I can't post anything about the at large candidates. Sorry, real stuff happened.
I'll try to weigh in tomorrow.
And in the meantim, salute to TPD Officer Justin Ashe and Elza.
I wouldnn't wanna be on the other end of Elza, especially if I took a shot at her.

Councilman Ken Zalewski, D-District 4, backed out on meeting with the GOP, which means any plans of him flipping parties or accepting the cross endorsement are dead.


Zalewski claims, which backs up what I’ve heard, that despite what city GOP Chair Jim Gordon said about the cross never being an option, it was on the table at one time. That was the only way Zawleski would have accepted the GOP nod. And since he, being Zalewski, won’t change parties, interviewing with the GOP was moot with out the possibility of a cross so  he bailed on the interview.

I think there are a couple things going on here. One, the GOP knows it can’t beat Zalewski in District 5 and was hoping to get an “R” next to his name even if it was alongside a “D,” and Zalewski wanted to reach across the aisle. Yes, there are rumors about his job at the now GOP–controlled Senate but read his response on the previous post and if he doesn’t get fired we’ll know it’s true. If he does, well then that could be worth a story.

If you want to check out my talking about the FBI and voter fraud with Paul Vandenburgh click here. I’ll be on every Monday from 9:30 to 10 a.m. talking Troy, the election and yes, voter fraud.

TE

This week Councilman Ken Zalewski, D-District 5, will interview with the GOP.


Yes, you read that right.

According to Zalewski, he will consider a cross-endorsement but won’t be flipping parties. The cross, he said, is to help improve the relationship the council has with the administration that has gotten progressively worse since Mayor Harry Tutunjian lost the Republican majority four years ago.

A new mayor, a fresh start, council and administration working hand in hand to move the city forward. You know, kind of the exact opposite of how it stands today.

Then, there are those who say it’s an effort by Zalewski to keep his job at the Senate. When he got the $105,000 job the Democrats were in control. That changed in January and now the GOP holds a slim majority.

The GOP would be smart to endorse Zalewski because they really don’t have a candidate who will beat him but holding his job over his head is well … illegal. And we know nobody would cross that line now would they.

UPDATE:



The GOP city chair, Jim Gordon, tells me a cross-endorsement was never on the table. Zalewski tells me there is no way he’ll be anything but a Dem.


Leaves me to wonder why he is interviewing with the GOP then? Building bridges is an honorable objective given the animosity between the council and the mayor, but that's usually done after November.

Apparently, by picking Council President Clement Campana over Lynne Kopka, president of the Washington Park Neighborhood Association, the Dems thought name recognition outweighed voter fraud.


As I’ve said before – it’s a tough call. It’s hard to gauge how regular people, i.e. voters, view the scandal, especially when the special prosecutor, Trey Smith, is making a snail look like a sprinter. Accusations are one thing, indictments are another. Right now, despite some evidence, all Campana really faces are accusations.

Voters will look past that. It’s harder to look past an indictment. And while it may come to an indictment with Campana, it might not. Smith said more indictments are forthcoming and Campana does have a problem with the Michael Rebel ballot. Rebel works with Campana at HVCC and voted absentee in the notorious 2009 Working Families Party primary. How bad the problem is I guess is up to Smith. But the snail is kicking his ass. Then again, Campana could avoid an indictment and if he does it’s all viewed as just more shenanigans by Troy politicians.

Who the next mayor is, who leads a city of more than 50,000 people for the next four years may very well rest in Smith's hands. And yet, the snail is kicking his ass.

That said, Kopka can’t match Campana’s name recognition but she does have a solid reputation, is known for getting things done and is free and clear of voter fraud. The Dems went with the guy who’s been elected three times and twice as council president. It’s their call. I have my own thoughts on who would make a better mayor, and actually get things done to move the city forward, but that really doesn’t matter now does it.

So, it’s Chappy versus Carmella Mantello. I’ve been asked to lay some odds and I will in my column on Monday. I first have to consult with Vegas, meet with my team of consultants and, well, make up some numbers that mean nothing.

I admit it. I was wrong. I was right in that the Dems did vote to recommend a candidate last night. I just picked the wrong candidate.

The party is going with Council President Clement Campana as its pick for mayor over Lynne Kopka, the president of the Washington Park Neighborhood Association.

Voter fraud be damned.

