With prolonged budget negotiations and the resignation of a councilmember, the Schenectady City Council faced a slew of challenges in 2025.
First, Councilman Joseph Mancini resigned from his post in August, creating a vacancy that still has not been filled. Then the 2026 budget was finalized late. Then Democratic Mayor Gary McCarthy filed a lawsuit against the former council over the appointment of Justin Chaires to replace Mancini.
Now, the council can’t even conduct city business. That’s because after former Council President Marion Porterfield lost her reelection bid in November, the council has been unable to come to consensus on a new president.
New York’s Second-Class Cities Law specifies that until a permanent council president is appointed, the mayor presides over council meetings.
But, the law specifies: “Until such a vacancy is filled, the common council shall transact no business except to adjourn from time to time.”
Councilmember Carl Williams said the council’s work starts and ends with the president.
“Largely, this is due to the fact that the president’s role sets committee assignments and designates share persons for each committee and that carries voting powers that move items out of committee and then onto the floor for overall consideration by the entire council. So, that’s why it’s imperative that without this role in place, we’re unable to receive and then review matters that come before the city,” Williams said.
At their annual organizational meeting last week, council members cast their votes for two prospective replacements – Williams and Doreen Ditoro, who declined to comment Wednesday.
Williams received three votes and Ditoro earned two, but, with only five active members on the council, four votes are needed to claim the position.
In addition to the vacancy left by Mancini, Councilor Carmel Patrick is inactive due to medical reasons.
Vince Riggi, a former independent councilmember who served two terms and lives in the city, says he has never seen a situation quite like this.
The independent, who threw his hat in the ring to replace Mancini, says he actually withdrew his bid for the vacant seat because of the political climate.
“The main reason I think, in my opinion, is everything is so politically charged, nothing else can happen,” Riggi said.
Riggi also contends one-party Democratic rule has paralyzed the council.
“You know, with one party rule, we right now, we have a Republican Party that’s basically useless for any better terms, so you don’t have any competition, there is nothing going on,” Riggi said.
Republican Matt Nelligan, who ran unsuccessfully for mayor of the Electric City in 2023 and was recently appointed to serve as the executive director of the Schenectady County GOP Committee, says the Democratic Party is to blame.
“The dysfunction that we are seeing in the city is entirely the fault of the Democratic Party, who run the city. They have factions within their party, they can’t get along, and they take it out on the council and the mayor’s level,” Nelligan said.
Williams, who has served on the council since 2021, agrees that party infighting has plagued the council, claiming that there was a targeted and strategic effort to remove Porterfield and former Councilman Damonni Farley from their council seats — a notion Farley spoke about during their reelection campaign.
Williams says its time for the council to come together.
“We need to focus on the future, I think to do that, we have to establish trust amongst ourselves and that is something that cannot be manufactured, it has to be authentic,” Williams said.
Farley and Porterfield ran last year on the Working Families Party line after not receiving endorsements from the Schenectady County Democratic Committee and failing to gather enough signatures to run in June’s primary elections.
Porterfield waged a primary campaign against McCarthy in 2023.
Williams, who contends he is the best person to head the council, said it is important for the members to select a president, even if he is not chosen.
“I am not holding the council hostage to myself as the only name for consideration, but it’s just recognizing what the options are if that is outside of myself and Miss Ditoro, because it is important that we start to act,” Williams said.
Williams says he is confident that there will be “no more hold-ups” after the council’s upcoming Monday meeting.
