Troy’s Loss

The Troy Record’s Talespin blog has an account of Vic Christopher’s departure from City Hall that coincides with what little I’ve heard of the incident.

Back towards the end of Harry Tutunjian’s term as mayor, Christopher told the law firm that was moving out of the city owned Dauchy building he would help them move their leftover stuff. In other words, they said he could have a bunch of the stuff they didn’t want like old desks, chairs and other office-related materials.

He ran it by Tutunjian who told him to get it in writing.

He didn’t.

To make a long story short, City Hall was notified he was taking things out of the building, put him on paid leave, and he eventually resigned.

Talespin notes that it would have been easy enough for those at City Hall to confirm what he claimed, which is that Tutunjian gave him the okay some time ago and said it wouldn’t be a problem. Unfortunately, as soon as Rosamilia won the primary, promises of a new direction for Troy and an end to bipartisan bickering was drowned out by the high-pitched screech of axes being ground.

It’s a shame that partisan hackery and an obvious opportunity for a political hit superceded the better interests of the city. But Vic, personally speaking, is better off. Check out Keep Albany Boring’s visit to his forthcoming wine bar near Monument Square. I’ve been in there a few times since he started, and I think the place is going to be remarkable. It’s exactly the sort of thing Troy needs more of, and perhaps it’s fitting that it’ll be born in the ashes of what Troy needs less of: partisan doofs who cut off Troy’s nose to spite its face and think anyone with half a brain cares about their ambition to one day become King of Shit Mountain.