Rosamilia is out; updated odds are in

ROSAMILIA

With Mayor Lou Rosamilia’s decision to not seek re-election I guess now would be a good time to update the odds for who will run for the city's top office later this year. Vegas is a bit overwhelmed thanks to some college basketball tournament, but bookmakers were able to put together preliminary odds on potential Democratic candidates running for mayor and promised to have some odds on the Republican candidates tomorrow.

First, though, I’ve got to say the mayor’s decision came as no surprise. He was in way too far over his head to make good decisions on his own and did not have the right people giving him advice. They were either over their heads themselves (Pete Ryan, Ian Silverman and Mike Morris) or they had their own agendas (Bill Dunne and about every other department head and employee in the city.) Of the three mayors since the city changed its governing structure, Rosamilia may have been the nicest mayor but he was also the worst. 

WILTSHIRE

More on Rosamilia’s rocky one-term later. Tonight, we look to the future. The odds are known to change with the smallest of ripples or whispers or posts on Facebook but as of March 23 sometime after 9 p.m. this is where they stand on who will run, not on who will win. Those will come later too.

For the Dems:

-Rodney Wiltshire: The Times Union is reporting that the council president could announce as soon as March 4. Earlier, he said he would not primary Rosamilia but I think he gave up on that pledge long ago and had been planning to run for a while. He is a solid candidate with the Council presidency under his belt, has better than average name recognition and a good presence in front of the cameras. He will not – or very likely not – have the support of the Democratic Party proper and that means he will probably have to run a primary. He will also likely not enjoy the Independence Party backing he got from the GOP that propelled him to the presidency. ODDS of him running stand at even money.

-Ernest Everett: The little known candidate already has a Facebook page touting his candidacy and has raised some money for a run. He maintains he spent some of that money at places like Hooters and Kokopellis and other bars and restaurants to hold campaign pow wows with key advisers but it will still come back to haunt him - should he opt to continue his run. Whether or not he gets party support is up in the air but since it was the Democrats who initially leaked the campaign summits at Hooters I’m guessing not. ODDS of him staying the race stand at 5 to 1.

MANNY

Ed Manny: The county legislator wanted to run four years ago but the nod went first to Clement “Chappy” Campana and then to Rosamilia. The retired firefighter is, however, a party loyalist but the only way the Democrats pick him is if everyone else turns them down and they find themselves in a jam. Kinda like how Rosamilia got the endorsement. And Rosamilia, for better or worse, won. ODDS of him running are 7 to 1.

Cindy Doran: Another county legislator who is loyal to the party has shown an affinity for politics during her first term in office. The teacher in the Troy school district got some press – that boosted her name recognition – by calling for the chairman of the Legislature, Martin Reid, to resign and for her criticism of District Attorney Joel Abelove. ODDS of her running are 12 to 1.  

DORAN

Clement “Chappy” Campana: He was the party’s pick four years ago but his involvement in voter fraud, and more importantly his use of political influence to get his father into one of the nicer Troy Housing Authority apartments, dogged his campaign to the point that Rensselaer County Chairman Tom Wade chased him off the ballot. Wise move on Wade’s part. But, Campana does have a following, solid name recognition and, if you think about it, Wade owes him one. ODDS of him running are 12 to 1.

Lynn Kopka: The city councilwoman’s name was in the mix three-plus years ago, didn’t get the endorsement and ran for the legislative seat instead. She was elected president for two years and then lost that seat to Wiltshire and then nearly lost her Council seat altogether. She is however, a party proper person, which means she is in Wade’s corner and has been the front man (woman) against those Democrats who are not (i.e. Wiltshire.) ODDS of her running are 17 to 1.   

KOPKA

-Bill Dunne: The former eight-year councilman and current director of the city’s Planning Department certainly has name recognition – whether it’s for good or bad reasons is a toss-up. He is loyal to the Democratic Party, though, and he is “confident” enough to think he could win. ODDS of him running are 17 to 1.