We’re trying to get a real person to say as much today, but I heard from a solid source that the vote by the Executive/Screening Committee was unanimous and now his name will be put to the committee as a whole for the ceremonial rubber stamp since Kopka is showing no signs of waging a committee battle.

So, it's going to be Campana versus the GOP's Carmella Mantello.

City Chair Jack McCann confirmed Campana is indeed the party's pick not long ago.

The Dems are to meet in about an hour at their headquarters in the Cannon Building.

I heard it was to endorse some or all candidates but city Chair Jack McCann tells reporter Cecelia Martinez it’s just a meeting of the screening committee to interview candidates.
So far they have interviewed five for mayor - Council President Clement Campana, Lynne Kopka, of the Washington Park Association, Nina Nichols, the pastor at Christ Church, and Legislators Ed Manny and Kathleen Ryan-Cassidy.
Also, for council, they interviewed former Councilman Frank LaPosta, Rodney Wiltshire and Debra Lockrow, who wants to run in District 4.

Check back and I’ll have a better grip about what’s going on.

Cecelia went down to Dem HQ and while they wouldn't let her in McCann and county Chair Tom Wade said they were going to interview Campana and Kopka again and may have a recommendation for the committee to consider sometime tonight.

Well, it appears no decision has been made - or at least none the Dems are willing to talk about - on whether the committee picks Kopka or Campana. The two interviewed again tonight, as mentioned before, but the committee, according to McCann, thinks it’s still a toss-up.
I don’t buy it. The toss-up is voter fraud, but you all know all about that one so I won’t go into it.
The Dems say a decision won’t be had until at least the end of the week. I don’t buy that one either.
My guess is its Kopka. And the committee is trying to appease Campana. If it was Campana it would be a done deal by now. It’s not and the Dems are trying to avoid a primary.

Here’s an update on who the Dems interviewed last night.


Frank LaPosta wants to run for Council, either in District 1 or for an at large seat, but word is he wasn’t warmly embraced by the committee, and in particular county Chair Tom Wade and former Deputy Mayor Jim Conroy. I say District 1 becuase it remains unclear what incumbent Dem Kevin McGrath will do, though word is he wants to run. Actually, if LaPosta doesn't get endorsed for something, I can see him running a primary in District 1. Now that would be fun and you can bet there are those in the GOP who would help him out. He has, afterall, primaried the party's picks in the past.

The fact he was not welcomed with open arms by Wade and Conroy comes as no surprise really. For right or wrong, he's done all he can to upset members of his own party for more than a decade including, when he was council president, paying for an attorney to investigate Conroy's dealings with HUD. It remains unclear if he will get the nod, but with petitions hitting the street early this year – May 31 rather than the first Tuesday in June so as not to conflict with a Jewish holiday – both parties are having a tough time fielding candidates.

Also interviewed Monday, as expected, was Rodney Wiltshire, but it now appears he wants to run at large rather than for mayor. And Russell Ziemba interviewed with the hope of taking on Republican incumbent Councilman Dean Bodnar in District 3. Ziemba ran two years ago on the WFP line.

Also, Debra Lockrow, a downtown business owner, interviewed in the heavily Dem-leaning District 4. Incumbent Bill Dunne is serving his eighth and last year before term limits force him out.

Back to the parties having a tough time finding candidates: The GOP, as far as I know, have nobody in Districts 1, 4, 5 or 6 and only two at large candidates – Billy Jean Greene and Tom Killips.

The Dems are scrambling to find at large candidates because word is incumbent John Brown isn’t running again and its not clear what at large incumbents Clement Campana or Michael LoPorto will do since one is eyeballing mayor and has his own voter fraud problems and the other might not live in the city stands charged with 42 felonies.

Other Dem candidates interested in taking on the GOP candidate for mayor, Carmella Mantello, include Lynn Kopka, Nina Nichols and Legislators Ed Manny and Kathleen Ryan-Cassidy.

We’ll knowWednesday who the Dems pick for mayor and maybe even council when the Executive Committee meets again.

The GOP, meanwhile, will be interviewing council candidates next week.


If I missed anyone or am way off base feel free to leave a comment or drop me a note at jfranco@troyrecord.com

The Dems are interviewing again today (Monday) and I hear of at least two candidates who will come before the committee.

Frank LaPosta is one. He upset the party apple cart in 1999 when he accepted a cross from the GOP and bounced Dem loyalist Beth Walsh from the council presidency. Then, in 2003, he was the party’s pick for mayor and got beat by Harry Tutunjian.

