Three candidates are entering the race for Troy City Council president. The contest includes a potential primary matchup between two sitting city councilors and a newcomer endorsed by the incumbent, who is mounting a bid for mayor.
As Democratic Troy Mayor Patrick Madden prepares to leave office after two terms, and Republican City Council President Carmella Mantello runs to replace him, the race is on for who will lead the seven-member city council.
Currently, two sitting members of the council are headed toward a June primary, while a political newcomer has Mantello’s endorsement.
The city Democratic committee is supporting second-term city councilor Sue Steele, who also serves as the leader of the council’s majority Democratic caucus.
Steele believes she’s the most prepared for the role of city council president.
“I've really enjoyed my work as a district councilor, and I see the next step in leadership as council president as a next step, a very logical, and one that I'm more than qualified for,” said Steele.
In Troy, the president is the only city councilor elected city-wide.
Steele said she is proud of work to establish the city’s small-grant Neighborhood Improvement Program, the Reimagine Troy Justice Services Work Group to develop public safety policy, and serving as a member of the steering committee for distributing American Rescue Plan Act funding.
Steele faces a primary challenge from city councilor Emily Menn. The small business owner says she’s spent her first term focused on building consensus.
“I think that members of city council have worked together, overall, fairly well. And part of what I try to do is to be a bridge and to sort of take that partisan rhetoric and dial it way down,” said Menn.
Menn said her degree in law gives her the experience to successfully oversee meetings and touted more than a decade working as a property manager. She said the council’s work to approve a new city-wide zoning plan puts Troy “lightyears ahead” of other communities.
Now, in a Democratic primary, Menn said running against Steele while serving alongside her could be challenging.
“But the goal is, in your in the job that we’re being, we were elected to do and being paid for, is to set aside that personal and focus on work,” said Menn.
Steele says she’s also focused on the job, not politics.
“My focus is being the best city council person I can. And I'm there to represent the interests of my constituents. That's first and foremost, the political dynamic is secondary,” said Steele.
Menn and Steele are both dissatisfied with how the city has handled the issue of removing lead water service lines. Earlier this year, a group of Troy residents and environmental groups banded together to bring to attention a half-million dollar grant to replace the aging lines that had gone unspent. The city council has since acted on funding the replacements.
The lead service line issue is the number-one concern for Brad Lewis, a Republican seeking to replace Council President Mantello. The first-time candidate who owns a lawn care and masonry company said his own residence was affected by elevated levels of lead.
“It just kind of shocked me that there was absolutely nothing being done about it. And I'm getting these recordings. So, as I communicate with my council people, it was it was kind of apparent that, you know, there's a lack of execution happening down at City Hall for those sorts of programs and inspired me to get to be part of the solution rather than be just the person complaining all the time,” said Lewis.
Lewis calls himself a fiscal conservative and wants to focus on neighborhood issues. The Troy native touted his roots and experience serving as a board member for the non-profit Hope 7 Community Center.
“I've run meetings before under the Robert's Rules of Order, you know, at Hope 7 Community Center. I've been the vice president, the president, multiple years, and currently I serve as a treasurer. But, you know, day-in and day out of my business, I have my own small business, I call the shots every day,” said Lewis.
The winner of the June 27th Democratic primary could face Lewis in the general election this November. In the mayoral campaign, Mantello is running against Democrat Nina Nichols, a Rensselaer County legislator.
