The Knickerbacker Park Board sent the city a proposed updated lease in July 2025. They heard nothing back for nearly five months. When they hired legal counsel and set a meeting to sort it out, Carmella went public. She accused them of acting in “bad faith,” called their conduct “reckless,” and claimed they tried to “strong-arm” city officials.
The Board’s account: the Administration ignored them for five months, so they got a lawyer, and then she blamed them for it.
The Dispute
The underlying conflict was a document mismatch. A 2020 term offer sheet set payments at $5,000 per month. The underlying 2007 lease, which runs through 2037, set the rate at $1 per year. The Administration’s position: the 2020 document had expired. The city was only obligated under the $1-per-year lease. The Board’s renewal proposal was rejected as a “non-starter” in December 2025.
By April 2026, the city was approximately five months in arrears and owed the Board $25,000 in unpaid obligations. The dispute had not resolved.
The conflict was not abstract. A DASNY grant of approximately $6 million was actively funding pool construction at the park. The Board raised concerns about construction plans, staffing arrangements, insurance coverage, and lease compliance during active construction on the site.
Five months of silence. Then “reckless.”
Sources: WAMC, CBS6, Troy City Council Law Committee and Finance Meeting, April 23, 2026 (transcript)