All Over Albany

Stratton move sets off speculation in Schenectady and Troy, Cuomo says he'll push for same-sex marriage vote, Ballston Spa wants you to b there, p-e-c-u-n-i-a-r-y

The selection of Brian Stratton to head up the state canal corporation has prompted speculation about what's next for Schenectady -- and Troy. Stratton says he's aiming to leave the mayor's office in mid-March. Schenectady city council president Gary McCarthy would then assume the duties of mayor -- but by law the city won't be able to pay a mayoral salary, nor can the council appoint him to the job. [TU] [YNN] [Daily Gazette]

So, why is Stratton leaving? He says he didn't push for the job, but two unnamed city officials say Stratton's head hadn't been in the game recently and that he was probably looking to make more money. [Fox23] [Daily Gazette]

What expertise does Stratton bring to the canal job? "Water goes in, boats go down. Water goes in, boats go up." [Fox23]

So, what's this got to do with Troy? The current head of the canal corp is Carmella Mantello, who ran for mayor of Troy in 1999 and there's now speculation she'll run again. Mantello said yesterday she wouldn't rule out a run for the job. [Troy Record] [WNYT]

Andrew Cuomo said yesterday that he would push the legislature to pass a bill legalizing same-sex marriage during this session. [NYT]

Farther afield: Christopher Lee, a Congressman from the Buffalo area, resigned yesterday after Gawker exposed that he had tried to pick up a woman on Craigslist by claiming he was a 39-year-old divorced lobbyist (he's actually 46 and married) and sending the woman a topless photo of himself. And, of course, you knew this was coming: Lee warned about the potentially "serious consequences" of using the internet in a 2009 op/ed. [NYT] [Gawker] [State of Politics]

Chris Gibson was one of the Republican House members who went against party leadership by voting against the extension of parts of the Patriotic Act. [TU]

The state judiciary system not only didn't submit a budget 10 percent smaller as asked by the Cuomo admin, it tacked an almost 2 percent increase on. The system's chief administrative judge warned yesterday that a 10 percent cut would lead to court shutdowns. [TU] [State of Politics]

The city of Albany has already exceeded its snow removal budget by 67 percent. [TU]

The Rensselaer County legislature will ask the state to allow the county jail to take out-of-state prisoners. [Troy Record]

Demolition of the old Troy city hall has been further delayed after the discovery of more asbestos. [Troy Record]

Schenectady's fire chief will end up getting a big payout when he retires because of a 1994 contract. [Daily Gazette]

Troy police say the six RPI students arrested in connection to an alleged break-in at Troy High School are pledges for a fraternity. Police say they were told the pledges were on a task to shovel a path across the high school grounds. The one student specifically arrested for the alleged break-in said it wasn't related to pledging, but the TPD says it's skeptical. RPI released a statement saying it's investigating the matter. [TU] [WTEN] [Troy Record] [YNN]

Construction of the new Price Chopper/apartment building in downtown Saratoga will start soon. [Post-Star]

An application to allow outdoor entertainment at Siro's has caused a bit of conflict in the neighborhood around the Track season restaurant. [Saratogian]

Today is John McLaughlin's last day on the air (for now) at WTEN. [Daily Gazette]

Walter Guenther, a Colonie resident who was born in Germany and conscripted to fight for that country in World War II, has passed away. He was 95. [TU]

The next menace that apparently will soon be upon local farmers: stink bugs. [Daily Gazette]

Ballston Spa's new slogan: "B.Spa B.There." [Daily Gazette]

The winner of this year's Capital Region spelling bee is Guilderland 11-year-old Mateen Sharif. The winning word: pecuniary. [TU] [Daily Gazette]