-Pete Ryan: The current deputy mayor was elected to the Council and then the Legislature. If he should toss his hat in the ring, however, he would have a tough time – if not impossible time – distancing himself from Rosamilia’s many missteps. ODDS of him running are 20 to 1

-Ken Zalewski: During an appearance on @Talk1300, the four-term councilman said he wouldn’t mind being mayor someday but fell well short of saying he would run this year. He would have to take a pay cut, for starters, and he is a staunch supporter of Wiltshire. ODDS of him running are 25 to 1.

-Jim Conroy: The former deputy mayor under then Mayor Mark Pattison would probably like to run but he won’t run without party support and that doesn’t seem likely at this point in time. ODDS of him running are 25 to 1.

RYAN

Mayor Mark Pattison: After serving eight years in office he’s been out of the public eye for 12 years but unlike Rosamilia he did like the job and would be a formidable candidate should he opt to run. He does, however, have a cushy job at the State Comptroller’s Office so whether he wants to give that up and jump back into the lion’s den is unlikely. ODDS of him running are 25 to 1.

Tomorrow I will get the odds for potential Republican candidates and they include Councilman Jim Gordon, former Councilwoman and mayoral candidate Carmella Mantello, former Mayor Harry Tutunjian and former Councilman Mark McGrath.

If I forgot anyone from either party please let me know in the comments or drop me a line at 878-1000 or jfranco961@gmail.com

 

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It gets real: Feds subpoena records from Troy Council

My version of the story is below but so I don’t rehash all the old news or t 
he Times Union article, the subpoenas issued Wednesday does lead to some interesting questions and observations:

-Why did the EPA subpoena the Council, which had nothing to do with the actual demolitions, rather than go directly to the administration which did? Also, all the records – with the exception of emails and other communications, are already public documents.

-Attorney Don Boyajian’s name is the only one mentioned in the subpoena. His partner, Bill Dryer represented former Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno in his second trial that ended with an acquittal ending a nearly decade long investigation and prosecution by the feds. 

-Including the fact Boyajian owned the buildings in 2010, there are other constants from 2010 through 2014: Bill Dunne was on the Council in 2010 and, after being term limited out at the end of 2011, became director of the Planning Department for Mayor Lou Rosamilia in 2012 and Fire Chief Tom Garrett was chief then and when the King Street buildings were knocked down.

-At this stage of the game it is far better to receive a subpoena than not since the targets likely won’t hear anything until there are indictments – if any should be forthcoming, that is.  

-Rosamilia, after taking a beating about frozen pipes and hosting one of the worst press conferences in the history of not just Troy but the world, goes back into hiding with a solid “no comment.”

-The Council, under President Rodney Wiltshire, is again vindicated for holding hearings into the demolition projects.

-I don’t recall the April 2013 demolition of the Ardex Building at 744 Pawling Ave. but the feds remember it because they requested documents related to that too. As an aside, Reeves was in town for that one and did declare the emergency himself.

-The federal government takes its time when investigating such matters but for them to first question City Hall employees in City Hall, like investigators did earlier this year, and then issue subpoenas it is painfully obvious they are taking the whole thing seriously.

-It’s just one more disastrous turn of events for Rosamilia and one more reason I don’t think he runs again.

STORY

The Troy City Council received a sweeping federal subpoena, Wednesday, as part of the ongoing probe into controversial demolition projects on King Street and at the King Fuels site.

According to the subpoena, first reported by the Times Union, the Environmental Protection Agency is demanding a host of records from January 2010 to the end of 2013. That includes records from the last two years of Mayor Harry Tutunjian’s term and includes three consecutive city Councils.

The row of buildings on King Street was demolished by an emergency decree called by Fire Chief Tom Garrett. Former City Engineer Russ Reeves was on vacation at the time. He had previously denied a request by the buildings’s owner, attorney Don Boyajian, to declare them a public hazard and to knock them down under the city’s emergency demolition procedure.

The city Council, through a half dozen public hearings, the FBI the EPA and the state Labor Department have been looking into whether or not public safety was in jeopardy during the demolition. Asbestos was known to have been in the buildings but not properly abated and the buildings were demolished while Bomber’s remained open next door. Patrons were seen freely entering and exiting the bar/restaurant while the wrecking ball swung not 50 feet away.

