Taking the Plunge
When Troy Democrat Councilman John Brown got together with Rensselaer Mayor Dwyer, or whoever was pulling the strings, to discuss the millions owed by Rensselaer to Troy for water service, they did so in secret.
Now, the discussions that led to Brown proposing that Troy accept only a guaranteed one-third of the $3 million owed by Rensselaer for water may not be so secret much longer.
We hear Brown got served with a subpoena following a Council meeting Thursday. The subpoena requires Brown to give details about his secret meetings with Dwyer and the “negotiations” that led to the Great John Brown Water Giveway proposal.
The subpoena is part of the lawsuit filed by Troy to recover the more than $3 million owed by Rensselaer to Troy. Rensselaer wanted to move the case to a settlement, presumably a settlement like the one offered by Brown and hammered out in secrecy - a settlement that would be disastrous to Troy but help Brown’s Democrat allies in Rensselaer – but a judge moved the case toward trial.
What are the type of questions that Brown could be asked? 1) Why would Brown agree to accept only a guaranteed one-third of the amount owed by Rensselaer? 2) Why was Brown “negotiating” before he was even elected to the Council? 3) Who else was at the secret talks? 4) What else was promised during these “negotiations”? 5) Why would any negotiations about millions owed to Rensselaer take place without Troy Mayor Tutunjian present?
We’ll see how eager Brown is to testify. Mayor Dwyer has been invited twice to voluntarily discuss his secret talks with Brown. Troy lawyers are still waiting for Dwyer to take them up on their invitation.
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