Ex-troy leader charged in a domestic incident
Wiltshire is facing a criminal obstruction of breathing charge
Former two-time mayoral candidate and Troy City Council president Rodney G. Wiltshire was arrested Saturday night and charged with choking someone during a domestic disturbance.
Troy Assistant Police Chief Steven Barker confirmed Sunday that Wiltshire, 47, was charged with criminal obstruction of breathing, a misdemeanor, and harassment, a violation.
Police said they responded to a domestic incident at a Brunswick Road residence at 10:30 p.m. Saturday. Wiltshire was brought to the city police station for processing. He was arraigned in Schaghticoke Town Court and released on an appearance ticket for Monday morning in Troy City Court.
When reached Sunday afternoon, Wiltshire said: “It’s a personal matter.” He declined further comment.
Wiltshire has been a wellknown Troy politician for at least a decade, first as a member of Troy City Council, and then as a mayoral candidate who challenged Mayor Patrick Madden in Democratic primaries and general elections in 2015 and 2019.
His mayoral candidacy in 2019 was an unusual one, as the county GOP backed Wiltshire on third-party lines in the general election. A profanity-laced rant was caught on tape that involved Rensselaer County Executive Steve Mclaughlin, and GOP operatives Rich Crist and Jim Gordon, threatening Gop-conservative mayoral candidate Tom Reale to drop out of the race and back Wiltshire, the Democratic candidate.
Gordon, who is the county’s director of purchasing and Mclaughlin’s close political ally, also faced political heat after a 911 domestic call involving him was leaked and distributed in a robocall during his unsuccessful 2015 GOP Troy mayoral run. A judge later dismissed charges against three former Rensselaer County law enforcement officials accused of leaking the recording.
Wiltshire has since left the city’s Democratic committee, and has registered as an independent. He unsuccessfully ran for Rensselaer County Legislature on the Republican line last year.
The Ivy League-educated electrical engineer works for the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historical Preservation, according to his profile on Linkedin, an online networking platform.