Scramble on for Schenectady open seats
Several candidates seek spots Perazzo, Kosiur vacating
Leesa Perazzo has resigned from City Council, setting up the first of two vacancies on the panel this month.
Perazzo tendered a formal a letter of resignation on Thursday afternoon following the sale of her Bellevue home, marking the end of what she said was a bittersweet process.
“Stepping away from my council job is still a really difficult thing for me,”
Perazzo said. “I don’t know how it’s going to feel to not be a public servant.”
Perazzo was first elected in 2011 and was the top vote-getter after winning a third term in 2019.
The departure of Perazzo and city Councilman Ed Kosiur, who will retire Jan. 23, sets up fierce behind-thescenes jostling for successors.
Among the candidates who have expressed interest are Carl Williams and Brendan Savage, the son of former Schenectady
County Legislature chairwoman Susan Savage.
Mayor Gary Mccarthy on Thursday tentatively threw his support behind Haileab Samuel, CEO of Schenectady-based tech company [s]cube Inc.
“I haven’t formally said that yet, but that’s what’s going to happen, probably sometime next week,” Mccarthy said.
Samuel, who also serves on the board of directors of the Schenectady Municipal Housing Authority, didn’t immediately return a phone call seeking comment Thursday.
City Democratic Chairman Tom Bellick said the committee won’t start interviewing candidates until early February.
Bellick reiterated that filling the vacancies is solely within the purview of City Council, who can either tap replacements for the unexpired terms, or keep the seats unfilled until November’s general election.
If the vacancies are filled, the candidates would then have to run again, setting up what has the potential for a sprawling race for five of the seven seats, all of which are held by Democrats.
Council members Karen Zalewski-wildzunas, Marion Porterfield and City Council President John Mootooveren are up for re-election.
Lawmakers have been largely mum on who they’ll support, but Perazzo and Porterfield are supporting Williams, a Schenectady NAACP member and vice chairman of Schenectady’s Civilian Police Review Board.
Kosiur has said he will back Savage and Williams.
Both Porterfield and Perazzo have said the city Democratic Committee has been sluggish in supporting diverse candidates, and have said anyone tapped to fill the vacancies must be a person of color. Two of six remaining council seats are held by people of color.
“I’m personally asking that my seat be filled by a person of color who is qualified, and there are a number of them that are,” Perazzo said.
Mootooveren said he’s in the process of setting up a meeting with council members to discuss potential candidates and a timeline for when the slot will be filled.
“I’d hate to put a timeline on it,” Mootooveren said, adding he hoped lawmakers would meet next week.
Perazzo said the mayor shouldn’t be publicly backing or presenting potential candidates.
“Independent minds are important,” Perazzo said. “The council is the checks and balances for the mayor.”