Mayor Jerry Jennings' State of the City speech was one that left a somber note in the minds of Albany's taxpayers ("Jennings: Albany has a tech future," Jan. 30).
His concept of a scaled-back Albany Convention Center project, using facilities like the Times Union Center and the Empire State Plaza with a walkway connecting a newly built hotel and ballroom, will only curtail the complex further. He would have been better off to exclude the whole matter from his speech.
Addressing other issues of importance would have served him better, like discussing a waste-to-energy facility at the Rapp Road dump or discussing ways vacated housing throughout the city could be renovated to get them back on the tax rolls.
Also missing from his speech — and why he had standing-room attendance — was an announcement on whether he will run for a sixth term. Most went away guessing.
One guess, but I wouldn't bet on it, is that he's looking at his cronies of the Assembly retiring and he's pondering whether he should, too. He may have used the Kiernan Building as a location for the speech simply to gauge support for re-election. By that measure, I believe he was happy with the turnout.
In his speech, he said, "So, for me, the commitment (to the community) endures." To me, that is the same as saying, "I am running."
Poll the loyalists of the Albany County Democrats, and most likely will tell you the mayor will be mayor as long as he wants.
ALBERT PAOLUCCI
Democrat committeeman
Albany