According to the subpoenas, if the Council turns over records the individual members do not have to appear in Albany on April 1.

Earlier this year the FBI and EPA interviewed City Hall employees and last year Reeves, who had resigned at the time and Barbara Tozzi were also interviewed.

“It has been my contention from the beginning that the demolition at 4-10 King Street in August 2013 was conducted unethically, and possibly illegally,” said Councilman Ken Zalewski, D-District 5. “The City, in its attempt to circumvent the standard demolition process one day after the City Engineer went on vacation, placed the public at risk of exposure to airborne asbestos particles. “

Mayor Lou Rosamilia, through a spokesman, tells the Times Union his office had no comment on the subpoenas.

 Council President Rodney Wiltshire tells the Times Union the Council’s investigation is validated by the fact federal investigators are bringing the issue to a grand jury. Councilman Jim Gordon, R-District 1, tells the newspaper he reached out to the EPA to see specifically what documents they want.

The EPA is also asking for records regarding the demolition of a number of buildings at the former King Fuels site located on a tract of land in South Troy owned by the Troy Industrial Development Agency. The demolition followed no engineer approved plan, the work was conducted in such a manner it threatened to breach a gas main and there was no asbestos abatement. It was so shoddily done, the demolition was the reason Reeves resigned.

 

Term limits, shrinking the size of Troy's Council on the table (CLARIFICATION)

ZALEWSKI

CLARIFCATION: Zalewski said the commission is exploring whether or not it is legal and/or feasible to break out the controversial question of term limits on it's own and have people vote on the rest of the charter changes as a whole.

The Troy Charter Review Commission is discussing two controversial issues as it determines what revisions to make to the city’s governing document.

The abolition of term limits and reducing the size of the Council from nine to seven members – with six district representatives and one for the entire city - are on the table, said Councilman Ken Zalewski, D-District 5, on Talk 1300.

Zalewski, who is serving his fourth and final two-year term under the charter, said a representative from the League of Women Voters, Steve Muller, came to the last commission meeting and made a strong case against term limits. While any change to the charter would not impact Zalewski or any other official currently in office, Zalewski said he appreciates both sides of the age-old term limit argument and is open to changing them in Troy. Zalewski is serving on the commission with eight other members.

He said it makes little sense for federal officials like members of Congress – where big money is often exchanged for influence - to serve as long as voters want them elected while in a relatively tiny City of Troy members of the Council and the mayor can only serve eight years.

Other arguments for term limits include allowing politicians to stay in office too long and getting lazy or corrupt, using the office to campaign for what has become a never-ending election cycle and preventing “new blood” with new ideas from getting into office. Arguments against include forcing a conscientious, hard-working honest politician out of office because an arbitrary number of years has passed and the loss of institutional knowledge for the same reason. It also takes power away from voters who should have the final say if they want someone to stay or go.

To the other hot button issue, Zalewski said there have been nine Council members since Troy’s population was upwards towards 75,000. Now, he said, it is right around 50,000 and three At Large members are not necessary. Also, he said, six people running for three seats can confuse some voters because they may think it is a head to head contest between the two who are lined up across from each other on the ballot rather having the ability to choose any three candidates.

The way Troy’s electoral process is now, the candidate with the highest vote total is the Council president. The president does not have any more power than the other eight members but the president does preside over meetings. By default, if the charter is changed reducing the number of members to seven, candidates would run directly for the presidency.

While there has been some talk of reducing the size of the Council, there has not been any serious move towards that end.

Mayoral term limits, however, became an issue in 2003, then Mayor Mark Pattison’s last year in office. First he asked a sharply divided Council to abolish term limits and while everyone thought then Councilman Bill Pascarell, D-District 4, was going to be the swing vote, Councilman Keith Rogers, D-District 3, broke from his Democratic colleagues and voted to keep them in place.

