Water torture created by drips, worsened by fibs

During the Rosamilia administration, it has not been unusual to hear complaints about City Hall and various departments routinely failing to communicate well, or at all, with City residents.

The calls from beleaguered Lansingburgh residents about their much-publicized frozen water pipes that went unanswered by the mayor and his staff, the failure to respond to e-mails and calls about poor snow removal, the lack of follow-through on requests for replacement trash receptacles damaged by city pickup crews, the misinformation given out to callers by the Department of Public Works about garbage pickup on snowy days, the City failing to notice that County-provided tax information was wrong and passing it along to City taxpayers to cause confusion ... The list goes on and on.

The latest problem is clearly one more case of bureaucratic incompetence and disdain for the public.

It's a flap over a letter sent out to many City residents -- not just a handful in the Miami Beach neighborhood as the Times Union is erroneously reporting -- replete with scare tactics and an unnecessarily nasty tone.

The smarmy letter -- my first reaction to reading it was "Who the hell do they think they are?" -- informed recipients that new digital water meters needed to be installed in their homes, gave them 30 days to schedule the work or else -- and this was emphasized -- their water would be shut off.

Not a polite notice and a request to make an appointment. No, that would have been too intelligent. Public Works made the conscious and foolish decision to take a routine bit of work and turn it into an  imperious demand-and-threat situation, thereby alienating the people the department is supposed to serve, not dictate to.

I asked the city workers who installed my new meter if they had heard any negative feedback from other homes they had visited. "Just about every single one," was the reply. "People say they are really pissed at the tone and the threat."

Mayor Lou Rosamilia's spokesman Michael Morris told reporters the wrong notice was mailed out by the City. He said residents should have received a 30-day notice followed by, if that was not met, a 10-day shutoff notice. Woulda, shoulda, coulda.

He also was quoted as saying the miscue was in only one area of the City and that homeowners had been contacted to advise them of the mistake.

Note to Mr. Morris and the whole world: Neither of those statements is true.

I do not live in the Miami Beach neighborhood yet I received one of the offensive notices, and I am not alone in that as busy social media makes clear. No one ever contacted me to own up to a mistake. As a matter of fact, even when I called Public Works to schedule an appointment, the person who  answered the phone -- with barely-disguised annoyance at being bothered by a mere member of the public that pays her salary -- never mentioned anything about a mistake.

When I moved to Troy 20 years ago, I was looking forward to being part of a city on  the upswing. Today, I can say with conviction that, yes, downtown Troy is on the upswing but the rest of the City is, for the most part, just left swinging.

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Rosamilia out, let the games not begin

It appears Mayor Lou Rosamilia will not run for a second term.

In his case, one-and-done is a good thing. But, now it's up to the people-who-would-be-mayor to clearly make their views known on the many pressing topics affecting the future of the city.

And, they all could do the voters a favor by focusing on real issues, and not indulging in the usual childish bickering and petty politics that passes for thoughtful discourse in this city and has harmed its reputation for decades no matter which party is in power. Incessantly posting "gotchas" on social media is not a real credential for chief executive of a multi-million-dollar enterprise.

The Times Union, quoting "officials familiar with his plans," reported today that Rosamilia will call it quits after a single term and make that announcement tomorrow. Considering the endless problems and controversies he has faced in his 3+ years, that is understandable. However, those problems will not go away when he does. They will be inherited by his successor. That's where each mayoral candidate's platform is critical. What, for example would they do about this string of problems? Not just some of them, but all of them.

• Slumlike conditions persist in many neighborhoods, caused not only by the lifestyles of people living there but by lax maintenance by building owners and lax code enforcement by the City.

• A rash of arsons in Lansingburgh that began last summer remains unsolved. Fear has hung over the residents for too many months, and with winter slowly disappearing, firebugs will again be on the prowl.

• Major fiscal woes have the state once again looking over the collective shoulder of city government, and huge pension payments loom. Short of tax hikes, which should be ruled out without question for a population with a generally low average income, what to do?

• Rampant overspending on overtime by the police and fire departments has become institutionalized, but it shouldn't be. Better planning and administration are needed.

• Streets and major road surfaces throughout the city are in worse shape than they've been in years, with cavernous potholes causing motorists to swerve like drunk drivers to avoid rupturing a tire.

• The City shows a continued lack of willingness to obey the City Charter and require sidewalks to be kept clear in winter, forcing far too many pedestrians to walk on icy roads in traffic day and night.

• The continuing lack of a real, cost-effective City Hall is ridiculous. Going into an office building and taking an elevator to the fifth floor is not the way to impress people with how you do municipal business.

