Mayor Mantello Failed to Pay Approximately $184,000 in Rent from 2024
Deputy Mayor Seamus Donnelly Intentionally Misled Council About Status of Rent Payments in October 2024
Mantello Administration Paid $84,000 This Week for Portion of Overdue Rent from 2024 and 2025
Troy, New York (March 1, 2025) - Council President Sue Steele and Councilmembers Katie Spain-McLaren and Aaron Vera today alerted the public of overdue rent payments since Mayor Mantello took office in January 2024. The past due balance of $184,025.06 represents a portion of unpaid rent charges for 2024 which the Mantello administration failed to pay. On Friday, the city’s landlord, First Columbia, served the city with a notice of claim for the back-owed rent. The City Council will be questioning the administration about the past-due rent at the next council meeting on Thursday, March 6, 2025.
The three-member Democratic caucus issued a joint statement:
“The failure of the Mantello administration to pay the city’s rent is the latest shocking example of financial mismanagement at the highest levels of city hall. Mayor Mantello must commit to paying past and current rent immediately and explain how this happened. This is critical as we move forward with restoring the public’s confidence in the city’s ability to oversee taxpayer dollars after a chaotic 14 months for Troy’s finances under Mayor Mantello.”
On Thursday, Feb. 27, the Mantello administration paid $84,000 to First Columbia for a portion of overdue rent. The payment was late by two weeks.
Council Democrats previously questioned the administration about the status of rent payments for the new lease negotiated by Mayor Mantello’s team. During a budget hearing on Oct. 22, 2024, Deputy Mayor Seamus Donnelly told councilmembers that the city had made all rent payments for 2024. Video of the deputy mayor’s statement is available on the city council’s YouTube channel; the relevant section is 42:58-43:58: https://www.youtube.com/live/YjPFoSJXbYE
Steele also pointed to false allegations made by Mayor Mantello against the prior administration for rent-related expenses. It was later determined then-Council President Mantello had public and private discussions with the First Columbia about suspended rent pending lease negotiations in April 2023. The revelations were covered by several media outlets, including the Times Union. Video of the public discussion is available on the city council’s YouTube channel; the relevant section begins at 57:32: https://www.youtube.com/live/kTyLfIL-zZw?feature=shared&t=3450
The Democratic caucus members emphasized the negative impact of the administration’s failure to meet the city’s financial obligations.
“There is a deep irony in Mayor Mantello’s failure to pay rent on time after falsely accusing prior administrations of doing the same. How can residents trust the mayor to purchase a new building for city hall when they can’t even pay our bills? Taxpayers can be assured that the Council Democrats will exercise the highest level of scrutiny to investigate further. Most importantly, we will oppose the unnecessary purchase of a new building until a full accounting of city finances is complete, and all past-due financial reports and audits are provided to the city council.”
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