(As an aside, I was covering Troy at the time and for at least a week prior to the vote Pascarell wouldn’t tell anyone which way he was voting. Or, maybe he told both sides he was with them, I honestly have no idea. But the night of the vote, Pascarell was standing about eight-foot tall when he walked up on the dais, relishing the fact all eyes were on him. Not 30 minutes later, Rogers shocked everyone when he voted with then President Frank LaPosta before Pascarell even had a chance to utter a word. You could almost see him deflate back down to his previous stature of a little shy of five-foot.)

After the Council shot it down, it was put to a referendum where about 75 percent of the electorate said they wanted to keep term limits in place. Also, all those on the Council who supported the move were voted out.

To avoid having what is historically a lightning rod issue – not just in Troy but all over the county – overshadow the other revisions to the charter, Zalewski said the commission is exploring whether or not it can legally put two different versions of the new charter to the voters this November. The two would be identical except one would include abolishing term limits and one would leave them in place.

  

 

  

 

Wiltshire cancels order for new chairs; shortest lived controversy in Collar City history

WILTSHIRE

The day the purchase order was signed, Council President Rodney Wiltshire opted not to buy nine new chairs – presumably one per Council member - that would have cost $2,352. 

“I've instructed the clerk to cancel the order. I've read some interesting ideas here on getting chairs at low or no cost. Ken Zalewski and Penny thank you for some great ideas. Surplus chairs from an institution that may want to donate them could be a great option,” Wiltshire wrote on Facebook in response to a number of posts critical of the purchase. “Moreover, and just to reiterate, This expenditure is budgeted. But I think that tablets for better productivity is a wiser purchase.”

Councilman Ken Zalewski, D-District 5, attempted to deflect the critics saying the relatively small amount of money is just 0.0035 percent of the city’s $66 million-plus budget.  

“It ignores the fact that every city employee has a decent chair to sit in. It ignores the fact that the Planning Department recently purchased a brand new set of chairs for the conference room to replace already-comfortable but somewhat dilapidated chairs,” Zalewski said of a post on this blog. “Like I said, I don't care either way. I'll sit on the floor if I have to. But come on, an entire blog post on $2,350 out of a $66,124,624 budget? I'm anxiously awaiting similar scrutiny on that other $66,122,274.”

ZALEWSKI

(As an aside, there are links to stories here, here, here and here and  about the entire budget.)

Councilman Jim Gordon, R-District 1, said he learned of the purchase after the aforementioned blog post was put up on Facebook.

“What??? You're kidding?? This is how I learn of such an unnecessary expense? I spoke against this during the budget hearing and will again - I do not need a new chair! No one does!,” he wrote. “If attendees at council meetings can ‘suffer’ on similar chairs then we too can do their business on them. This is ridiculous.”

Prior to Wiltshire’s decision to nix the new chairs, Gordon said on Twitter that he would buy each member of the Council a seat cushion and that he would gladly give his chair to the first person to mention “chairgate” at the Feb. 5 meeting.

A number of citizens and business owners weighed in on social media too.

“What is really sad is they placed the order in the first place. Then cancel the order when it gets too hot on Facebook?” said Debra Lockrow, owner of Artcentric in downtown. “The council needs Facebook conversations to give them a clue on how to behave with fiscal intelligence?”

GORDON

“They paid for those chairs with the money they got from me when they hired GAR to overestimate the value of my property!” said Jo Rehm. “Then it cost me more money to hire someone to come in & do an accurate estimate. Do I get any of that money back, hell no!”

Penny Bonesteel said the Council should explore other options like using the new chairs the Planning Department just purchased. Zalewski concurred and said it would take nine minutes to move the chairs – one minute per chair.

“None of us are naive enough to think 2k is going to tip the bucket one way or the other, but given the circumstances, it definitely sends the wrong message to citizens that are going to have to deal with a lot of butt pain in the foreseeable future,” said Nancy A Bourgeois Wright.

And she is right, the $2,352 is not going to make or break the city and either is the $10,000 confidential secretary or the $27,000-plus assistant city clerk. But the impact is two-fold: One is that pennies eventually lead to dollars and it just sends the wrong message given the city's financial crunch that will get nothing but worse in the very near future.  

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.  

