TROY – It’s uncommon to find competitive, two-party mayoral races in this region, or pretty much anywhere for that matter. Just take a look at Albany, where Republicans are nearly non-existent and incumbents are almost guaranteed reelection. Even in Colonie, Republican Supervisor Peter Crummey is running unopposed by a Democrat this year, after easily winning two years ago. And while Schenectady Mayor Gary McCarthy does have a Republican challenger, it’s safe to bet that the Democrat will win with ease in November.
Troy, however, is a different story. Most of the city’s mayoral races are highly competitive, offering voters a real choice. This year, the contest between Republican Carmella Mantello and Democrat Nina Nichols is no exception. Troy’s mayoral race is heating up and that’s a good thing, even without the added interest from restaurateur Vic Christopher.
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Admittedly, Nichols and the Democrats hold a significant 3-to-1 enrollment advantage, leading many to question if a Republican can still win a mayoral race in the city.
However, Mantello presents a strong opportunity for Republicans. She is a lifelong resident of Troy with deep roots in the city. As president of the city council, she has proven her ability to win citywide support, despite previous unsuccessful mayoral campaigns. Mantello positions herself as a pragmatic, experienced candidate who will focus on effectively running the city. She argues that under Mayor Patrick Madden, a Democrat, Troy has lacked leadership, leading to issues like dirty streets, low employee morale, and concerns about the city’s future outside of downtown.
Mantello’s approach to addressing crime involves a broken-windows philosophy, linking policing to code enforcement and other quality-of-life issues. Her aim is to gradually reclaim the city by tackling these issues block by block.
Code enforcement is also a key element in Nichols’ comprehensive strategy to combat crime. She highlights her focus on protecting renters, who make up over 60% of Troy’s population, from poor housing conditions, rising rents, and gentrification. Nichols, who hails from Texas, fell in love with Troy when she first saw it in 2006. She believes it can be improved with investments in parks, sidewalks, and neighborhoods. Additionally, she has vowed to protect abortion access and fight climate change at the local level.
While it would be oversimplifying things to categorize Nichols as the candidate of the new Troy and its recent progressive arrivals, and Mantello as the candidate of longtime residents and the city’s blue-collar neighborhoods, there is some division along those lines in the race. It’s hard to imagine that Nichols, a former pastor who works at the nonprofit organization Unity House, would have had a chance at becoming mayor in the Troy of 20 years ago.
Nevertheless, Nichols emphasizes that she wants to be the mayor for all of Troy and mentions that she has received support from Republicans during her campaign.
“People who choose to live in the city know how wonderful it is. They come here because they want to love it and work for it,” Nichols affirmed.
If there’s one point of agreement between Mantello and Nichols, it’s their criticism of Mayor Madden’s detached technocratic and legalistic style of governance. Both candidates promise to be more engaged with voters. Mantello intends to be a highly visible mayor who is present on the streets every day, while Nichols presents herself as a more extroverted person who enjoys interacting with voters.
Both women have pledged to run positive campaigns, but Troy elections can get intense. There are already signs of contentiousness, including accusations of deceptive “push polls” spreading negative messages.
Mantello accuses Nichols of being far to the left of Madden, alleging that she aligns herself with residents who advocate for defunding the police. Mantello argues that if Nichols is elected, the city will be in trouble. Nichols responds by accusing Mantello of fear-mongering and emphasizing her commitment to fully support, equip, and train the police department.
Isn’t this exciting? Of course, at times Troy residents may question whether enduring a heated mayoral race is a good thing. But as they say, democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.
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