The Troy City Council called a special meeting on June 25, 2026, to schedule public hearings on Local Law 4, a charter amendment that would strip the mayor of the ability to declare emergencies over contract disputes. The meeting lasted 11 minutes. Mantello was not there. She was hosting a cookout fundraiser at the C.R.A.B. Club.
Neither the mayor nor the Corporation Counsel attended. The Troy City Charter requires both to be present at all regular and special council meetings.
What Local Law 4 Would Do
Local Law 4 would repeal and replace Section C-40 of the Troy City Charter, the provision defining when the mayor may declare a state of emergency. The amendment redefines “disaster” as a specific list of qualifying events: fire, flood, earthquake, hurricane, tornado, high water, landslide, wind, storm, wave action, epidemic, air contamination, terrorism, cyber event, blight, drought, infestation, explosion, water contamination, and bridge failure or collapse.
A camera contract renewal does not appear on that list.
The amendment is a direct response to Mantello’s April 1, 2026 emergency declaration over Flock Safety license plate reader cameras. She used emergency powers to authorize a $78,000 payment without council or auditor approval. As of June 25, that declaration was in its 85th day. Council President Steele: “That’s why we’re amending the charter. It’s open-ended with her.”
The Special Meeting
Because Local Law 4 amends the city charter, state law requires three separate public hearings before the council can vote on it. Resolution 72, introduced by Council President Steele and moved by Council Member Spain-McLaren, scheduled those hearings.
Before the vote, Council Member Favreau raised a practical concern: if all three hearings were held on the same night, residents who could not attend one would have no alternative. Steele agreed. The schedule was spread across two dates.
- July 23, 2026 at 5:15 PM and 5:30 PM
- August 6, 2026 at 6:30 PM
Committee review is set for August 20. If no amendments come out of the hearings, the council could take a final vote in September.
Resolution 72 passed 7-0.
What Residents Said
Two residents spoke before the vote and one after, each raising the administration’s absence.
Frankie, a resident who did not give her district, thanked the council for calling the special meeting. She noted the mayor’s emergency declaration was in its 85th day and observed that the mayor was at a campaign fundraiser rather than at the council meeting she was required to attend.
Sylva Menard, of 5th Avenue in District 4, thanked the council and cited Troy City Charter Article 5, Section 219, which requires the Corporation Counsel to attend all council meetings in person or by deputy. No one from the administration was present.
After the vote, Avi Minard cited the charter provision requiring the mayor to attend all regular and special meetings and take part in discussion. Council President Steele acknowledged the concern and expressed hope for more collaboration and cooperation from the administration.
The Fundraiser
While the meeting was underway, Mantello was hosting what she described on Facebook as her “Cookout Fundraiser” at the C.R.A.B. Club, starting at 6:00 PM on June 25. Her post: “Together, we’ve made tremendous progress making Troy safer, cleaner, and improving quality of life throughout our city. But there’s still more work to do, and I’m asking for your continued support as we keep Troy moving forward.”
The City Charter is not ambiguous. The mayor is required to attend all regular and special meetings of the council. This was a special meeting. She did not attend.
It is not the first time. At the new council’s first public forum on January 8, 2026, Mantello and her entire administration were absent. Sean Collins of the Troy Area Labor Council said from the podium that night: “The mayor’s absence at the new council’s first public meeting is indicative of what the next two years of your term will be.”
Partisan angle: Mantello used emergency powers to bypass the council and the city auditor over a contract dispute. The council is amending the charter to close that gap. She vetoed the resolution to schedule the required public hearings. The council called a special meeting to move the process forward anyway, overcoming her obstruction in 11 minutes. She was at a fundraiser. Residents at the meeting named the charter provisions she and her Corporation Counsel were violating in real time.
Sources: Troy City Council Special Meeting, June 25, 2026 (YouTube recording; transcript via yt-dlp auto-captions); Special Meeting Agenda; Special Meeting Minutes; Mayor Mantello Facebook, June 25, 2026; WGNA; Troy City Charter, Article VI (mayor attendance); Troy City Charter, Article 5, Section 219 (Corporation Counsel attendance)