Wiltshire and Wade going head-to-head in a primary

WADE

Petitions are filed and, as expected, there is a battle for control of the Rensselaer County Democratic Party Committee.

Less expected, is the primary in Election District No. 8. Council President Rodney Wiltshire is going head-to-head against county Chairman Tom Wade. Their running mates are Rev. Tim Sherman and Rebecca Sweeney, respectively.

In all, the anti-Wade faction filed petitions in 25 of the 30 Election Districts in Troy with two committee seats in each district. It’s hard to say how many will stand up to scrutiny since there are all sorts of ways to get signatures bounced. As I’ve written before, collecting them is not rocket science but to do it right is a time consuming process and there are specific rules that must be followed. As such, corners are always cut, petitions are routinely bounced and so does a candidates’ candidacy.

But, even if the anti-Wade faction were fast and loose with some of the petition signatures, you can bet they crossed all the I’s and dotted all the T’s on Wiltshire’s. That means Wade and Wiltshire will square off on Sept. 9 in ED No. 8 – which is roughly 102^nd Street to 107^th Street (see map.)

WILTSHIRE

On the one hand you have to give Wiltshire credit because he is taking on Wade head on rather than putting up a lesser known candidate. It was intentional too. A committee candidate can run in any Election District so long as the ED is in the Assembly District where the candidate lives. But, a member of Wiltshire’s camp said “we guessed right,” meaning they wanted the show down.

It’s a gutsy move, but Wade has more to lose than Wiltshire because not many pay attention to committee races and if Wiltshire gets beat he can still run for his Council seat or any other seat he wants – i.e. mayor. While Wade can still be chair without being on the committee, wanting to be the titular head of the county committee is a harder sell if he can’t hold onto a lowly committee seat.

On the flip side, I know of maybe two other people in Rensselaer County who can count weighted votes – each committee seat is weighted based on the number of Democrats within that Election District so it can get kind of confusing – as well as Wade. I don’t know of anyone who can do it better. He also knows how to line up committee members when it comes time to vote.

And, Wade has said he would consider bouncing Wiltshire and Councilman Ken Zalewski out of the party because of disloyalty if they fought his decision to not have his soldiers carry their committee petitions. Obviously, they are not only fighting that decision, they are throwing it back in Wade’s face so if Wade follows through, there is a chance the two Democrats won’t be Democrats any longer.

Obviously, Wiltshire is going for the jugular but the bottom line is if you’re going to shoot at the king you better kill him.  

Some background on committee races:

-They generally go uncontested and often times the seats are filled with the bodies of party loyalist’s relatives, who then obediently turn over their votes by proxy.

-There are two committee seats in each Election District so technically the Wiltshire camp is attempting to wage 50 primaries. How many will be on the ballot come Election Day is anyone's guess.

-I mentioned that the Wade camp will be challenging some of the Wiltshire camp's signatures but Wiltshire could also challenge the Wade camp's. I'll know more about what petitions will stand and which ones get bounced next week.

-Not many pay attention to committee races but a political party is built from ground up and coups always start in the street. Committees, too, are important because they in turn elect an executive committee and a chairman and ultimately nominate candidates.

-The first test of a petitions’ validity is the county Board of Elections. If both commissioners opt to bounce the petition, it’s bounced. If they both agree it’s good, it’s good. If there are objections to the petitions by a vested party and the commissioners split, it’s still good but will end up in court.

-The committee is, obviously, county wide and I will post more on town committees as I find out what is going on, if anything. 

-There are some questions about where Wade lives, on Fifth Avenue or in High Pointe, but residency requirements are far from cut in stone – just ask former Councilman Michael LoPorto who summered above his restaurant on Fourth Street spent his winters in Brunswick. Or was it the other way around?

   

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.  

   

 

 

More on the Democratic Party Committee battle



WADE (Times Union photo)

It’s not a complete house cleaning but Rensselaer County Democratic Party Chairman Tom Wade is getting rid of “dead weight” and those deemed “disloyal” to the party.

 

As reported, when the petitions forms for committee members were handed out last week, they did not include the names of Council President Rodney Wiltshire, his wife Jolene or Councilman Ken Zalewski, D-District 5.

