Dylan Spring lasted five months. He walked out of a Finance Committee meeting mid-presentation on June 20, 2024. He did not return. He came back June 25 to submit his two-week notice. Last day: July 9, 2024.
The seat stayed empty for six months.
What Carmella Inherited and What She Did With It
Carmella started her term in January 2024 without a comptroller in place. Andy Petroski departed at the transition. She made no hire during the handover period. The first time that had happened in 40 years.
Spring was brought on in February 2024 and immediately inherited a set of books no one outside the prior administration knew how to reconcile. The city’s KVS financial software required a manual process only Petroski had understood. Without him, no one could close the 2023 accounts.
What the Council Saw Before He Left
On May 23, 2024, Spring presented Q4 2023 to the Finance Committee, five months after the quarter ended. The report was incomplete. ProNexus, the outside accounting firm brought in to reconstruct the books, had filed the FY 2023 Annual Financial Report. The State found it unreliable. Cash was off from Pioneer Bank records by $8 to $9 million.
Council President Steele said it best: “It’s scary to me that we are in this situation, because we’ve done so well with our finances.”
On June 20, the Q1 2024 report arrived five minutes before the Finance meeting. No advance notice. Steele said it was the first time in five years that a Q1 report had not been available before the meeting. A motion to defer failed. Spring presented on the spot.
Then Spring left. Mid-meeting. He did not come back.
The Vacancy
After Spring’s departure, Troy had no comptroller heading into budget season. Treasurer Gabrielle Mahoney managed daily financial operations. BST & Co. served as outside accounting consultant. Roughly 20 candidates were interviewed over the summer and fall. Several withdrew after watching city council meetings.
Q2 2024 was never formally presented. Residents asked about it at the August 8, September 5, and September 19 Finance meetings. No answer at any of them.
By late September, Steele said it plainly: “We have not received any quarterly reports. We don’t have a comptroller. It’s like we know nothing about the finances.”
Carmella promised a hire within two weeks. No hire came.
In August, the council voted to raise the comptroller salary from $103,966 to a range of $125,000 to $150,000 to improve recruitment. The city spent more than $260,000 on outside accounting firms during the gap. Troy received no formal quarterly financial report for the entirety of 2024.
Partisan angle: Carmella ran on competence. She started her term without a comptroller, hired one who walked out mid-presentation, and left the city’s books unattended through the entire 2024 budget season. The council made decisions based solely on assurances. Trojans deserved better.
Sources: WAMC, May 2024, News10, WAMC, September 2024, WAMC, November 2024