Then, he became the city’s party chair, and while in that position went on national TV with the party’s arch enemy, Bob Mirch, to bash the same people he was supposed to be leading about voter fraud. Safe to say, it didn’t sit well with the party and he is no longer city chair.

It’s unclear if he is being interviewed for a mayoral candidacy or a run at the District 1 seat on the Council presently held by Kevin McGrath. McGrath, as everyone knows, testified in front of the voter fraud grand jury as a prosecution witness and as such likely didn’t endear himself to a bunch of people in the party either.

Check back and I’ll have a better grip on what’s going on.

Also, Doris Day – no not the singer, the lady who lives in District 2 – is looking to take on Mark McGrath, the popular three-term incumbent enrolled Conservative who caucuses with the GOP but isn’t really getting along with any of them at the present time.

I don’t know much about Day, the candidate not the singer, but McGrath will be tough to beat, unless the GOP bails on him, which might happen.

Also, the Dems are going to be talking to Rodney Wiltshire, who owns the Empire Solar Store on Brunswick Road in Troy, who is said to want to run for mayor.

A couple posts ago I said any of the five potential Democratic mayoral candidates have a shot – regardless of their name recognition, or if they are under the cloud of voter fraud – because of the party’s enrollment advantage. If you remember, in 2003, Mayor Harry Tutunjian lost to Democrat Frank LaPosta on a straight Dem-to-GOP count but the minor parties put the mayor over the top.

Well, an astute observer and I were talking today and he said the numbers favored Democrats like never before, not just in the city but across the county. I checked with the Board of Elections and he’s right. As of Friday, in the City of Troy, there are:

- 8,055 Democrats
- 4,026 Republicans
- 1,409 in the Independence Party (A straw poll predicts 1,408 bought into the fake party name save one guy in North Greenbush)
- 1,255 in the Conservative Party (The same poll puts the unofficial count of those working at the Department of Public Works and their immediate family at 1,244.)
- 555 in the Working Families Party (The poll found 550 aren’t aware of it)
- 69 Greens (All 69 are true Green Party members and are pulling for a guy named “Howie.”)
- And there are 6,420 blanks, or those not enrolled in any party but still turn out to vote in most elections (A voter not enrolled in a party is called a blank, but it’s a misnomer.)

In 2003, there were 7,602 Dems, 4,961 Republicans, 1,571 Conservatives, 1,073 Independence Party members and 7,885 not enrolled in a party.

What all that means (outside of the snarky attempts at humor, which junkies will get but I get a feeling that’s all who check out this blog) is that right out of the gate the GOP candidate, Carmella Mantello, has an uphill battle. While the candidate matters, there is a core block who will only look for the “D” or “R.” Since the “Ds” outnumber “Rs” by about two-to-one, logic dictates the core block of Dems is bigger.

That’s why the minor party lines are so important. They too have their core block and Mantello will have the “I” and “C” lines. The WFP line is up in the air but it will probably go to the Dems since someone else takes care of their votes, generally by absentee. Unless, of course, the GOP want to bring someone like Chris Consuello, of Jimmy’s Pizzeria fame, out of retirement then he would get the nod. He is four-for-four in WFP primaries, after all.

Word is that Council President Clement Campana was ready to pull the trigger, bypass the committee and announce his candidacy for Troy mayor today ... but … he changed his mind. Then was going to again … but … he changed his mind. In other words, he’s a maybe.


Lighten up people, it's a joke.

While the rumor about him giving the oogatz to the committee is rampant, my guess is Campana will wait to see who it endorses before he pulls any trigger. If it's not him, though, I wouldn't be surprised if he does primary. Then again, I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t. Such it is with a maybe.

The others in contention are Lynn Kopka, of the Washington Park Association, Nina Nichols, pastor at Christ Church and county Legislators Ed Manny and Kathleen Ryan-Cassidy.

Friday is the last day the Dems will accept resumes of any interested candidates and it remains unclear when they will endorse someone to take on the GOP candidate, Carmella Mantello, who held her official announcement earlier this week.

While I’m not sure what went down at the Red Front Saturday night I do know it had something to do with Troy Deputy Chief Richard McAvoy and Sgt. John Coons, some liquor and something to do with Sgt. Joe Centanni’s mom.


