By sticking to his guns, and working for the best interest of Troy taxpayers, Mayor Tutunjian scored a major victory this week. He secured a commitment for Rensselaer to pay $2.1 million of the debt owed to Troy for water services.
It's quite a difference from the deal put together by Council Democrats that would have let Rensselaer skate on two-thirds of the water debt. Tutunjian's deal guarantees twice what could have been received under the proposal hammered out in secret by Councilman John Brown and Council Democrats.
Problem is, when Brown and Council Democrats proposed their deal, there was an outcry from residents and other elected officials. A lawsuit and a reminder that Troy was not responsible for water services ended Rensselaer's years of stalling and resulted in a payment of $1.1 million of the debt this week.
The disappointment among Democrats was clear. Rensselaer Mayor Dwyer said the deal approved at Thursday's Council meeting was "a little different from what we wanted. I was hoping for the original deal".
Darn, that openness. Good work by the Tutunjian administration.
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