They also didn’t include three family members of Brian Premo - a long time attorney and Democrat who also has had his differences with Wade - for their committee seats in Brunswick.

The Wiltshires and Zalewski, however, will not be “bullied by the chairman," according to their camp, and are preparing to wage primaries. While Wade did not say he would follow through, he does have the option of assigning a committee to hold hearings to determine if they should permanently get thrown out of the party for disloyalty.

WILTSHIRE

The way it works, though, is that a committeeman can run in any Election District located within the Assembly District in which they live so it’s kind of difficult to see who will run against who until the petition process is complete.

Anyway, disloyalty, according to Wade, includes Zalewski’s support of Republican Councilman Dean Bodnar, R-District 3, over Democrat Michelle DeLair in last year’s election and Wiltshire’s acceptance of the Independence Party line - which helped him oust Councilwoman Lynn Kopka,a party loyalist, as president. Since the Independence Party is controlled at the local level by the GOP, Wade claims Wiltshire made a deal and gave Republicans appointments in return for the party’s nod.

The “dead weight” claim stems from Wade’s contention that the Premos do not show up to committee meetings and do little or no work for the party.  

ZALEWSKI

Also, two years ago, Wiltshire, Zalewski and Premo worked for Robert “Rabbit” Riley in an unsuccessful effort to oust Wade as chairman.

The way it works, according to Wade, is that the town chairs throughout the county and council district leaders in Troy recommend names of those party members they would like to see serve on their respective committees. Wade maintains he is only following those recommendations.

Control of the committee is important in that the committee picks the chairman and ultimately has control who the party endorses. Zalewski is term limited out, but Wiltshire does have political ambitions past the Troy Council and one option is obviously mayor.

If Wade is not supporting Wiltshire for committee, it stands to reason Wiltshire is not his top pick for mayor should Mayor Lou Rosamilia opt not to run for another term. Actually, it would be difficult to see Wade supporting him for another run at Council.

Wade said the party is also shaking up committees in Grafton, East Greenbush and Hoosick but denied there is an all-out house cleaning in Troy as evidenced by the party carrying petitions for former Troy Councilman Mike LoPorto and operative Tom Aldrich in Troy, Charles “CB” Smith in North Greenbush and Phil Malone in East Greenbush. All of whom have had their differences with Wade.

In other words, the war is on and it should be a good one. Wade has been through them before and is not without his support on the committee and Wiltshire and Zalewski are two proven vote getters and popular in the city.  

Given the discord within the Democrats, though, its most powerful weapon remains the complete lack of a Republican Party in the City of Troy.

Wade takes on Wiltshire

WADE (Times Union photo)

It looks like there is going to be a good old fashioned battle over the Democratic Party committee seats as petition forms recently handed out did not include the names of Council President Rodney Wiltshire, his wife Jolene, Councilman Ken Zalewski, D-District 5, or Robert Martiniano. 

While a committee battle may seem like inside baseball, the fact Rensselaer County Chairman Tom Wade opted to publicly challenge Wiltshire is a precursor to next year’s mayor’s race and, if you take it a step further, control of the Democratic Party.

WILTSHIRE

It’s no secret Wiltshire has higher political ambitions and one of them is mayor should incumbent Mayor Lou Rosamilia opt not to run for another term. I’m still of the belief Rosamilia will not run again so that opens the door for Wiltshire – a door Wade would just as soon slam shut.  

Wiltshire alienated the party proper by accepting the Independence Party line last year, which helped him knock Councilwoman Lynn Kopka – a Wade loyalist - out of the presidency. He is also upset the apple cart by killing a deal, backed by Rosamilia, to sell the former Scolite site to R.J. Valente and by spearheading the investigation into two demolition projects and other workings of the administration.

ZALEWSKI

In other words, Wiltshire is not Wade’s top pick to replace Rosamilia as the county’s most high profile Democrat. In fact, he’s not even on Wade’s list to remain a committeeman and as such I don’t see any way Wade can back him for another run at Council.