Centanni is the sergeant who is going to be promoted to captain by Chief John Tedesco – over three other guys including Coons - and it has the whole department in tizzy. And that’s for a lot of reasons.

On the one side Centanni has a checkered past. On the other, there are those who just want the status quo at the police department where seniority is more important than actually doing your job.

After Coons and McAvoy did whatever they did at the Red Front, Tedesco had internal affairs down there the next day. That’s not messing around and that’s sending a message.

But, I hear the Red Front people want nothing to do with anything, except making probably the best pizza in the city, and ain’t saying anything.

My guess, the IA thing was a non-starter from the get go, but the message from Tedesco was pretty clear: I’m the chief and, well, I’m the chief and that’s it. Follow my lead or don’t. If you do, good, let’s go. If you don’t, retire and move on like Assistant Chief Tony Magnetto did. Those are two choices. The third is don’t screw up and just do your job.

Fire Chief Tom Garrett runs a no-nonsense department where you don’t get this kind of drama. Not so in the police department where the union has been running the show more so than any chief. I have a feeling that’s going to change under Tedesco.

Will anything come of the Red Front incident? Probably not. Did Tedesco send a message by sending IA down there the next day … you betcha.

As an aside ... before anyone wants to shoot the messenger. There is no way I would have done the story or put it here or anywhere else based on rumor or conjecture. I only went with it after I confirmed there was an IA investigation into the matter. Once it was confirmed, I had no choice but to go with the story.

Speaking of Councilman Mark McGrath - (see the post below) - there’s been a ton of chatter about him flipping to the Democrats. It never really made much sense to me but the chatter is out there and it’s getting louder.


It never made much sense because he’s in a seat he’s won three times as a Republican so, as the adage goes, why mess with something that ain’t broken. There is some friction between McGrath and some in the GOP – including a retired garbage man wintering in Florida - and he is friendly with some of the Dems on the council but he tells me he’s not flipping. I believe him. No reason not to.

Despite the feud between “Muscles” and “Flipper,” there are also those in the GOP who would like to see McGrath go at large and let Billie Jean Greene run in District 2. Over the past six-plus years McGrath has made a decent name for himself - he’s certainly not been invisible - and while he would stand a good chance if he ran citywide he’s not a shoe-in like he is in District 2. Conversely, Greene, as a newcomer, has a better chance running in a district than she would citywide. And for the Republican Party, Democrats too, it’s about the number seats not who sits where.

The council thinks it can move City Hall into the Dauchy Building on River Street by Oct. 31. And it can. If, and it’s a big if, it doesn’t get bogged down in studies and petty politics and just plain talking about it.


There’s really no need for a feasibility study. They will vote tonight to hire John Waite, an architect with a fine reputation, for that purpose but why not just tell him to just go with it and draw up plans to convert the building into City Hall and forget about looking at whether it’s feasible or not. Why not tell him what you want to do, ask him how much it will cost and go from there. Modifications can be made. Anything is feasible or made so. Have him work from that perspective.

I may be talking out of school on this one because I don’t know what the feasibility study entails but I do know if you give an architect, especially one as skilled as Waite, a building and tell him what you want, he’ll make it feasible.

Anyway, Mayor Harry Tutunjian wants the home of city government to stay in the old Verizon building, which makes sense on some levels, namely that the city is already there and has invested a ton of money into the building, but on others so does moving into the Dauchy building, the main one being the city already owns it and whatever investments made there will be the city’s and not the landlords.

So, the council has six plus months to get it done and that’s doable provided they collectively put their minds to it and decide on that’s the direction they want to go and go with it. I’ve been critical of Councilman Bill Dunne, for things of substance and I’ll admit of not, as I’m sure he’ll attest, but he does have the know-how to get this done, if it’s what the council wants.

If, and it’s a big if, the council can decide what it wants.

OK, maybe I did jump the gun a little bit. I was talking to Councilman Mark McGrath and he seems to think there are things beyond the council’s control, like a business that is waiting to move but its new location won’t be ready in time, that will prevent the council from moving into the Dauchy Building by Oct. 31.



But like he said, once it’s done it’s done and the City Hall mess will be behind the city forever.


I don’t know, I still think it can be done if everyone stops talking about it and gets a move on.

What’s as interesting as who the Dems interviewed is who they didn’t.


