Democracy In Albany

Albany has some serious problems that we pointed out during the 2005 mayoral campaign. Often hidden from view, they include not only a dwindling population, but broken neighborhoods that contain more than 800 vacant and dilapidated dwelling units, a serious lack of affordable housing, deepening poverty, environmental threats and a troubled school system that is more than 70 percent black. Yet Mr. Jennings tells us that his elite group of primarily nonresidents are the ones who have the wisdom and talent to solve these problems.

Never mind that Albany's neighborhood leaders, affordable housing experts and advocates, parents, teachers and many others have worked in the trenches for so long and offered important ideas and visions born of their considerable experience and deep commitment to the growth and development of the city, its neighborhoods and its families.

When you put a whole lot of people who have very similar backgrounds on one committee, how many different points of view do you really get?

Not that there's anything wrong at all with successful white businessmen in suits who don't live in the city.

Sure, they still run the businesses and financial sectors in Albany, and what they have to say about economic development is vital to the city's future.

But to impose their vision on a city that within another couple of censuses will have an African-American majority isn't just remarkably arrogant, it is a formula for failure.

It's not as if the mayor is going to be able to transplant wholesale the people who live here for a bunch he likes better.

How could anyone plan for the future of any institution and not include the stakeholders?

Mayor Jerry Jennings and his planning commissioner have totally violated the principles of good planning by ignoring the residents of Albany, again.

I read with great interest the July 1 Times Union article announcing Mayor Jerry Jennings's Re-Capitalize Albany Committee. This sounds like a wonderful, exciting opportunity to continue to expand the thinking of Albany, and the Capital Region at large, as a destination of choice. I can envision the opportunities, especially given where we are in this point in time with Tech Valley and the recent AMD announcement.

Upon further reading, however, I see that minorities are underrepresented. According to the article, just one African-American was appointed. Does this mean that the region's minority groups are lacking talent and expertise? Or have they left a community that neither embraces nor capitalizes on their knowledge and experience?

While some important improvements have been made in the city, particularly downtown, one real tragedy of the Jennings' administration has been the mayor's unwillingness to accept broad input and engage in a constructive community dialogue about the city's problems. He simply dismisses those with opposing views. The mayor not only squashes dissent, he does not even tolerate debate.