The Grimm-Doran-Nichols Team

In compliance with new public health rules issued by New York State, Mayor Madden today announced face masks will be required indoors at City Hall and all other city-owned public facilities, effective Monday, December 13th. The requirement extends to staff and visitors, regardless of vaccination status.

Governor Kathy Hochul announced the statewide indoor mask requirement will be effective December 13th, 2021 until January 15th, 2022; after which New York State will re-evaluate based on current conditions.

https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-announces-major-action-address-winter-surge-and-prevent-business-disruption

Last 3 days of Early Voting

Early voting starts this weekend; Vote Row A all the way!!

Now it's easier to send The Grimm-Doran-Nichols Team a message.

Honored to have received the endorsement of the
New York State United Teachers - Retiree Council 10.

Thank you NYSUT!

Out for the team today. Covered a lot of Lansingburgh. Happy to chat with so many folks.

Early voting starts this weekend; Vote Row A all the way!!

Public Health – Rensselaer County Children with Special Needs / Nursing Fax Number (518) 270-2973 All other divisions of Health Dept. Fax Number (518) 270-2638

Coming Soon!

Vote | TroyBot

The Dogscape canine daycare celebrates ribbon cutting TROY, N.Y — Dog owners who need a safe space for their pets while no one is home can turn to The Dogscape for help. The new doggie daycare center, located at 205 Oakwood Ave., provides a free-range…

Troy Area Labor Council, AFL-CIO After conducting numerous interviews with candidates for elected office acrossTroy and Rensselaer County, the Troy Area Labor Council (TALC), AFL-CIO issued its final candidates endorsements for the 2021 general election.

Proudly endorsed by Rensselaer County Chairman Michael Monescalchi and the Rensselaer County Democratic Committee

To all who celebrate.......

Capital Women is proud to endorse one of the Capital Region’s true progressive leaders, Peter Grimm, in his re-election bid for Rensselaer County Legislature.

The most hotly contested race came in the Rensselaer County Legislator District 1 race.

In that race, the top six candidates advanced on the party line for the November general election. For the Democratic Party, the top six receiving the most votes were Cynthia B. Doran (964), Carole Weaver (903), Ken Zalewski (886), Peter D. Grimm (883), Nina M. Nichols (883), Mark J. Fleming (817).

The race was most notable given the fact that party leadership of Grimm and Doran, along with newcomer Nichols, had not been endorsed by the Democratic County party committee leadership. Yet, given the above results, those three will join Weaver, Zalewski, and Fleming on the ballot as Democrats in the November general election.
https://www.troyrecord.com/news/rensselaer-county-2021-primary-election-results/article_6b09e04e-d3cd-11eb-8c8d-b72a4b1298ca.html

Rensselaer County 2021 primary election results RENSSELAER COUNTY, N.Y. — According to the Rensselaer County Board of Elections website, the 2021 primary day election results are unofficially 100 percent tallied. The most hotly contested race came

We are humbled and honored by the resounding support of the people of Troy, who believe, as we do, that equity, equality and justice is what will bring us all together to achieve progress for our community. We stand ready to work with our colleagues on the County Legislature and fellow Democrats to unite our party to fight for the issues that really matter in our county.

Tomorrow is Primary Day. We need you to get out to vote, we need and appreciate your support. Thank you!

Today is the final day of EARLY VOTING!! Our momentum continues to build as we reach more South Troy residents - but we need you to VOTE!!

VOTE TODAY: until 2 PM at the Board of Elections or Holy Cross Armenian Church

VOTE TUESDAY: 6AM - 9PM at your assigned polling location.

For information on where and when to cast your vote, visit www.MarketaForTroy.com/vote. WE CAN DO THIS!!

Today is the final day of EARLY VOTING!! Our momentum continues to build as we reach more South Troy residents - but we need you to VOTE!!

VOTE TODAY: until 2 PM at the Board of Elections or Holy Cross Armenian Church

VOTE TUESDAY: 6AM - 9PM at your assigned polling location.

For information on where and when to cast your vote, visit www.MarketaForTroy.com/vote. WE CAN DO THIS!!

