COUNCIL DEMOCRATS CONDEMN MAYOR‘S PLAN TO RAM THROUGH CITY HALL PROPOSAL THURSDAY EVENING

Mark D
Aug 6
5 min read

Legislation Advanced by Mayor Mantello is an Attempt to Retroactively Address the Premature Termination of Lease.

$1.6 Million Notice of Claim Filed Against City by Landlord in Response to Mayor's Abrupt Decision to Break Lease Despite Requirement that Troy's City Council Approve New Location Prior to June 1, 2025

Council President Steele Referred Legislation for Review by the Planning and Finance Committees on August 21, 2025

Republican Councilmembers Likely to Override Council Rules Thursday Evening to Prevent Referral and Rubber Stamp Mayor's Plan with Just 48 Hours Notice

Mantello Administration Refuses to Share Details with City Council, Taxpayers of Secretive Agreement, Discussions with the Troy Local Development Corporation (LDC)

Deeply Unpopular $10 Million Relocation Plan Questioned by Council Democrats and Public

Rushed Vote Renews Scrutiny of Councilmember Casey‘s Resignation from LDC Board Due to Potential Conflict for Simultaneous Vote for Mayor’s City Hall Plan

Steele: ”How Can We Approve a New Location When No Lease Agreement or Project Budget Has Been Finalized and Approved by LDC?”

Troy, New York (Aug. 6, 2025) - Council President Sue Steele and Councilmembers Katie Spain-McLaren and Aaron Vera are alerting the public about a resolution advanced by Mayor Carmella Mantello to ram through preliminary approval of a new location for city hall on Thursday, August 7, with just 48 hours' notice.

The resolution sets the stage for the Council’s four-member Republican majority—Bill Keal, Ryan Brosnan, Irene Sorriento, and Tom Casey—to lock the city into a development deal and relocate city hall before any details of the controversial $10 million plan are confirmed.

On Tuesday, August 5, Mayor Mantello released a resolution to the council that seeks to retroactively authorize her premature termination of Troy’s lease with First Columbia on May 31, 2025. The trio of council Democrats had previously raised concerns (more information found here) over a clause in the agreement that required the council’s approval of a new location by June 1, 2025, prior to authorizing the mayor to break the lease early.

Council President Sue Steele said, “With less than 48 hours' notice, the mayor is attempting to ram through her deeply unpopular $10 million deal to relocate city hall. This is a shocking move that taxpayers and voters will see right through. I stand opposed to this chaotic, secretive process and will be referring this resolution to the Planning and Finance committees for thorough review and discussion on August 21.”

Steele pointed to her authority under the City Code, which states: "All legislation drafted by the Corporation Counsel at the request of the administration shall be referred to the President of the Council for referral to the chairperson of the standing or special committee having jurisdiction over the subject matter of the legislation. Legislation shall be placed on the agenda for the next meeting of the Council only if it is referred to the President at least one week before the next regular Council meeting. If the chairperson refuses to sponsor the legislation, it shall be referred to the whole committee for consideration and must receive approval by majority vote of the standing committee at least two weeks prior to the regular Council meeting in order to be included on that meeting's agenda."

Council President Steele continued, “I strongly encourage the administration to disclose all requested documents, communications, and information requested by the council Democratic caucus relating to the proposed relocation of City Hall.”

In July 2025, Councilmember Tom Casey abruptly resigned from the LDC. The move was criticized as a strategic distraction that clears the way for Troy’s Republican council majority to rubber-stamp the mayor’s plan and lock the city into an agreement with the Troy Local Development Corporation and Columbia Development before a full analysis of costs to taxpayers can be completed.

Councilmember Aaron Vera said, “There are many unanswered questions regarding this proposal. What is the final scope and cost of the project? How are we accommodating staff in 20% less space? What are the terms of the new lease agreement with the LDC? What are the final rent, CAM, and utilities estimates? We haven’t even completed the public meetings this administration scheduled. This is a clear attempt to move this project forward without the administration addressing reasonable concerns and to preempt push-back when the facts are known.”

Council Democrats also pointed out that the administration or Troy LDC has released no formal lease or land development agreement for public review. Both agreements would require the LDC's approval prior to a vote of the council. Additionally, during the Troy LDC Board of Directors meeting on July 25, 2025, the board disclosed that a budget for the project would not be complete until November 2025.

"How can we be asked to approve a new city hall site without any written lease agreement for a new location or a final budget for the total cost of this unnecessary project?"

Steele added. "This rushed move demonstrates this mayor is focused on one thing: ramming through this deeply unpopular proposal over the objections of the council and taxpayers."

Outside Ethics Review

On July 28, 2025, Council President Steele requested from the mayor legislation to conduct an outside ethics review (More Information found here) pertaining to Deputy Mayor Seamus Donnelly's role in reviewing and selecting the Columbia Development proposal and his communications with the Troy LDC to facilitate the purchase of the building and proposed lease to the city.

There are questions about whether the process for soliciting public bids was followed and if the deputy mayor communicated with the LDC and Columbia Development about financing options prior to publicly disclosing the selected project. To date, no legislation has been drafted by the Corporation Counsel's office for consideration by the council, a violation of the City Charter.

City Hall Relocation Document Request

To date, the administration has not provided any documents, information, or other materials requested by the council.

On June 18, the council's Democratic caucus requested Columbia Development’s proposal to the city hall RFP. On June 24, the trio of Democratic lawmakers requested additional documents, including:

Copy of the letter of intent signed by the mayor noted in an interview with WAMC;
Communications between the administration and Columbia Development since issuance of the RFP;
Communications between the city and contractor BBL, including, but not limited to scope of work, renderings, and detailed cost estimates;
Estimate of lost parking garage revenue for the 5th Avenue Parking Garage and lost property tax revenue for the former Proctors Building;
Opinion of legal counsel that the building can be protected from creditors of the LDC now and in the future;
Operating pro forma, any financial information prepared for the LDC or city; and
Analysis of why the administration is believes purchasing the building through the LDC is more cost advantageous than the city purchasing the building directly.