Assessor who lives outside Schenectady out of a job

It’s official: Schenectady needs a new assessor.

Given the choice of moving to the city to keep her job, or staying with her father to care for him, Assessor Tina Dimitriadis chose family.

Mayor Gary McCarthy said he is already accepting applications for the next assessor. Although Dimitriadis’ term does not expire until Oct. 1, he said they have already agreed that she will leave at that point.

“We’ve had the conversation. She’s not moving. I thanked her for her service,” he said.

He warned her months ago that she had to move to the city if she wanted her appointment renewed for another two years. When she was hired, the previous mayor overlooked her residency; she was living in Troy, but moved to Colonie to care for her elderly father in his duplex.

When McCarthy told her that he would enforce the city’s residency law, Dimitriadis argued that it didn’t apply to her. State officials agreed. The only residency requirement is that they live in the state, according to the state Department of Taxation and Finance.

That meant McCarthy could not easily fire her mid-term. But he could choose not to renew her contract and to hire someone who agreed to move to Schenectady.

Dimitriadis lobbied for a waiver to the city residency law, but never got permission to bring her case to the residency board.

According to the residency law, employees can only go to the residency board for a waiver if they get permission from the mayor.

McCarthy declined to give her permission.

Although she is caring for her elderly father, she could move him to Schenectady. She has chosen not to, and McCarthy said her decision disqualified her from keeping her job.

“I want an assessor who lives in the city. I think it’s important for the officers and management staff to live in the city,” he said, adding that they should show their dedication to the city by living here.

Dimitriadis argued that it would be better to have an assessor from elsewhere who would not know or become closely connected to local power-brokers. An assessor who did not know who was who would be more likely to calculate assessments even-handedly, she suggested.

Taxes are based on each property’s assessment.

But McCarthy said a good assessor would not be swayed.

“I would expect I’m going to hire someone who has fortitude and integrity,” he said.

He has already received “a number” of applications, he said, but is still recruiting. He plans to hire someone at the end of September.

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