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| MASON |
By unanimous vote, the Troy
Council approved the appointment of five city marshals, bypassing the drama
that accompanied the largely benign position two years ago.
To get around the drama, the
Council lumped all five marshals – Jack McCann, Rick Mason, Keith McDermott,
Mike McDonald and Mike DeViddio - into the same resolution that it unanimously passed
at last week’s meeting. Even though some of their terms have not yet expired, the
Council opted not to stagger the appointments thereby isolating certain
marshals that in the past have drawn political fire. McCann's term isn't up until the end of the month, for example, and Mason's isn't up until May.
If you remember, two years ago,
Rensselaer County Democratic Party Chairman Tom Wade came out strong against
the Mason’s appointment in part, because he was a friend of then Councilman
Kevin McGrath. Initially the Council passed Mason’s appointment 5-2, Mayor Lou
Rosamilia vetoed it because of a technicality and a month later it passed by a
5-4 vote. In the middle of all that, Wade made the unprecedented call for
McGrath’s resignation. In the end
McGrath won the battle and eventually the war.
This year, however, everything went off without a hitch or even a whisper. Obviously, the dynamics have
changed in two years. McGrath (pictured right) opted not to run for another term, Rodney
Wiltshire usurped Lynn Kokpa as Council president – the former not being nearly
as loyal to Wade as the latter – and he’s willing to cut some deals with the
GOP minority while still appeasing the Wade crowd.
By approving the marshals en masse
everyone gets what they want without raising the ire or egos of those involved.
The anti-Wade crowd gets Mason,
the Wade crowd gets McCann, McDermott and McDonald the GOP get DeViddio – who has
been a loyal party soldier for years.
The marshal is a pretty benign
appoint in that their paycheck is based on the number of summons and eviction
notices they choose to deliver, but with the limited number of jobs at the
Council’s decision it is seen as a way to pay back those loyal to a party or a
person.
