Perazzo to board: Improve diversity
Schenectady councilwoman to step down, move
Outgoing Schenectady City Councilwoman Leesa Perazzo wants to see her colleagues appoint someone of color to succeed her, something the insurgent Democrat says she feels strongly about.
Perazzo, who is finishing up the first year of her third term, said Wednesday that she recommended a specific person but declined to make the name public.
Once she steps down, the all-democratic council will appoint her replacement, who will serve for one year before a special election is held in November, according to city leaders. The winner would then serve out the remaining two years on Perazzo’s term. The panel could also opt to leave the seat open until the special election.
Perazzo said once the closing on her house is complete, which she expects will be soon, she plans on resigning and moving in with her fiancé John Oliver who lives in Saratoga Springs.
Perazzo relished in her independent-mindedness that at times led to clashes with the mayor and some fellow board members on everything from the truncated budget process to the Smart Cities initiative to issues around the treatment of municipal employees.
“I don’t serve at the pleasure of the mayor, I serve at the pleasure of the people of the city of Schenectady, and I took that very seriously and that wasn’t popular with the Democratic party,” she added.
Perazzo, who just turned 55, said the decision to leave was one of the more difficult ones in her life.
“I have a sense of abandonment and deep guilt that I’m leaving,” she said. “I think the employees have really come to rely on me as their connection and that was the hardest part, I feel like we have a lot of employees who their morale has really suffered in this administration and this management and I have tried to get to the bottom of that and be their voice because they ’re just scared.”
Besides being happy and in love, Perazzo said the coronavirus epidemic has caused her to do some introspection and take stock of life.
“When everything stopped, all the meetings, all the events, I realized how tired I was an how over-extended I had been for 10 years and I thought ‘wow, when things are back up and running, I don’t know if I can go back to that life, I don’t know if I have that energy and I also have this person who I treasure every minute with,’” she said.
Though she’s moving out of Schenectady, Perazzo will continue to to work as human resources director at Proctors.
She said she hasn’t totally ruled out her publicly stated ambitions to be mayor of the Electric City.
“When I put my 12-year plan to become the mayor of Schenectady in action, my sole goal was to become a decision maker for the city and to move the city in a forward direction, and I can with say with absolute certainty that I’ve accomplished that,” said Perazzo.
Her impending departure has led to a behindthe-scenes jockeying for position among potential candidates and is fueling speculation as to who the front runners are to succeed her.
Perazzo blasted the process Schenectady Democrats have in place to endorse candidates that she asserts does not always treat every potential candidate the same and is racially imbalanced.
“There’s seven council members, you have two people of color, do you think that properly reflects the diverse population of Schenectady?” she said. “I don’t.”
Mayor Gary Mccarthy said that when you factor in the four women on the council, it’s one of the most diverse governing bodies in the area.
“We have not always approached problems from the same direction but I think our overall goals have always been the same,” said Mccarthy, noting they ran on the same political ticket in 2011. The mayor disputed the fact that morale has suffered during his tenure.
Schenectady City Democratic Chairman Tom Bellick said on Wednesday he has supported many candidates of color and insisted that the process is fair and equitable.
City Councilwoman Marion Porterfield said Wednesday that she’ll miss having Perazzo on the council.
“I admire her independence and she’s been a great colleague to work with,” Porterfield said.