But all that may not matter to Wiltshire. Given the small number of petition signatures needed to get on a committee ballot to force a primary and the small number of voters needed to win the seat in the election the Wiltshires and Zalewski could still win their committee seats and that sets the stage for another coup. Plus, Wiltshire is making quite a name for himself as president and may not need Wade’s support for anything – at least he must not think so.

But, Wade is a shrewd politician and successfully fought off M. Lynne Mahoney, his co-chair at the time, to win the chairmanship more than a few years ago and then fought off a spirited coup two years ago by Robert “Rabbit” Riley – a coup backed by Wiltshire and Zalewski.

Safe to say, Wade knows how to count.  

ROSAMILIA

As an aside, Martiniano is a member of the “Delusional Bunch.” A group of Democrats Wade nicknamed by Wade who were also in Riley’s camp two years ago and while they are somewhat disorganized they are still Democrats.

But, for Wade to take on the sitting Council president and one of the most popular councilman the Democrats have is unprecedented. (Zalewski is term limited out but was elected four times and I can’t remember the last time he had a serious opponent.)

More on this, like who Wade is running in the primaries against the Wiltshires and Zalewski and how the committee process works, later today.

Odds are in for Democratic mayoral candidates

ROSAMILIA

Petitions don’t hit the streets for more than another year, but I did heard back from my friends in Vegas and got the lowdown on some potential mayoral candidates. I’m surprised they are still working with me since I am just a lowly blogger rather than a high brow newspaper columnist, but after some arm twisting they did give me a peak. While the odds do come straight from Vegas, the commentary is my interpretation of what they mean.

I’ll start with the Democrats since the boys in Vegas are having a tough time finding any Republicans to even wager on. The odds reflect the chance they will run, not that they will win. Without further ado:

-Mayor Lou Rosamilia, 8-1: I think the incumbent will be the first one-term mayor since the city went to that form of government nearly 20 years ago. While I do think he likes the mayoral duties of cutting ribbons and reading Dr. Seuss to grade schoolers, I don’t think he likes the day-to-day, nuts and bolts duties and that’s evidenced by the way his administration has stumbled through the last two years. Sure, there are some good things going on in the Collar City but they are overshadowed by things like the King Street demolition, the Scolite debacle and well, not every mayor has the FBI asking questions about what’s going on in his administration.

WILTSHIRE

-Rodney Wiltshire, 3-1: I don’t think it’s any secret the Council president wants to run and his play on Scolite did nothing but reinforce that notion. Bucking the Democratic Party, though, is a risky game. He got the Independence Party line from the GOP and the Working Families Party coordinated his last Council campaign but neither one of those groups will help much in a Democratic Party primary. And it’s all but certain Chairman Tom Wade and company won’t support him. (As an aside, if he gets in a Dem. primary he will likely have the WFP and remain on the ballot regardless of the outcome.)

-Pete Ryan, 12-1: As Rosamilia’s deputy mayor, Ryan has been less than spectacular, I think the party knows that and realizes he would probably be a worse mayor than Rosamilia. The No. 2 guy should make sure the nuts and bolts gets done and well, for the past two years they really haven’t with any semblance of common sense of efficiency. Unlike Wiltshire, there is no way Ryan could wage an independent campaign for anything and I don’t see the party backing him.

KOPKA

-Lynn Kopka, 6-1: The councilwoman wanted to run three years ago but was bested by then Councilman Clement “Chappy” Campana. She has a strong base in Washington Park and is a party loyalist to the extreme – and I don’t mean that in necessarily a bad way. It’s a Democratic town and as such it doesn’t hurt to be a loyal Democrat. That said, she has done little establish herself as a true leader, be it in the party or legislatively, and while president she seemed more focused on corralling cats than political allegiances.

-Cindy Doran, 5-1: The county legislator could be the party’s sleeper candidate. She has strong ties to the school district, is a proven vote getter and has great name recognition thanks to her ex-husband, Dan Doran, who had his own political career going for a while. She is a relative newcomer and as such really is not defined by any stellar legislative initiatives or, on the flip side, any scandals or negative press either. She could come in as a blank slate and would be squarely in the party’s corner. That said, should she get elected, she would need a strong deputy to be an effective mayor.

