Troy’s first female mayor delivers State of the City Address
TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Mayor Carmella Mantello was inaugurated as the first female mayor of the City of Troy. On Wednesday, she delivered her first State of the City address at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall and focused on creating cleaner, greener, and safer streets.
And residents like Emily Menn said her address was very optimistic about the city’s future- especially regarding the tech industry.
“You know the capital region is poised to launch in the tech sector,” Menn said. “Between the investment of Senator Schumer and the Chips Act… Troy is really the epicenter.”
Within her first month in office, Mayor Mantello immediately focused on quality-of-life issues like lead in the city’s drinking water, primarily since the water serves other towns and surrounding municipalities.
“It’s all about the actions on our street,” Mayor Mantello said. “What we’re seeing is our Quality of Life Action Task Force-it’s out and about. It’s in full force. We have DPW, we have our community and police officers, and all of our departments now working together.”
However, not everyone was on board with the mayor’s vision. City Council President Sue Steele said she is ready to work with the mayor but is still disappointed about her response to issues like housing and the fate of One Monument Square.
“Very concerned. The Chief says that’s dead in the water. That was the result of an extensive community engagement process,” Steele said.
Mayor Mantello responded, “It’s also a two-way street.”
“So communication is key. Coordination is key,” she said. “I pride myself in communication between the Council President and I are meeting once every two to three weeks.”
The mayor also addressed plans to continue working with the State to keep the Burdett Center open and public safety. Last year, the city’s EMS and Fire departments received over 13,000 phone calls. This resulted in the fire department hiring nine new firefighters.
The city will also re-evaluate its city-run ambulance model to explore new ways to improve emergency services.