Summer with Troy Mayor Harry Tutunjian
Harry's a fan of Troy. And chocolate peanut-butter.
Sure, it's kind of a given that Troy Mayor Harry Tutunjian likes life in the Capital Region.
He's a Mayor here, after all.
But he's also as a life-long Troy resident who really enjoys the Capital Region summers -- which qualifies him for our series on our summer stay-cations.
Also, we kinda felt like we know him from his tweets.
So we asked.
And Harry T. answered.
About Harry:
I was born in Troy and have lived the Sycaway area my entire life. Before becoming Mayor I ran my family's auto body shop for many years. After buying my home in the City I decided to get involved in government. I ran successfully for a district City Council seat in 1999. Two years later I ran citywide and was elected council president. In 2003 I ran for mayor. I remain interested in cars, and recently purchased a classic Buick convertible, perfect for evening cruises.
What are some of your favorite things to with Capital Region summers?
In the summer, I look forward to all of the events in the City of Troy. River Street Festival, Troy Pig Out, and Rockin' on the River are great ways to enjoy Troy. I also enjoy taking in the horse racing experience at Saratoga.
What summer foods do you look forward to each year?
No summer is complete without ice cream at the Snowman in Lansingburgh. If I'm trying to be good, I'll have an Only 8 low calorie flavor. Otherwise it is Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup or Strawberry.
Fresh local corn cooked on the grill is another treat that can only be enjoyed for a short time in the summer.
Can you share some favorite Capital Region summer memories?
I have great memories of family picnics at Thacher Park. As a child the pool looked huge and we would dare each other to dive off the high diving platform. Whenever my family would have out of town visitors Thacher Park and the Mineral Springs in Saratoga were definite stops.
Where do you take summer visitors who come from out of town?
Summertime visitors are guaranteed a trip to the Saratoga track. Also, no one leaves until they receive a personal tour of the City of Troy, the Farmer's Market, and a trip to a Valley Cats game. Visitors are always impressed with the eclectic vibe of our historic downtown. Next year I'll be able to add a trip to Dinosaur Bar-B-Que in Troy to the list of must sees. It is expected to open early this fall.
Summers in the Capital Region are short so we have to enjoy it while we have it. There is so much to do locally you really need to have a plan to get to as many of the events you can. Sometimes, it's best to stay home and have a cook out and sit with friends on the patio into the wee hours.
What's missing that you wish we had here in the summer?
The Capital Region has everything you could want to enjoy the summer except one thing, the ocean. It's too bad we can't change the geography.
Our geography is perfect for day trips or weekend getaways to many Northeast cities and the Adirondacks. Everything you could ever want to do in the summertime is within your reach in the Capital District.
It is a great place to live.
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Comments
Mayor T gave me my first interview; it was for a school assignment as an HVCC college student!
p.s. Alloveralbany, I can't "share" this on my facebook page. I think it's something on your end?
Aliz
... said aliz on Jul 9, 2010 at 1:12 PM | link
I'm guessing this was written before that whole swimming pool thing, hmmm? Ironic!
http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=947998&category=OPINION
http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=947641&category=RENSSELAER
... said Rob on Jul 9, 2010 at 6:55 PM | link
Rob,
The pool 'mess' was due to the ploys of certain members of the City Council in order to play partisan politics. It really is sad what some of them do to gain a bit of noteriety.
They take it out of the budget and 'informed' citizens of Troy shout over their pet projects for 3 months THEN a heat wave hits and they know those not in the know will blame the Mayor...
This is why our country is in the state it is in...both parties do this to keep the people like us fighting amongst ourselves.
Read up on something besides one newspaper to learn the truth.
... said James on Jul 10, 2010 at 8:24 PM | link
Would love to trade Jennings for Tutunjian any day....
... said ph on Jul 11, 2010 at 12:27 PM | link
woot! Armenians represent!
... said Rebecca on Jul 11, 2010 at 10:16 PM | link
James: Thanks, I'll check another source. Is there a newspaper in Troy?
... said Rob on Jul 12, 2010 at 5:39 PM | link
James, I saw your comment above about the pool 'mess', and felt that I had to point out the factual inaccuracies in your posting.
There was absolutely no ploy by the City Council to play partisan politics with the pool issue. In fact, Council members from both parties were critical of the administration's failure to get the pools open on time, especially when our city's kids faced the hottest days of the summer, and the city had months to prepare.
As far as the budget goes, it is true that the Council tried to move the funding for some of the Parks&Rec temporary salaries into a contingency line, in order to provide greater fiscal oversight - after a city department head indicated that there might be some waste within the Parks&Rec budget.
The Mayor sued the Council to give himself unfettered access to those funds, and he won. The budget was never touched. Let's make that very clear - the budget that was passed is the exact same budget that the Mayor originally proposed.
When asked why the pools were not opened on time, the Mayor immediately blamed the Council. He publicly stated, "City Council cuts parks budget then wonders why pool openings are delayed."
I would call that statement dishonest and misleading. The budget was never cut, and the Mayor had access to all the funding that he had requested.
The City Council has absolutely nothing to do with the opening of city pools. It is a function of the Executive branch of city government. Rather than take responsibility for carrying out his duties, the Mayor decided to rope the Council into the issue. The Times Union correctly called him out on it.
I would respectfully request that you research an issue before posting statements that are simply not true.
... said Ken Zalewski on Jul 12, 2010 at 10:39 PM | link
There are any number of references to back-up what Ken Zalewski says, above. Start here:
http://www.google.com/search?q=troy+pools+tutunjian+site:timesunion.com
LQ
... said Lou Quillio on Jul 13, 2010 at 12:28 AM | link