On
Saturday (Jan. 14) Common Council President Carolyn McLaughlin
officially
announced
her bid to become mayor of Albany. McLaughlin’s challenge to Mayor
Kathy
Sheehan and the possibility of a number entrants into the race could
mean
Albany
is treated to what has mostly been a rarity in the city since the
early 1900s–
a
competitive mayoral race including a sitting incumbent.
Albany
is a city defined by its mayors. Erastus Corning ruled Albany from
City Hall
as
face of the Democratic machine from 1942 to 1983. His successor
Thomas Whalen
served
as mayor from 1983 to 1993 and Gerald Jennings served from 1994 to
2013.
Kathy
Sheehan became Jennings’ successor in 2013 after defeating former
councilman
Corey
Ellis in the Democratic Primary. This fall Albanians will decide
whether
Sheehan
will get to build a legacy of her own or if Albany politics have
become
more
fluid. Certainly things have changed since the time of Erastus
Corning.
The
Democratic Machine that won votes through patronage has been mostly
eradicated.
While Jennings kept tight control over the local party apparatus he
found
himself losing that grip towards the end of his time in office.
Sheehan also
didn’t
come up as part of the Democratic political apparatus–she spent
most of her
life
in business only successfully winning the position of city treasurer
in 2009.
She
left that post to become Mayor.
Sheehan
faces a much more fractious Democratic Party. It is expected that she
could
find herself up against up to three challengers in the Democratic
Primary.
West
Hill activist Marlon Anderson is expected to run and Councilman Frank
Commisso
Jr. is reportedly weighing a bid.
For
now though, it is clear that she has one opponent–Albany Common
Council
President
Carolyn McLaughlin who has served on the Common Council since 1997.
McLaughlin
ran unsuccessfully for the 108th Assembly District seat in 2012.
McLaughlin
was voted out of her position of Democratic County Chair last
September
in
what appeared to be a move by Sheehan supporters to shear away some
of her influence.
The
Alt interviewed
McLaughlin in her office on South Pearl Street in Albany last week.
She
made it clear that she sees herself as deserving of the seat because
of the years she
has
lived in the city and the 20 years she’s served on the Common
Council.
Asked
what disagreements she has with the Mayor Sheehan she said, “As
Council
President
for the last three years I’ve been very frustrated in that I
believe the level
of
collaboration, of working with this mayor did not materialize. Some
of the things
that
have come through the Council have frustrated me, such as the red
light cameras
and
the trash fee. The people didn’t want them and you have to listen
to the people.”
McLaughlin
said referring to a policy put in place under Sheehan where owners of
small
apartment
buildings are charged a fee for trash collection and the installation
of
speed-monitoring
cameras in intersections with high accident rates.
“I
know my campaign will spark excitement with people,” said
McLaughlin. McLaughlin
stressed
the years she’s served in public office and noted that she’s
retired from her day job
and
is fully dedicated to the campaign. Further McLaughlin pointed to the
city’s financial plight.
Pressed
for specific policy plans McLaughlin did not have many details to
offer. She said
that
the Mayor needs to do more to win state aid from Albany, when asked
how her approach
would
differ from Sheehan’s she said: “There are a number of budgetary
things she (Mayor Sheehan)
didn’t
create them so I don’t blame her for that but you have to take a
different direction in how
we
address this issue. I’m going to talk to the Governor and his staff
and legislature so that
they
see us differently. Different person in the room, different
conversation; you’re going to
get
different outcomes. I truly believe that. It’s like we’ve got a
sign on front of city “closed for
business,”
she said spreading her arms out wide mimicking the width of a
billboard. “And we
need
to change that and put out a sign that says “We’re open. Apply
then”On Saturday (Jan. 14)
Common
Council President Carolyn McLaughlin officially announced her bid to
become mayor
of
Albany. McLaughlin’s challenge to Mayor Kathy Sheehan and the
possibility of a number
entrants
into the race could mean Albany is treated to what has mostly been a
rarity in the city
since
the early 1900s–a competitive mayoral race including a sitting
incumbent.
Albany
is a city defined by its mayors. Erastus Corning ruled Albany from
City Hall as face
of
the Democratic machine from 1942 to 1983. His successor Thomas Whalen
served as
mayor
from 1983 to 1993 and Gerald Jennings served from 1994 to 2013.