The list could go on to include such things as the federal government investigating some highly questionable building-demolition decisions, and the snail's pace "development" of Monument Square that in actuality has been nothing but talk and aborted plans for years while the site of the former City Hall just sits there like a broken tooth in an aging mouth.

On the upside, what the next mayor also will inherit is the encouraging number of small businesses flocking to the city to take advantage of its empty commercial building stock, its walkable downtown, and its riverside ambiance; the number of entrepreneurial young people willing to put in the sweat equity needed to revive some of our once-beautiful buildings; and, the number of young, taxpaying residents making either the decision to stay or to come here for all the attractions.

But, that high tide of interest could easily ebb if the major woes of the City are submerged in a swamp of backbiting, political BS and lack of innovative municipal management.

Demand better, folks. If you do not, then you deserve what you get.

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Troy Charter Review Commission notice

The Troy Charter Review Commission, of which I am a member, is scheduled to meet in City Hall's Council Chambers at 433 River Street, Suite 5001 on Thursday, April 2, at 9 a.m.

At that time the Commission will receive input, comments and suggestions from Mayor Lou Rosamilia and various department heads regarding potential changes to the City Charter. The public is invited to attend.

 Future hearings of the Commission will be posted on the City’s website and the Troy City Council Facebook page.

The current City Charter can be found online.

The Charter Review Commission welcomes and encourages citizen input and participation in this review process. Written comments may be directed by e-mail to charter-review@troycitycouncil.com or by postal mail in care of Ian H. Silverman, Corporation Counsel, Troy City Hall, 433 River Street, Suite 5001, Troy, NY 12180.

We had a small turnout at our first public hearing, held on March 12, but will hold another public hearing as the last of five hearings. The public is welcome at any of them, and we encourage you to attend. The final product of the Commission's work will be on the ballot in November for your consideration.

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Famous Lunch's famous Steve Vasil dead at 88

Steve Vasil (right) with son Scott.

Steve Vasil, who operated the Famous Lunch at 111 Congress Street in Troy for more than a half-century, has died at the age of 88.

Vasil, a Greek immigrant known for serving his miniature hot dogs with meat sauce, owned the business with his brother, Nicholas, and served customers from 1955 until he retired in 2006. He died on Friday at the Van Rensselaer Manor nursing home.

The Famous Lunch began in 1932 under the name Quick Lunch. The brothers changed the name to Famous Lunch after a brief brush with fame in 1958 when a local Marine posted at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow ordered a round of hot dogs to be sent there to mark the American ambassador's birthday.

Vasil delighted in posting online other brushes with fame -- comedian Jay Leno ordering 250 minidogs, a mention in the newspaper USA Today, and numerous mentions in various national publications among them.

Vasil is survived by his wife, Christina, daughter Paula, son Scott, and grandchildren, siblings, nieces, nephews and godchildren. His funeral is scheduled for 10 a.m. today at St. Basil Greek Orthodox Church in Troy. Burial will follow at the Elmwood Hill Cemetery on Belle Avenue, Troy.

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Update: Troy Charter Review Commission seeks input

UPDATE (3/12/15): Tonight we held our first public hearing. Very small turnout, with just three speakers -- two from the League of Women Voters -- and only a few onlookers. Disappointing. Our next hearing, open to public attendance, will be held from 9 a.m to noon to hear input from the mayor and various departments head. During the entire process, the public is encouraged to mail or e-mail comments and suggestions (see addresses below).

(Originally published 2/17/15)

I just got home from the initial meeting of the Troy City Charter Review Commission. I'm excited.

Not that reading the 100-pages-plus of often-arcane legalese line by excruciating line is in itself a cause for excitement, but the opportunity to help update and, in some instances, redefine how our City operates is a rare one. I'm pleased to be on the Commission with eight other citizens to work in a bipartisan fashion to rid the Charter of obsolete language, modernize a number of requirements and otherwise polish up what last time around became a bone of contention rather than an instrument of improvement.

In 2008, then-Mayor Harry Tutunjian appointed a charter review commission. So did the then-City Council which as a whole was no fan of the mayor. Each came up with a set of recommended revisions, then the whole thing went to court where a judge ruled that the mayor's commission was the only one with authority to recommend changes to the voters. Its work went down in flames at the polls, soundly rejected by the people who bother voting on such things.

This time around, there is one Charter Review Commission, consisting of people appointed by the mayor and by both the majority caucus and minority caucus of the City Council, and inclusiveness was the watchword at our first meeting. The public will have numerous opportunities to provide input on proposed changes, at a public hearing scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, March 12, at City Hall; at a second public hearing to be scheduled after separate hearings involving the City administration, then the City Council, then City employees; and, in between via written correspondence addressed to Corporation Counsel (and Commission chairman) Ian Silverman at City Hall (433 River St., 5th Floor, Troy NY 12180), or by e-mail to the Commission as a whole (use the address charter-review@troycitycouncil.com).

