SCHENECTADY – City Councilman John Polimeni bought a home in Rotterdam last month but it is unclear how long the controversial lawmaker will remain in the city.
The Democrat, who opted not to seek re-election, did not respond Tuesday to a message left on his cell phone inquiring about his impending move.
His term runs out at the end of December.
But public real estate records indicate that Polimeni, who lives on Randolph Road in Schenectady, purchased a home last month on Gates Drive for $370,000 in Rotterdam.
Mayor Gary McCarthy said Tuesday that he did not know about Polimeni’s future political plans.
The state Public Officers Law states that to hold a civil office, a person must live in that municipality, according to Andrew Koldin, the city’s top lawyer.
He said there’s similar language in the city charter that says that an individual needs to be a United States citizen and Schenectady resident to serve as mayor or be on the City Council.
Polimeni, a college professor, has proven at times during his tenure to be a lightning rod.
In December, he criticized the City Council for not “getting things done” in 2022, citing issues with the city’s budget and the way the city spent millions of dollars in federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.
More recently, Polimeni has asked an ethics committee to investigate money the city school district for years paid to fellow Councilman Damonni Farley for consulting work he performed while he was an employee of the district. Farley’s consulting company, Common Thread, Inc., was paid nearly $600,000 while he worked as an employee of the district. Schools superintendent Anibal Soler Jr. ended the practice of paying consultants after he took the post last year and scrutinized the district’s arrangement with Farley and…
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