Albany's chief city auditor recently commissioned a survey to determine if the city is facing a housing crisis. Three candidates running to replace her question the approach of hiring an outside firm.
Chief City Auditor Dorcey Applyrs recently announced a seven-month audit that she says will scrutinize how state and local policies have shaped Albany's housing market from 2019 to the present.
"We talk a lot about housing in the city. Some say we have a housing crisis, but no one to date has been able to present a full holistic picture of the magnitude of that crisis. We know that the state, the governor, the legislature, have prioritized housing across the state. We know that we have partners right here on the front line, housing advocates, the city of Albany and others, who are working to address housing challenges. But, yet, we don't have a full holistic picture informed by data," said Applyrs.
The audit follows a 2024 city study that pegged Albany's vacancy rate at 8.33%, exceeding the state's 5% threshold required to adopt a rent stabilization system, which advocates argue would calm housing affordability.
While the Democratic city auditor candidates vying to replace Applyrs, who is running for mayor in the Democratic primary, said they support the concept of the audit, they question Applyrs’ decision to hire an outside firm. The audit will be conducted by Camoin Associates at a cost of about $80,000 – a move Applyrs said was necessary because her office doesn’t have the market-analysis expertise required.
Albany public school math teacher and coach John Rosenzweig, a former common councilor who is endorsed by the Albany County Democratic Committee in the auditor race, says he would like more transparency and public understanding of audit processes.
"Quite honestly, I'm not sure what limitations there are," Rosenzweig said, "but I think these are questions that in my tenure as the chief city auditor, that will be articulated along with these types of audits. I think there are reasons why audits should be done at times by outside agencies, if capacity is an issue, or if there's some sort of conflict involved.”
Albany County Legislator Sam Fein of District 6 says there is value in the auditor’s office conducting its own reviews to hear directly from residents.
“I used to work in the city auditor’s office and we did them in house," Fein said. "I think that's important because we have the expertise, we have the knowledge and really the connections to the community in Albany and to the people. And I think it's important with conducting audits also, to get out there to community members, listen to what their experiences are.”
For instance, Fein says he's heard from many homeowners that they can't afford to pay their property taxes, while renters face unprecedented hikes that are turning their budgets upside down.
Mayor Kathy Sheehan’s Chief of Staff David Galin is also running for chief city auditor. He says getting a better understanding of the housing situation in the city of Albany is important.
“We hear often about affordability and rising prices, and I think it's really important that we're doing audits that get to the bottom of 'do we have a housing crisis? How has the housing market changed?' And also, 'what can we implement?'”
But Galin says he’d prefer to conduct more reviews without outside help. “As chief city auditor, I really want to make sure that we're doing as many audits in house as possible, because I think it gives us the best understanding of what is actually happening, and then also being able to work with whoever the next mayor is to help implement those recommendations and continue to make the city a better place,” Galin said.
The Democratic primary is Tuesday.
