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Updated
August 5, 2006
45 views to better Albany in future
Mayor's picks for panel to advise city on
growth draw charges of elitismBy BRIAN NEARING, Staff writer
First published: Saturday, July 1, 2006ALBANY -- Mayor Jerry Jennings wants nearly four dozen high-profile business, professional and corporate leaders to craft a new vision for the city around education, economic growth and neighborhood revitalization.
On Friday, the mayor unveiled his 45-member Re-Capitalize Albany committee, saying it was time to breathe new life into a decade-old Capitalize Albany growth plan that he launched a year after he office in 1993.
"We are going to expand on the success we've seen in Albany and continue to work to create the nation's best capital city," Jennings said during a news conference outside a new office tower at 677 Broadway.
The mayor said the Capitalize Albany plan deserves credit for the Broadway office tower and other projects such as renovation of the Palace Theater; the rebuilt Riverfront Park; the nanotech center off Fuller Road; redevelopment of the Harriman Campus; and neighborhood improvement plans for Park South, Arbor Hill, Midtown and the South End.
But on Friday, the mayor's hand-picked committee drew charges of elitism. Critics called it top-heavy with corporate CEOs and presidents from the buttoned-down world of banks, hospitals, real estate development firms and government lobbyists, many of whom have close ties to Jennings.
The mayor picked Key Bank President Thomas Geisel and College of Saint Rose President Mark Sullivan to head the group, which is expected to issue a report this fall. "The mayor wants us to deliver a blueprint of bold initiatives," Sullivan said at the news conference.
He said the "enormous range of talent that is represented on the committee will bring great wisdom and value to our deliberations."
The panel's membership was made public only after the news conference.
In a city where more than a quarter of residents are African-American, according to the 2000 U.S. census, and black children account for two-thirds of the public school system, the committee includes just one African-American: city Treasurer and Albany County Democratic Chairwoman Betty Barnette.
While neighborhood revitalization and education are two of the group's missions, the committee includes no one from the city's nearly 30 neighborhood associations or its 16 school PTAs. School District Superintendent Eva Joseph and M. Christian Bender, head of the Brighter Choice Foundation for charter schools, are on the committee.
"We are fairly disappointed that no one from the neighborhoods was invited to take part," said Howard Stoller, president of the Council of Albany Neighborhood Association. "Our members are very interested in the quality of life in the city."
Just 13 committee members -- about a quarter of the group -- live in the city, with the rest making their homes in surrounding suburbs and counties, according to an analysis by the Times Union that included county voting records, Internet-based address databases and the local telephone book. The committee has 35 men and 10 women.
"This is very disheartening," said Common Council President Shawn Morris, who was unaware of the event until she was told of it by a reporter. The council is also unrepresented on the committee.
"This group falls dismally short in diversity," Morris said. "Input by business leaders is important, but not at the exclusion of the people who live in the communities that need to be revitalized."
After the committee list was released, Jennings referred questions about his rationale in picking the group to city Development and Planning Commissioner Joe Rabito, who also is a committee member.
"The goal in diversity was in talent and experience," Rabito said. "When you are looking for expertise, you don't factor in someone's heritage or where they live. This is a pretty broad-based group of people with long-term interests in the city."
He said the preponderance of non-city residents was not an issue. "We wanted to know where they do their business, and that is in the city," Rabito said. "I don't think there is a more talented group. I'll match them up against anybody in the PTA."
Sullivan will be chairman of the group's education subcommittee, while John Egan, president of Renaissance Corp., which is spearheading several University Heights projects, will lead the economic development subcommittee. Robert Curly, chairman of Citizens Bank New York, will head the neighborhood revitalization subcommittee.
Brian Nearing can be reached at 454-5094 or by e-mail at bnearing@timesunion.com.
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