Kathy
Sheehan became Jennings’ successor in 2013 after defeating former
councilman Corey
Ellis
in the Democratic Primary. This fall Albanians will decide whether
Sheehan will get
to
build a legacy of her own or if Albany politics have become more
fluid. Certainly things
have
changed since the time of Erastus Corning. The Democratic Machine
that won votes
through
patronage has been mostly eradicated. While Jennings kept tight
control over
the
local party apparatus he found himself losing that grip towards the
end of his time
in
office. Sheehan also didn’t come up as part of the Democratic
political apparatus–
she
spent most of her life in business only successfully winning the
position of city
treasurer
in 2009. She left that post to become Mayor.
Sheehan
faces a much more fractious Democratic Party. It is expected that she
could
find
herself up against up to three challengers in the Democratic Primary.
West Hill
activist
Marlon Anderson is expected to run and Councilman Frank Commisso Jr.
is
reportedly weighing a bid.
For
now though, it is clear that she has one opponent–Albany Common
Council
President
Carolyn McLaughlin who has served on the Common Council since 1997.
McLaughlin
ran unsuccessfully for the 108th Assembly District seat in 2012.
McLaughlin
was voted out of her position of Democratic County Chair last
September
in what appeared to be a move by Sheehan supporters to shear away
some
of her influence.
The
Alt interviewed
McLaughlin in her office on South Pearl Street in Albany last week.
She
made it clear that she sees herself as deserving of the seat because
of the years she
has
lived in the city and the 20 years she’s served on the Common
Council.
Asked
what disagreements she has with the Mayor Sheehan she said, “As
Council
President
for the last three years I’ve been very frustrated in that I
believe the level
of
collaboration, of working with this mayor did not materialize. Some
of the things that
have
come through the Council have frustrated me, such as the red light
cameras and
the
trash fee. The people didn’t want them and you have to listen to
the people.”
McLaughlin
said referring to a policy put in place under Sheehan where owners of
small
apartment buildings are charged a fee for trash collection and the
installation of
speed-monitoring
cameras in intersections with high accident rates.
“I
know my campaign will spark excitement with people,” said
McLaughlin. McLaughlin
stressed
the years she’s served in public office and noted that she’s
retired from her day
job
and is fully dedicated to the campaign. Further McLaughlin pointed to
the city’s
financial
plight.
Pressed
for specific policy plans McLaughlin did not have many details to
offer. She said that the
Mayor
needs to do more to win state aid from Albany, when asked how her
approach would
differ
from Sheehan’s she said: “There are a number of budgetary things
she (Mayor Sheehan)
didn’t
create them so I don’t blame her for that but you have to take a
different direction in how
we
address this issue. I’m going to talk to the Governor and his staff
and legislature so that they
see
us differently. Different person in the room, different conversation;
you’re going to get
different
outcomes. I truly believe that. It’s like we’ve got a sign on
front of city “closed for
business,”
she said spreading her arms out wide mimicking the width of a
billboard.
“And
we need to change that and put out a sign that says “We’re open.
Apply then”
Asked
how her approach would be different she said “I know during the
budget the mayor’s
go
up and have the tin can in their hand and even how you approach that
conversation
during
budget process, there’s room for change there. What is it Governor?
I mean really,
what
can we do to make us more attractive to you so that you won’t let
us tip off the edge?
I
want to work with the Governor to get that positive response. If he’s
the one who is going
to
shake loose the tree then what is it take? I know when I wanted
something from my
parents
that they were in charge. I’m not saying he’s my parent but what
do we have to do?”
McLaughlin
said she is concerned with policing in the city but she believes the
police
department
has continued to improve its relationships with the people it serves.
“I
think what we have seen over the last 10 years with chiefs Krokoff
and Cox is a
yeoman’s
attempt at public policing and people have embraced the attempt,”
said
McLaughlin.
“For the police to become part of the community it starts there,
it’s about
‘what
do they bring with them?’when they hit the street. That’s what’s
being worked on.
That’s
what’s so important when they drive through the neighborhood and
step out–
what
are they bringing with them?”
In
the end McLaughlin said her major issue with Sheehan’s first term
is her
decision
to move forward on red light cameras and the trash fee.
“Those
two issues, red light cameras and trash fee it’s the process
through which
those
things were achieved the people said no and you said yes and it can’t
be your
way
or the highway because it’s the people who deal with the decisions
you make
and
I’d like to have more collaborative decision making with the
council and
down
to the people.”
This
article was corrected to reflect that Jennings took office in 1994
and that
Sheehan
was elected treasurer in 2009.