Please get out to vote! Thank you!

Proud to be a part of Troy's Progressive Team for the 2021 Primary! Help us show the establishment that business-as-usual isn't good enough for our residents.

VOTE SATURDAY AND SUNDAY 9 AM - 2 PM or hit the polls anytime TUESDAY until 9 PM.

Kiani for Troy Marketa For Troy The Grimm-Doran-Nichols Team

If you want progress, vote for a progressive team!

Thank you!

Once again, Rensselaer County Republican leadership use taxpayer's money as their personal campaign fund. Rensselaer County residents overpaid millions of dollars in taxes. Now, they are spending your money, without any public oversight, to garner votes for upcoming elections. Taxpayer relief is only fair when it is equitable, equal and just!
https://enewspaper.troyrecord.com/?utm_email=942745A26489B48D65E4D502ED&utm_source=listrak&utm_medium=email&utm_term=https%3A%2F%2Fenewspaper.troyrecord.com%2F%3FselDate%3D20210618%26goTo%3DA01%26authid%3D%3C%3CeNotify%5CregistrationId%3E%3E%26authdate%3D061821061653&utm_campaign=ny-troyrecord-e-edition&utm_content=e-edition&selDate=20210618&goTo=A01

TROY SURPLUS ACHIEVED

Rensselaer County Recovers fund to help with pandemic recovery moves forward

TROY RECORD - By Michael Gwizdala

TROY, N.Y. >> The Rensselaer County Legislature approved a resolution at its June meeting to create the Rensselaer County Recovers fund, to help community organizations across the county recover from the pandemic.

According to Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin and the Republican majority, the funding will be initially used to assist volunteer fire and ambulance companies across the county with expenses related to the COVID-19 response and a reduction in revenues in fundraising and other areas.

Funding comes from an $18 million surplus achieved by the county during 2020. The Rensselaer County Responds fund includes $1.2 million, with the majority of funds going to fire and ambulance companies. The remainder of the funds will be used for youth and community organizations.

“The Rensselaer County Recovers fund will help those organizations who give so much of their time and effort to protect our county and strengthen our quality of life. This is a way to put our savings, which belong to the people, back out into the community,” McLaughlin said.

“We are proud to have achieved these savings, and we are equally proud to be able to put these

savings to work for everyone’s benefit,” McLaughlin added.

“I know this funding will be appreciated and welcomed by fire and ambulance companies across the county. These organizations have tight budgets and the pandemic has hit some very hard in the pocketbook,” Chair of the Legislature Mike Stammel, remarked.

Conversely, some Democrats in the Legislature contended that the fund has no application process or plan for how the money is to be spent or who will be able to receive it.

“This fund is destined to be a slush fund set up at the convenience of the County Executive and the GOP Majority - both who are running for reelection this year,” Minority Leader Peter Grimm, said.

“Traditionally funds of this sort are nothing more than what we refer to as ‘pork’,” Deputy Minority Leader Cindy Doran, remarked.

“This ‘pork’ or slush fund is a political ploy where politicians use the taxpayers’ money to support their own special interests or their constituency, as opposed to the greater good of the county,” Doran continued.

“In fairness to the people of Rensselaer County and in accord with good government, not having an open and honest procedure that solicits community comment and provides opportunity for all those in need to apply, regardless of party affiliation, is wrong. Rensselaer County deserves equitable, equal, and just policies in every decision that is made,” Grimm explained. “Once again, we in Rensselaer County are subject to the powers of one-party rule and a system void of checks and balances. This blatant, unethical, and devious action without any public input and with total lack of transparency is business as usual for the GOP in Rensselaer County,” Doran added.

Yet, McLaughlin and majority legislators took issue with those claims and the opposition to the resolution by five of the six members of the Democratic legislative minority at the June meeting.

They noted the county has accumulated savings above the average over the past three years, with the savings reported annually.

“Funding for our first responders and our community organizations should not be a political issue. It is unfortunate Democrats did not join the spirit of this resolution, which is to use real savings in 2020 to help those who help us every day,” McLaughlin stated.

