Republican Troy Mayor Carmella Mantello delivered her second State of the City address Wednesday. Mantello pledges to replace triple the amount of lead service lines in her second year.
Speaking to a full house at Franklin Plaza, Mantello says she plans to replace more than 900 lead service lines this year.
“It's not just an investment in infrastructure. It's an investment in our health, our neighborhoods, our future. We'll continue this momentum, replacing outdated lead pipes, ensuring every resident can trust the water that flows into their homes. Stay tuned. An RFP is coming out in the next few weeks, requesting multiple contractors to go gangbusters in 2025.”
Mantello pledged during her campaign to replace all of the city’s lead lines during her first term. Troy Tomhannock Reservoir water serves more than 135,000 people across nine municipalities.
Where the mayor will actually work in the future was another focus of the address.
The city’s current home is downtown at the Hedley Building, which costs about $30,000 a month in rent. Mantello would rather site city hall in a permanent home that residents “can be proud of.”
In an end-of-year interview with WAMC in December, Mantello said proposals would be narrowed down and shared with the council by early February. But during her address, she said the proposals will be shared in the spring.
“They'll see the proposals when we go to them with the proposal that we're recommending,” Mantello said. “We've narrowed it to two. We had the financial teams in this week and last week now it's the financial and literally picking one of those two. And we'll come to the council and they'll see the other proposals. But the proposal that we decide is what will be going to the council to recommend our proposed because we know where we want it, but obviously the financial has to make sense.”
Mantello also said she plans to make significant progress on One Monument Square, the former home of city hall and the site of multiple stalled redevelopment proposals over the years.
Many hope the plot will become a permanent home for the Troy Waterfront Farmers Market. Mantello says she is tired of “band-aid solutions.”
“When complete, One Monument Square will be more than just a building. It will be a symbol of Troy's Renaissance, a place where commerce thrives, community gathers, and our waterfront comes to life. This is the kind of foundational investment that will shape Troy's future for decades to come,” Mantello said.
Mantello announced that public access to police scanners would return in the near future after being encrypted. Meantime, Mantello says an online version will be made available.
Mantello touted investments in first responders, saying shootings were down more than 20 percent in 2024 as compared to 2023. Mantello also highlighted efforts by her Quality-of-Life Action Task Force to ensure the streets and sidewalks are clean, destroy blighted buildings, and hold residents accountable for eyesores across the city.
Democratic Council President Sue Steele said it was “a good night for Troy,” but that Mantello “inherited” the good fortune.
“She’s very fortunate to have inherited what she did in terms of the ‘Mac Debt’ being gone and the bond rating at its current I took issue with the fact that she kept talking about projects that were not taken care of in the past, because she was part of that solution, or lack thereof,” Steele said. “As president of the city council, she blocked many of the initiatives that she now favors as mayor. So, it shows there's a difference in perspective once you become mayor, many of the projects that she touted today were already in the works. It's great to see them come to fruition.”
Mantello disputes that, adding there’s always more work to be done.
“We inherited broken infrastructure. You know, cob-infrastructure, we're making long term investments, not band aid solutions.”
The Republican called attention to investments in city parks, saying they are the heart of the community.
“With almost a million dollars in ARPA funding, again. Thank you to the city council we have a new playground, new tennis courts, new piccolo courts, and newly paved roads,” Mantello said. “But guess what's on the front burner, a master plan that is long overdue for Prospect Park, that will begin some. Sometime in 2025.”
Mantello also praised local and state officials and advocates who fought to avert planned the shutdown of Burdett Birth Center last year. $1 million annually in state funding for five years was secured while a permanent solution is sought.
Early in her first year, Mantello hired a Director of Diversity, Opportunity, and Outreach Director. She says Kevin Pryor is focused on building positive relationships with young people and the city’s minority populations. Speaking with WAMC, Pryor says he connects kids with employment and mentorship opportunities.
“They have the opportunity to make the right decisions now that they're not part of the gang violence in the drug dealing in our in our city of Troy,” he said.
Mantello says there are many projects in the works for the city this year and tells residents to “stay tuned” for more information.
“Here's to a prosperous 2025 and let's keep Troy moving forward. Booyah.”
