SCHENECTADY — Bringing City Council meetings to the city’s neighborhoods has been an objective this year for several lawmakers, a move proponents contend would boost responsiveness and engagement.
But the first in a series of town hall-style meetings originally scheduled for Friday evening was abruptly postponed hours beforehand, prompting a fresh round of infighting among City Council members — especially since the new date was rescheduled for the holiest holiday on Judaism’s calendar.
The city Clerk’s Office attributed the cancellation to “unforeseen circumstances” and rescheduled the meeting at the Boys & Girls Club of Schenectady to Oct. 5, or Yom Kippur.
Council members John Polimeni, Doreen Ditoro and Carmel Patrick lashed the last-minute cancellation as “inexcusable” and said rescheduling to Yom Kippur demonstrated a “blatant lack of inclusivity and respect.”
The trio, who represent one faction of the divided all-Democratic City Council, accused their colleagues of opacity and wondered if the spiked event was a way to quash landlords from attending because they’re also scheduled to meet on Oct. 5.
“The public deserves much better,” said Polimeni, Ditoro and Patrick in a statement they released Friday.
A local landlord group, Schenectady Landlords Influencing Change (SLIC), issued a statement wondering if the event was postponed because they sent out a social media blast encouraging their members to attend, an alert the group claimed reached 50,000 people.
The city Clerk’s Office did not send out an initial press release announcing the meeting or a specific topic.
Matt Lyman, a SLIC spokesman, said the topic of the town hall was rent stabilization, an issue several City Council members previously said may be worth discussing amid soaring rents and chatter that the state is weighing changes to rent-stabilized apartments, a shift landlord advocates have argued would weaken their autonomy.
City Council has informally discussed the topic in committee but not introduced any legislation or discussed policy proposals in any detail.
“It is our belief that CERTAIN individuals in the city government caught wind of this media blast and abruptly, and without consideration, decided to cancel this Town Hall meeting,” wrote Lyman in a second statement issued on Sunday. “VERY unprofessional!”
The three-member City Council clique called out the other faction, including City Council President Marion Porterfield and City Council members Damonni Farley, John Mootooveren and Carl Williams, who has advocated for the community meetings since taking office in January.
Williams declined comment Sunday; he said he would issue a statement on Monday.
Mootooveren said on Twitter he wasn’t informed about the decision to cancel the event, nor did he give input on rescheduling to Yom Kippur.
“I hope that we can schedule a time that works for everyone,” he said.
Porterfield and Farley did not immediately respond for comment on Sunday.
The flap is the latest controversy to wrack the panel, including sharp disagreements over how to dole out federal COVID relief funds.
City Council was embroiled in controversy for much of last year, an election year that was unique in that it ran concurrently with a special contest to fill a pair of vacancies.
The election was characterized by a schism with racial overtones that saw accusations of backroom dealing, racial suppression, arguments over campaign mailers and accusations of quid pro.
Mootooveren, who led the body until January, previously survived a no confidence vote. Several lawmakers also previously called for the resignation of the head of the city’s Democratic Committee.
Meanwhile, city Republicans called the last-minute cancellation of Friday’s event as “bizarre” and criticized rent control “a dumb idea.”
“While Democrats continue to bicker, we are planning for 2023 when we will save our city…. from them,” said city Republican Committee Chairman Matt Nelligan in a statement. “The only ‘Town Hall’ that matters is Election Day.”
Polimeni and Patricks’ terms are scheduled to expire in late 2023. Neither has announced if they will run for re-election. Williams and Ditoro, who won the special elections to fill the vacancies, will also have to defend their seats, as well as city Mayor Gary McCarthy if he decides to seek a fourth four-year term.
