Paul Nelson
Times Union, Albany, N.Y.
SCHENECTADY, N.Y. — It’s not uncommon these days to hear a cacophony of police and fire sirens and car horns blaring as teachers and administrators drive caravan-style spreading cheer to neighborhoods where their students live.
The sights and sounds of a police SUV and two police cars plus a fire rig leading the procession through his quiet Central Park North neighborhood around 5 p.m. May 1 prompted former mayor Albert P. Jurczynski to step outside and ask someone in one of the vehicles what all the gaiety was about.
The person responded that it was “Karen’s birthday,” he recalled.
That Karen is Schenectady City Councilwoman Karen Zalewski-Wildzunas, who Jurczynski described as a “nice person” who lives on Londonderry Court near him.
Still, the use of police cars and a fire truck didn’t sit well with him as a city taxpayer, especially in light of Mayor Gary McCarthy’s recent announcement about the potential layoffs of dozens of cops and firefighters because of a projected $11.5 million revenue shortfall arising from the impact of the novel coronavirus and zero federal aid.
“I spent 20 years as an elected official, 12 as a council person and eight as a mayor, that was not a productive of city resources,” said Jurczynski, adding he pays “super high” property taxes.
In 2016, Zalewski-Wildzunas, a Democrat, defeated Jurczynski’s son, Alex Jurczynski, a Republican, for a vacant Council seat.
A video on Zalewski-Wildzunas’ Facebook shows her lingering at the edge of her driveway laughing and enjoying herself as the cars, some stopping quickly to personally wish her happy birthday.
In the caption, the councilwoman thanks her “wonderful daughter for organizing the parade and everyone for the “wonderful birthday wishes and the pandemic birthday parade.”
Councilwoman Leesa Perazzo, who has seen the video, said Wednesday that she has gotten calls from people about it.
“At this time, when our resources are very limited and we’re talking about possibly having to cut personnel, I would assume that every penny is precious,” said Perazzo.
Mayor McCarthy said he knew about the fire truck but not the police cars being in on the parade.
“I was not aware police were being deployed for this but I assume that none of that apparatus for police was taken out of service,” said the mayor, adding he planned to speak with Police Chief Eric Clifford about the matter. “I’m not generally happy.”
Zalewski-Wildzunas said she didn’t know her daughter had planned the celebration but that it was a “very nice gesture.”
“If I had known about it, I would have said ‘don’t do it,’ but I’m grateful for the support and love that I have from my family and friends that they did it in this horrible pandemic times,” she added. “Once again, take me out the equation, to bring some joy to someone who has a birthday or has some celebration, to have a police car or fire truck drive by while they’re standing in their driveway, I don’t see the harm in it.”
Zalewski-Wildzunas said it’s a great way for police and firefighters to say in touch with the community.
Fire Chief Ray Senecal said the fire department has participated in “several” of these birthday party caravans for private citizens. He said they don’t typically do caravans, and have had to abruptly leave some to respond to emergencies, but “during the pandemic, we’re going to try to bring as much positivity to the community as we can.”
“It just so happened that they(fire crew) were fortunate enough to not get called away, it was an in service engine,” he said. “Anybody that’s asked us, what we tell them is that if our call volume and our time allows, we certainly would like to do it.”
Councilman Ed Kosiur said he had not seen the Facebook post but questioned the timing of the parade given the fiscal hardships.
“The public perception of having that lined up for an elected official certainly doesn’t sit well with me,” he said.
Clifford, who lives around the corner from Zalewski-Wildzunas, recalled Wednesday that he gave the OK for the supervisor who floats around the city and the patrol officer working that zone to participate in the parade if they were not busy on a call.
“It took all of, maybe five minutes, at most,” he said, adding the officers started at the intersection of Londonderry (Court) and Central Parkway, drove up Londonderry and around the cul de sac, and they resumed their work duties. “I didn’t look at it as a waste of resources just like I don’t look at all the other parades we participate as a waste of resources, it is a way of trying to stay normal during these circumstances.”
He rejected the notion that Zalewski-Wildzunas received preferential treatment.
“I would not want to give her special treatment by not participating because she’s and elected official, she’s still a city resident, it’s her birthday, it took 5 minutes of our day to add a little cheer to her 2020, and I would do it for any member of the council, I would it for any member of the city,” he said.
The police chief said over the past few months the department has participated in between eight to 10 parades with the school district and about 10 for birthdays or an event for children and senior citizens.
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©2020 the Times Union (Albany, N.Y.)