A downtown Troy street now bears the name of a longtime Capital Region civic leader.
A shady section of Second Street near Russell Sage College and the Troy Public Library is now known as The Jim Conroy Way.
Conroy, who died of cancer in August, was known as “the boy from Troy.” His political career included serving eight years as Mayor Mark Pattison’s deputy, in addition to time on the Schenectady County Legislature and the Schenectady City Council. He also ran unsuccessfully for mayor of both cities.
At a ceremony Monday, Pattison, a Democrat who led the Collar City from 1996 to 2003, credited Conroy’s sunny demeanor for his ability to accomplish projects for Troy.
“He was relentlessly positive. I only know a couple other people that could be positive under any circumstances like Jim was. He was very opinionated. He had an opinion about just about everything. But unlike most people, Jim walked the walk. He would do things and get things done,” Pattison said.
108th District State Assemblyman John McDonald, a former Cohoes mayor, says Conroy was an inspiring leader.
“He knew everybody. He knew what doors to knock on. He knew doors not to knock on, too, by the way, which is always helpful in politics,” McDonald said.
Mayor Carmella Mantello, a first-term Republican, says Conroy embodied the hardworking values of his fellow Trojans. She presented Conroy’s family with a proclamation recognizing his service.
“Jim was a dedicated public servant who is devoted to the betterment of his community, serving on the Schenectady County Legislature, Schenectady City Council, and as Deputy Mayor of Troy from 1996 to 2004 and whereas, together with Mayor Mark Pattison, Jim helped lead the city of Troy through some really dark days of its generation-long financial crisis toward fiscal and economic recovery,” Mantello said.
Mantello hopes recognizing a lifelong public servant will inspire others.
“It's one of those ‘Joneses factors.’ ‘Oh my gosh, that house looks better than mine. I better do the façade; I better clean my front porch.’ And that's what we're building throughout Troy, we're building that pride,” Mantello said.
Conroy’s daughter Jackie O’Donnell says her father wouldn’t have expected the honor.
“He would just be so surprised and so just overwhelmed. It would mean so much to him. So we all, as a family, we chose ‘The Jim Conroy Way’ because we really want everyone to think about it as a commitment and the way to live,” O'Donnell said.
Which, she says, means keeping a positive mindset and giving back to the community.