“It is unfortunate to see the Democrats call the funding for our volunteer firefighters and emergency first responders “Pork”. Our first responders have gone above and beyond during the pandemic, and have suffered financial losses because of additional costs, and the lack of ability to raise funds. It was a sad day to see all of the Democrats vote against establishing a Community Program Grant Fund to provide critical funding to support those who protect us,” Vice-Chair Kelly Hoffman, commented.

“As a member of the North Hoosick Fire Department, I would not call any funding we receive “slush funds”. Our call volume and our costs have gone up, and we haven’t been able to raise money through our traditional means. A vote against this funding is a slap in the face to every volunteer first responders in Rensselaer County,” Legislator Bruce Patire, opined.

“As a volunteer firefighter for years, I am very disappointed Democrats made this a political issue,” Stammel added.

Announcements on the distribution of the funding will be made in the coming days.

Troy Record This full replica of our printed product provides you the newspaper as you know and love it from the convenience of the web.

This is one reason we are running for Legislature. There is a choice this election - between the status quo and positive progressive change for Rensselaer County. Stand with us for equity, equality and justice for all. Vote for The Grimm - Doran - Nichols Team!

Editorial: Democracy on hold
Times Union Editorial Board
June 15, 2021 Updated: June 15, 2021 5 a.m.

Voters wait in line outside the Brunswick town offices for early voting on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, in Brunswick, N.Y. (Paul Buckowski/Times Union)

For a moment, it looked as if the judicial system was not going to let the Rensselaer County Board of Elections get away with a blatant act of voter suppression. Until, astoundingly, it did.

Oh, the Appellate Division will consider the case. It will just get around to it too late to make a difference to the voters disenfranchised by a political machine determined to make it as hard as possible for certain residents to vote.

That’s justice? Sounds more like aiding and abetting, however unwittingly it may be.

From the moment the state Legislature in 2019 authorized early voting, Rensselaer County, a solid Republican bastion, set about finding ways to make it inconvenient for voters in Troy, especially Democrat-leaning lower-income residents, to exercise their franchise.

The ostensibly bipartisan board put polling places in the outlying towns of Brunswick and Schodack, forcing voters from Troy without cars to get there by bus or, at no small expense, taxi.

Anyone with a clue could see through this, but there’s no indication that Republican Election Commissioner Jason Schofield cared a whit about public opinion, or, curiously, that Democratic Commissioner Edward McDonough was motivated to speak out about it.

Last year, with Rensselaer County in mind, the state Legislature attempted to fix the law by requiring that an early polling place be designated in the largest municipality in each county. The Rensselaer County Board of Elections complied — putting one in South Troy, far from the city’s poorest neighborhoods on the north end and well off a bus line.

And the board was poised to do this again this year, until state Attorney General Letitia James sued — and won. On June 7, state Supreme Court Judge Adam Silverman rejected the locations as too remote and said they did not provide equitable access for people of color. He ordered the board to find a new location in Troy in keeping with the spirit of the law by last Wednesday.

But rather than just do the right thing — really, who would expect it to at this point? — the board appealed and, in a head-scratching decision, Appellate Division Associate Justice John P. Colangelo set the case down for June 23 — three days after early voting in the primary ends. And he denied the attorney general’s request to lift a stay on the original decision, meaning that, barring a new order by the court, many voters in Troy are stuck with county’s out-of-the-way location.

The decision gives no rationale for this, and we are hard pressed to find one. It essentially allows the board to get away with this clear attempt at voter suppression for another election — albeit a primary, but an election nonetheless.

This was a chance for the justice system to stop a blatant violation of the very spirit of the early voting law, by public officials no less. The Appellate Division may well uphold Judge Silverman’s ruling in the end, but by then it will be too late. The damage will have been done.

From the state Capitol, one can almost hear the snickering across the river and see the gesture of contempt for the Legislature, the law, and democracy.

Editorial: Democracy on hold The justice system missed a chance to stop a blatant act of voter suppression.

Peter Grimm - Cindy Doran - Nina Nichols