READY TO MOVE ON
Watervliet Mayor Michael Manning says he’s not seeking a fourth four-year term this year
WATERVLIET, N.Y. » After serving more than a decade as a public servant, Watervliet Mayor Michael Manning said he will not seek a fourth four-year term this year.
Manning, a Democrat, was elected to the parttime mayoral position in 2008 prior to serving as a member of the Watervliet City Council.
Manning’s current term will expire after this year and as of now, Watervliet Councilman Charles Patricelli is the only mayoral candidate in the election this year.
“I’m not planning on running [again],” Man- ning said during an interview in his City Hall office Friday morning. “There’s a mix of reasons for not running again, ranging from personal to career stuff and I’m sort of a believer in term limits, too.”
Manning, 56, is a lifelong Watervliet resident and served as a football coach at Watervliet schools for over two decades. During his time as mayor, Manning has held full-time jobs, formerly at GE and is currently a business development director at Finkl Steel, based in Chicago.
When Manning took over the mayoral position in 2008, he said the city did not have a proper fund balance level and that during his tenure he helped
to create a steady fund balance every year.
Although the city of Watervliet was named a few years ago as a “fiscally stressed” municipality by the New York State Comptroller’s Office, Manning, and other city officials have worked to improve that rating each year and he believes that he will leave the city in a good financial state after this year.
Manning said that his administration has helped the city secure roughly $20 million in grant funding throughout his tenure and he believes that is the most that a city has seen under one administration. Manning noted that he has not micromanaged various department heads, and has let them handle performing their duties and responsibilities, which he said has allowed him to focus primarily on the city’s finances.
“That has allowed me to really focus on the foundation [of the city], which is the finances,” said Manning. “If you compare the city to a private [ business], the CEO’s job is to report to the shareholders and the employees and that’s the way I’ve been running the mayor’s role here, I’m reporting to the taxpayers and trying to keep everything in check here.”
During his tenure, Manning mentioned how the city was able to bring in Price Chopper, the Tilley Lofts, have redone 19th and 3rd Avenue and have done several solar and energy efficient projects. Manning also noted how the city expanded its shared services, started and expanded its ambulance system through the city’s fire department and created a Comprehensive Plan for the city.
Under his administration, Manning said the city implemented a climate action plan, installing four solar projects, and upgrading and relicensing the city’s hydropower plant. The city also became a member of the US EPA Green Power Partners and was one of the first NYS certified Climate Smart Communities.
Manning also highlighted some improvements to various municipal buildings such as the Watervliet Public Library, the firehouse, police station, the former Dutch Reformed Church, Veteran’s Park and that the city has kept up maintenance on its municipal pool.
The city’s police department did see some turnover
and had lost the community’s trust after several former officers were charged for various crimes, however, Manning believes his appointment of Police Chief Mark Spain has been beneficial for the department and for the city and he believes that the department’s reputation has improved since then.
The outgoing mayor said that he hopes to finish more projects this year and that he believes that he “will leave the city in a better way than when he took over,” and that he believes the “foundation” will be laid out and ready for the next mayor in 2020.
Manning said he intends to continue to reside in the city. He also said that he intends to spend more time on developing new ventures and to focus more on his full-time job after his term expires.