Council to Morse: Step aside
In emergency meeting, board votes to push mayor to quit, take leave
The Cohoes Common Council passed a resolution Thursday calling on Mayor Shawn Morse to resign or take a leave of absence in light of his arrest earlier that day on federal felony charges.
Five of the six council members voted in favor of the resolution at an emergency 4 p.m. meeting, while council president Christopher Briggs abstained. He said later that
his vote would have been a conflict of interest, as he would be the one appointed acting mayor should Morse step aside.
The council said Thursday that it has no legal authority to remove Morse from office, mere hours after a grand jury indicted him on seven charges including wire fraud and conspiracy related to alleged misuse of political campaign funds.
And while members were split on whether Morse should resign, or simply take a leave of absence, they all agreed that, at the very least, his stepping aside while he handles his legal affairs would be in the best interest of the city.
“At the end of the day, the mayor is the one who has to make the decision,” Briggs said. “And the mayor has to make a decision for himself, but also this issue is much bigger than one person. It’s about a city that many, many people call their home, the place where they raise their children. So he has to take that into consideration.”
Briggs said he called the meeting to give the public a chance to weigh in on the arrest and hear what they believe should happen next. But while the chambers were full Thursday afternoon, only three residents spoke up during public comment.
One of them was 34-year-old Helen Annely, who said she was tired of her city being in the news “for the wrong things.”
“We’re in the news for the
wrong things, the wrong reasons,” she said. “We have so much to offer, and yet it’s been completely overshadowed by what is going on here. As somebody who has a family in this city and who loves this city, I’m just tired. I’m tired of trying to defend it.”
Another resident said she believed Morse ought to step down, while another said the council was too biased to ask the mayor to do anything.
“If you have something to gain, you shouldn’t be voting,
you should recuse yourself,” said Tim Thibodeau, referring to Briggs, who could be named acting mayor, and councilmember Stephen Napier, who’s running for mayor.
Napier, one of three challengers to Morse, said Thursday that if he were in the mayor’s shoes he would resign.
“I am concerned about the mayor’s ability to effectively do his job,” he said. “At this point, I think that the distraction that this is for the city, I think that the black eye this puts on us really
needs to be overcome.”
William Keeler, a retired State Police major who is also challenging Morse for mayor, declined to comment Thursday.
“It’s a sad day, but out of respect for the Morse family I’d rather not comment further,” he said, when reached by phone.
Peter Frangie, the other candidate for mayor, offered a brief comment.
“No matter your opinion on Mayor Morse, these past 18 months have been a very difficult and painful time for our
community,” he said. “My hope is that resolution comes swiftly so that we can move beyond the current situation and focus on the positive attributes of our community.”
While Briggs declined to say what action he thought Morse should take, a Facebook post he published Wednesday before the arrest shed some light on his feelings about the issues that have plagued Morse for the past two years.
“If Shawn Morse wins the election in November, Cohoes will be hamstrung for the next four years,” Briggs wrote. “Being the President of the Council for the past four years I have witnessed the behavior of the Mayor and quite simpl(y) he is nothing more than a bully and a thug. What I express to you could very well cost me the election because the Mayor has many friends and family in the 3rd Ward but this is my City too, the City my wife and I raised our three children in, the City we call home. As I have mentioned before, I view Cohoes as a dear friend and there is nothing I won’t do for my friend. The treatment of the employees of the City and the abuse of power is simply unconscionable. Again, this is out of character for me to be so negative but I’m fearful for my City and I hope to god we will see a new administration come January.”
The post was later deleted, but Briggs told reporters Thursday he stood by the sentiments.