In the latest batch, published today, one topic is the Troy Charter Review Commission.
Normally, I would ignore such ramblings, but as a Commission member I think it wise to make an effort to keep the public honestly informed.
The anonymous sniper claims Mayor Lou Rosamilia, a Democrat, and City Councilman Jim Gordon, a Republican, conspired to appoint a Commission to eliminate term limits, a topic that always is a hot-button issue in Troy.
That claim is more than an error, it is an outright lie, as the anonymous caller well knows.
First of all, the matter of term limits came up at the Commission's first public hearing only because representatives of the League of Women Voters brought it up. The Commission assured the LWV and the very few others in attendance -- including reporters for The Record and the Times Union -- that (a) no discussion of term limits, pro or con, had been held -- indeed, the topic had never been raised, and (b) that the subject would be evaluated just as every item in the current City Charter would be handled. A few comments were made around the table about the topic, but that is as far as it went. If any Commission members made public comments outside the Commission sessions, I have not heard them repeated to the group as a whole.
That is the sum and substance of it. The Commission has since held a hearing, open to the public, to listen to suggestions from the mayor and a number of department heads; will hold another hearing, open to the public, to hear suggestions from City employees, and will hold yet another hearing to receive suggestions from the public -- all before going heavily into the meat of the Charter.
And, that is the accurate picture of the matter.
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