed while the public reeled from the economic challenges of that time. We wish to thank the New York State Comptroller's Office and the New York State Attorney General's Office for their perseverance and steadfast efforts in ensuring a just conclusion to this matter,” said Christina Scaringi, Special Agent in Charge, Northeast Region, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development – Office of Inspector General.
Rosenthal and Meissner entered guilty pleas to Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument, a class A misdemeanor, with intent to defraud the New York State Retirement System.

This matter was handled by Colleen Glavin and Stacy Aronowitz of the Attorney General’s Public Integrity Bureau. The Bureau is part of the Criminal Justice Division, led by Executive Deputy Attorney General for Criminal Justice Kelly Donovan.