In May of 2025, a Republican-majority City Council voted against even scheduling a public hearing on Good Cause Eviction. Tenant Advocates who had been asking to be heard were silenced; undeterred, they left the chamber chanting, “We’ll remember in November.” Troy did remember. Every Republican who voted against the public hearing lost their seat. A fully Democratic council adopted it unanimously. Our Mayor’s response? Veto!
In Troy, two-thirds of residents rent.
What the Law Does
Good Cause Eviction limits rent increases to whichever is lower: 10% or the inflation rate plus 5%. Landlords can exceed those caps with documented operating cost increases or capital improvements. Tenants gain protection from arbitrary evictions; landlords can still remove tenants for nonpayment, lease violations, nuisance complaints, or illegal activity.
The law excludes single-unit owners, subsidized and rent-stabilized properties, co-ops, condos, public housing, and properties where tenants pay below 345% of fair market rent.
New York adopted Good Cause statewide in 2024, but required municipalities to opt in. Ithaca, Binghamton, and Albany had already done so. Syracuse’s common council failed to pass it in February 2026 on a tied vote.
What Happened the First Time
The council had been here before. On May 22, 2025, the Republican majority voted 4-3 against even scheduling a public hearing on Good Cause Eviction.
Their arguments are on the record. Bill Keal said renters “took the lowest cost rental unit available.” Tom Casey said nothing on the record that night worth preserving. Ryan Brosnan proposed Residential Occupancy Permits as an alternative.
Tenant advocates left the chamber chanting “We’ll remember in November.” The coalition later held a candidate forum on tenant rights issues. No Republican candidates attended.
The Election
They remembered.
In November 2025, Democrats swept all seven Troy council seats. Every Republican who voted against holding a public hearing on Good Cause Eviction lost. Council President Steele put it plainly after the new council passed the law: “All of those who opposed those two items were defeated soundly.”
The new council reintroduced Good Cause Eviction in early 2026 and passed it unanimously on March 5.
The Veto
Carmella vetoed on March 18. Her stated concern was small landlords. “Many of our rental properties are owned and operated by small, local landlords, individuals and families who often own just one or two units,” she wrote, citing rising costs for taxes, insurance, energy, and construction. She said she could not support the measure “without knowing the impact” and urged a transparent, comprehensive study.
Her alternative: increase housing supply through construction, redevelopment, and landlord partnerships.
“What’s next? Is it rent control?” she said publicly. “So I think my ask was very reasonable. Let’s just take a pause. What’s the rush?”
Not every landlord agreed with her framing. Sylva Menard, a local landlord who had previously spoken at council meetings, said responsible landlords “already doing most of what good cause covered” have “nothing to fear.”
Mark Speedy of the Capital Region DSA, who had been organizing for the law for two years, called the passage a milestone. Steele had already told the council the veto would not hold.
Partisan angle: Carmella campaigned on people over politics. And the People dismantled her council majority over being silenced on tenants’ rights. The people have spoken, and the fully Democratic City Council delivered. She heard them and denied them anyway. She knows the number of renters in Troy, and we defied her partisanship.
Sources: CBS6; Spectrum News, March 18, 2026; Spectrum News, March 5, 2026; WAMC, May 23, 2025; Yahoo News