Dear Editor,
Like many of my neighbors in Albany County, I have followed recent development proposals affecting the City of Albany with great interest. Whether it’s the proposed “reimaginings” of Interstate 787, the County’s potential acquisition of the College of Saint Rose buildings, or an 8,000 seat soccer stadium in the heart of downtown, these are all huge ideas which will undoubtedly have an impact beyond the city limits.
I don’t necessarily oppose any of these plans on their merits. I am convinced, however, that some proponents are making these possible projects a catch-all solution to Albany’s main problems, which continue to be crime and a declining quality of life.
We can argue about the interconnectedness of everything, but the fact remains that Albany under its current leadership faces enormous safety problems which won’t be remedied by realigning a roadway, acquiring old university buildings or building another major sporting venue.
There have been nine homicides in the City of Albany in 2024 so far. That matches the pace of 2023, when the city had a record 20 homicides. Somehow reading these grim statistics doesn’t even begin to paint the worst of the violent crime picture in Albany. Last Christmas, a 23-year-old woman was gunned down in her own home after spending the last year of her life a victim of brutal domestic abuse and witness intimidation. Shortly after this horrifying incident, the City quickly experienced its first homicide of 2024 on New Year’s Day.
Since then, we’ve seen an Albany police officer ambushed by a deranged gunman during a traffic stop, an 18-year-old UAlbany student hit-and-run by an illegal dirt biker, and a restaurant worker put into a coma by a hate-filled criminal who tried to dine and dash on his dinner tab. Luckily the victims in all these cases were not killed, and the criminals behind them are hopefully held accountable. But it doesn’t make the senseless violence happening in our Capital City any less heinous.
Which brings me back to my original point: how would any public or private development projects or proposals address these types of tragedies? Who will take advantage of increased access to the Hudson River waterfront if the waterfront is unsafe? Who will want to occupy the St. Rose buildings if the surrounding community is unsafe? And how many of the 8,000 seats will be filled at the proposed soccer stadium if downtown is unsafe?
The most important question of all remains the same. Wouldn’t our time be much better spent fighting soft-on-crime policies like bail reform and Raise the Age, among other bad laws coming from our State Capitol?
I know some will say ‘we can walk and chew gum at the same time,’ but unless we’re tackling the crime elephant in the room, count me as one skeptical of these potential redevelopments leading to a great Albany revitalization.
Frank Mauriello
Minority Leader,
Albany County Legislature