ZALEWSKI

-Ken Zalewski, 15-1: The councilman is in his last term so he would not have to give up his seat to run and I think he can see himself as mayor someday but that means he would have to give up his six figure job in the state Senate which, in addition to paying more than the mayor, probably requires a whole lot less heavy lifting. Plus, he faces the same party loyalty problems as Wiltshire without the outside support.

-Bill Dunne, 16-1: The current commissioner of the Planning Department and former councilman surely has notions of becoming mayor but, unlike Doran, his slate is all chalked up. He certainly has made enemies along the way, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but his most recent stumbles – King Street, Scolite and the FBI nosing around – are just too much to overcome. The party knows it and probably so does Dunne, who has been accused of a bunch of things but never stupid.

CAMPANA

-Clement “Chappy” Campana, 12-1: The former mayoral candidate and Council president showed up at the last Council meeting and I’m sure he still has hopes of running for mayor. But, his slate is chalked up too and unlike Dunne he has also alienated a number in the Democratic Party. Chairman Tom Wade has coined Campana and his band of Democrats as the “Delusional Bunch” and if they think they can win a primary against Wade and company will only lend credence to the moniker.

-Carmella Mantello, 25-1: Vegas initially gave the Republican one set of odds but I talked them into giving them one for the Democrats too. They thought I was nuts but I just told them to look up #troycrazy. Anyway, she is probably unhappier with the GOP as they are with her and while I don’t see it happening, if the Democrats somehow see fit to give her a cross endorsement she wins hands down.

  Other possibilities

-Legislator Peter Grimm, 17-1

-Legislator Ed Manny, 16-1

-Former Councilman Kevin McGrath, 18-1 
 -Jack Cox Jr., 15-1 

-Legislator Gary Pavlic, 16-1

Zalewski trashes Doherty's videotaping ordinance

ZALEWSKI

DOHERTY

In no uncertain terms, Councilman Ken Zalewski, D-District 5, shot down a proposal by Councilman Bob Doherty, D-District 4, that would make it a crime for police to prohibit citizens from videotaping officers while they work.  

“I will state this clearly to you right now: If any legislation is presented to the Public Safety Committee that attempts to target police officers for actions that are already covered by law and procedure, I will vote against it,” Zalewski wrote to Det. Sgt. Sean Kittle in response to a letter he addressed to the entire Council. “In addition, I would encourage my colleagues to vote against it as well.

“This is a bit presumptuous of me, but I’m fairly confident that any such legislation would never make it out of committee.”

Doherty, chair of the Public Safety Committee, said his ordinance would carry a fine of up to $5,000 and up to 15 days in jail.

Kittle, in his letter to the Council, said he was “disheartened” by the ordinance, not because he disagrees with it in principal but because there are already laws protecting a citizen’s right to videotape police officers. Also, he said, it violates the Constitution by singling out police officers.

ZALEWSKI LETTER

“I am disheartened because I expect much more from an elected city official than an attempt to advance legislation that is directed at only a select group in our society,” Kittle wrote. “A naïve person may believe your intent is honorable because of misconceptions that exist. But, if you simply change the words from “Troy Police Officer” and replace it with some other specific group (ex: race, religion, disability, etc.) you may begin to realize that you, as an elected official, are not embracing the basic principles held in the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Earlier, Capt. John Cooney called the ordinance an "insult."

Doherty has not formally proposed the legislation but it came out of a third Public Safety Committee meeting over the Jan. 25 melee at Kokopells bar that ended with eight officers injured – six requiring hospital care – and eight people arrested for a host of crimes including disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

KITTLE LETTER

During the first, well-attended Public Safety Committee meeting, many of the public claimed the TPD implements institutionalized racism and often uses excessive force with little or no ramifications. The criticism continued during the second, but Police Chief John Tedesco did have an opportunity to respond to the accusations and many citizens defended the police not only for their actions on Jan. 25 but in general.

The letters came to this blog through someone with close ties to the Council.