The other seven members of the Commission are Flora Carr, Kevin Glasheen, Patrick Madden, Patrick Morphy, Jill Nagy, Kevin Vandenburgh and Ken Zalewski. As you can see, people named Patrick or Kevin are well represented. I hope as many people as possible get involved in the process no matter what their names. You can get a look at the present City Charter online.

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Frozen, but not the movie of that name

Several Lansingburgh families are without water, and have been for far too long.

The problem? The City of Troy says they're on their own to deal with frozen pipes connected to city water lines.

Go here to read the story about Troy's public service inaction, rather than in action.

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Eating, drinking, spending and picking a casino site

Artist's conception of Rivers Casino & Resort at Mohawk Harbor, Schenectady.

A lot of people in Troy and the rest of Rensselaer County did not want a casino built here. And, a lot of people did. Still others were undecided. Now, it doesn't matter because, as we know, a Schenectady proposal got the state's nod.

You may have thought the awarding of Upstate casino licenses was all about the money. It turns out that wasn't the only criterion the state Gaming Facility Location Board used to award the Capital Region OK to a Schenectady development group rather than to similar groups in Rensselaer or East Greenbush, according to a report made public on Friday.

Sure, environmental impact, financial backing, workforce impact, quality of life impact and other such things were huge mitigating factors in the decision. But, some of it came down to dining with a water view. Particular if you wanted to run a steakhouse. Really. Here's how it played out.

The proposed Capital View project for East Greenbush, in Rensselaer County east of Albany, was a joint venture of Churchill Downs Inc., which runs the Kentucky Derby,  and Saratoga Harness Racing Inc., which runs the Saratoga Gaming & Raceway in Saratoga Springs. They proposed development of a 269,600-square-foot complex containing 100 hotel rooms and a 60,000-square-foot casino with 1,506 slot machines and 56 table games, a high-end steakhouse plus multiple casual dining options throughout and multiple bars, a 500-seat special events center and retail space.

But, the proposal did not seem ready to live up to its name, at least for its dining patrons. The board specifically pointed out that, among other shortcomings and some strong community opposition, the plans calling for only one restaurant offering a view of the Albany skyline, and it found that insufficient.

Many longtime local residents have wryly said the best thing about the little, always-struggling city of Rensselaer that sits between the rejected East Greenbush site and the Hudson River is its view of Albany. Perhaps the siting board agreed. So did the developers. The nationally-known Hard Rock Hotel & Casino outfit wanted to build on the riverbank where the city school once stood. According to Hard Rock, the project would have included 1,500 slot machines, 50 table games, an off-track betting outlet, 100 hotel rooms, an indoor-outdoor pool overlooking a riverside boardwalk, with a spa, fitness center, meeting space, a Hard Rock Cafe restaurant, a steakhouse, at least two other casual restaurants, two bars/lounges, a meeting space and a retail outlet.

Planners had made sure at least two of the Rensselaer site restaurants would have had faced the river and include outdoor dining space, and an outdoor gaming space would have been on a riverfront patio. So, dining with a water view was covered and the siting board liked that. What it didn't like, according to its report, was a large number of questions about financing, mitigating the impact of needed services from the City of Rensselaer, and lack of detail to support various claims about efficiency, workforce diversity and other matters.

What did get the board's approval was the Rivers Casino and Resort at Mohawk Harbor in Schenectady, a joint venture of Capital Region Gaming LLC and The Galesi Group. It will be a 60-acre parcel where the American Locomotive manufacturing facility once operated until shuttering it 46 years ago. It would contain a 51,361-square-foot casino with 1,148 slot machines, 66 gaming tables, a "classic steakhouse and other casual and light fare restaurants," an entertainment lounge, banquet facility and spa, plus 150 hotel rooms with another 124 to be added at a later time.

The Rivers planners played it smart when it came to food and drink. Besides the "classic steakhouse" and other venues, it included a pledge to hold vendor fairs and feature local items such as beer from a local brewery, and to partner with local food and beverage venues to operate some or all of the food venues,according to the board's report.

Rivers' plans specifically called for a 125-seat steakhouse with water view, a 10- to 16-seat steakhouse bar area, a sports-themed entertainment and food lounge, and a marketplace food court with three to four outlets, all complemented by three bars/lounges.

So, what it all boils down to for residents of Troy and Rensselaer County seeking new food-and-drink venues is that you'll be able to drive a half-hour to try one more "classic steakhouse," another small food court, and a few more bars/lounges. That and, of course, find another place to get rich/get poor quickly.

If you have some patience, there's a sometimes-balky video available here that talks about the project.

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