As they mark 100 days in office, elected officials in Troy are reflecting on their efforts — and their disagreements.
First-term Republican Mayor Carmella Mantello says she has “hit the ground running” in her new role after two terms as city council president. Troy’s first female mayor says initiatives to beautify the city go beyond aesthetics.
“It was really important to show the people of Troy we can be better. We can be the greatest city in this state, and it starts out by having cleaner and greener streets and I'll keep saying they go hand in hand,” Mantello said.
Mantello says the efforts aren’t costing the city anything but mark a change in attitude and increased communication between departments. Mantello claims the last administration failed to direct departments, resulting in costly miscommunications and inconsistency.
“From day one now, I wanted our folks to know that even though yes, on the org chart, I'm at the top of the chart, our department heads are overseeing departments. Were 500 folks, 450,” Mantello said. “We're here to work as one team. So, they're seeing me out on the streets, they're seeing that what they do day in and day out, has a huge impact on people's lives.”
As for city hall itself, pressure has been mounting in recent years for it to be housed in a city-owned property. The city has rented the fifth floor of the Hedley building on River Street for nearly 15 years and its current lease expired in late 2022. Mantello says Trojans need a city hall they can be proud of. Multiple plans to develop and return City Hall to 1 Monument Square have fallen apart. Mantello now says she hopes a public-private partnership can fill the lot where a half-dozen redevelopment plans stalled — even with $19 million in state funding available.
“The farmers market is looking for a new home,” Mantelllo said. “So, my goal is to develop that site, but really utilize the public forums, the charettes that were held.”
But first-term City Council President Sue Steele, a Democrat, says other projects should take priority.
“A new Lansingburgh firehouse, for instance. We’re about to break ground for a Knickerbacker pool,” Steele said. “We have a number of other issues, the lead pipe replacement for instance. These are these are big ticket items, and are very much resident needs as opposed to a standalone City Hall.”
Mantello refutes that, saying she has revitalized talks for a new firehouse, and many other projects are already in the works.
Steele also accuses Mantello of withholding information from the city council— a co-equal branch of city government. Mantello says Steele is playing politics. But Steele says both sides need to work together.
“It seems to be more reactive. When the administration wants something, they reach out to me for a special meeting or a particular legislative item. I think it would be more productive if we were communicating on a regular basis and had more conversational opportunities,” Steele said.
One area of agreement: fighting against the June closure of the Burdett Birth Center will continue. Parent company Trinity Health plans to close the low-risk facility, but advocates say it will put an undue burden on local mothers.
And even though Mantello says she thinks it’s a “done deal,” she says she’s not waving the white flag yet.
“I'm gonna be really frank and not beat around the bush I think once they announced it, they did not care, obviously,” Mantello said. “The communication from day one was absolutely horrible. Local leaders, state leaders didn't know about it and we had to read about in the paper, unacceptable. They have tried over the past, we'll say, couple months, maybe, to repair that communication damage but I think it's irreparable.”
Steele says the closure will be a “tremendous loss,” leaving Rensselaer County without a birthing facility.
And as for the lead contaminated service lines, both say a more aggressive informational campaign is needed to meet lofty goals set by the state to have all lines inventoried by October and Mantello’s promise to replace all lead pipes in her first four-year term. The city has only inventoried about half of the lines.