For starters they interviewed Council President Clemente Campana, Legislators Ed Manny and Kathleen Ryan-Cassidy, Lynn Kopka, the longtime president of the Washington Park Association and Nina Nichols, the senior pastor at Christ Church.

No Jim Conroy. The deputy mayor under Mayor Mark Pattison who ran unsuccessfully four years ago against Mayor Harry Tutunujian. Rather, he was one of the one’s doing the interviewing. Since one of those who did interview, Kopka, was also one of Pattison’s crew my guess is he’s in her corner.

Also, no John Brown. He’s been raising money for a mayoral run for two years or more. Voter fraud got him. At least as far as I can tell.

No Frank LaPosta as of yet, but I hear he’s sending in a resume. He, like, any other interested candidates have until April 15 to submit a resume, according to city Chair Jack McCann. Don’t plan on LaPosta, who was city chair until McCann was voted in as his replacement, to get any favors from the Dems though. He came out strong against voter fraud and well, they are members of his own party, for better or worse, and for better or worse as chair he should have their back not twist the knife that’s already been stuck there by a Republican operative. And then go on national TV with said operative.

No Pete Ryan or Lou Rosamilla either, much to the chagrin of the Dems who were courting both legislators.

Jack Cox Jr., though, was at the Board of Elections gathering information on what it takes to run on an independent line. For that to happen he’ll need to get five percent of the more than 21,000 enrolled voters in the city. I just don’t see that happening but I can only hope it does. Having a Cox running for mayor is nothing but a good thing for a person in my position.

Given that three of the five potential mayoral candidates the Democrats interviewed last week are women, and that the GOP endorsed Carmella Mantello, who has hit the ground running, as its candidate, there stands a good chance Troy could have its first female mayor in history.

According to an excellent piece written by Mike Esposito for this paper, there have been 58 mayors of Troy since 1816 and all 58 have been men. According to Esposito, who cited a number of sources, the office has gone through a number of changes over the years but it seems one has remained constant – it’s always been a man.

The Democrats are looking at Lynn Kopka, the longtime president of the Washington Park Association with strong ties to Democrats on both sides of the river, Nina Nichols, a newcomer to city politics who has done a fantastic job as pastor of the Christ Church in downtown and Legislator Kathleen Ryan-Cassidy is in the mix too.

Also Council President Clement Campana and Legislator Ed Manny want the job. Campana, one of the more popular Trojans, would be a shoe-in without voter fraud hanging over his head.

And, well, Campana isn’t a woman. I’m not going to try to pretend to understand the intricacies of voter trends when it comes to gender, ethnicity or religion, but it’s brought up enough to convince me it at least plays a role in the minds of some voters.

And I gotta believe the Democrats are looking at the same phenomena as they decide which candidate to endorse.

TROY — The Democrats interviewed potential mayoral candidates Thursday and they included two county legislators, a pastor, the Council president and neighborhood activist.


Lynn Kopka, the long time president of the Washington Park Association, confirmed she did interview with some of the executive committee members and she is interested in running for mayor. This is the first time Kopka’s name has been

“I have a big stake in this community and I want to see it keep moving forward, to build on our past successes and create new opportunities,” she said. “We discussed my work experience, my neighborhood activism and my ability to bring projects to completion.”

The committee also interviewed Council President Clement Campana, Legislators Ed Manny and Kathleen Ryan-Cassidy and Rev. Nina Nichols of the Christ Church United Methodist parish in downtown.

Campana’s name has been mentioned for months as a potential mayoral candidate and the three-term councilman said the interview went well.

“We discussed the future plans for the city and what the important issues are,” he said. “I certainly deserve the chance to run for mayor and I think my odds are as good as anyone’s. I’ve run three times and I’ve always tried to do my best for the City of Troy and we’ll see how it all plays out.”

Campana, along with seven other Democrats, has been dogged by the voter fraud scandal that’s been a cloud over the party’s head since it broke shortly after the 2009 Working Families Party primary. Campana’s has maintained and still maintains his innocence.

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” he said. “But I’m not naïve enough to think it will play a role in the negative campaign the Republicans will likely run.”

Campana has served as Council president since 2008.

The party’s city chairman, Jack McCann said no decisions have been made and is encouraging anyone who wants to run for mayor or council to submit a resume by April 15.

“We had our first round of interviews for potential mayoral candidates and no decision has been made,” he said.

The Republicans have already endorsed Carmella Mantello, a former councilwoman and former head of the state Canal Corp.