Dear Mayor Jerry Jennings,

It's your fault.

It's your fault Albany is plummeting into decay and decline. You have led my city for 15 years. And failed. Miserably.

Whether it's law enforcement, economic policies or quality of life, you have presided over a public policy calamity.

''She was registered as a student from September 1980 to Nov. 13, 1980, in the flora-culture program,'' said Holly Cargill-Cramer, SUNY Cobleskill's director of communications and public affairs.

Associates of Susan Bruno say privately that during the past five years, she seldom appeared at the office — perhaps once a month, according to one person — and that she was allowed the unusual arrangement of working from her home.

Her long absences from foundation offices at the corner of State Street and Broadway led staffers to use her private office for meetings, according to those who have worked with her.

Susan Bruno did not respond to requests for comment made through the foundation.

The position requires a "bachelor's degree or equivalent," according to a job description provided by the Research Foundation. Bruno's resume, turned over to the Times Union under a Freedom of Information Law request, states she attended SUNY Cobleskill for "two full years of college courses" and also holds an "NYS Real Estate License." There are no dates listed for either entry in the document.

The FBI's inquiry has been broad. Recently, investigators have displayed an interest in CMA Consulting in Latham, the company Joseph Bruno joined as CEO after quitting the Senate, according to a grand jury witness. CMA, with tens of millions of dollars in state contracts, has had a long-standing business relationship with the Research Foundation, which has paid the firm more than $1.5 million.

This year, for the first time in the history of the city arts grants program, Albany had to partner with a private not-for-profit to help pay the awards.

The amount of the 2009 Albany City arts grants is about the same as last year, delivering $350,000 to 35 city-based groups. But this year, Albany brought in the Albany Local Development Corporation, which contributed $150,000 of the $350,000 total

"The arts and these venues are very important to bring in economic dollars from outside the city," said ALDC President Mike Yevoli. "It's very much a part of our mission, so when we found out the city wasn't able to keep the commitment, we jumped on the opportunity to help."

Regarding Michael H. Brown’s Dec. 27 letter about Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings replacing Sen. Hillary Clinton: Mr. Brown is clearly misinformed or merely one of Jennings' cronies.

Mayor Jennings has run the city of Albany just as he ran Albany High School when he was principal many years ago — badly, very badly. Albany is an embarrassment to everyone in New York state. Anyone would be a better replacement than Jerry Jennings.

Nancy Muldoon
Saratoga Springs

A proposed convention center in downtown Albany lost a critical source of funding as of Jan. 1, but hotel and motel guests in Albany County will benefit in the short run.

Albany County’s hotel occupancy tax dropped from 6 percent to 3 percent because the state Legislature did not act on a request from county lawmakers to continue charging the full 6 percent.

What happened next is that The Mayor decided to tell me a little story. Also present fror this extraordinary tale was Pastor David Traynham of the nearby New Horizons Christian Church on Catherine Street, our neighborhood church. Here’s the story as best I remember it.

My first year teaching (said The Mayor) at Albany High, I was a young guy in my twenties, teaching history. I was alone in the room after class let out, when in comes Rocco So-and-So, the toughest kid in the school. (You remember Rocco? “I sure do,” said Pastor Traynham.)

I was standing by my desk, and Rocco comes up to me and gets this close, and he says to me, “This is MY school, and the sooner you learn that the better for you.” (Or something like that.)

Well (said The Mayor of the capital of New York State,) I had one of those big history books on my desk. I put my hand on it, slid it fast across the desk and hard into his gut and he doubled over. I then grabbed the back of his head and slammed his face into the desk.

“Your school, huh.” said The Mayor. “I’ll show you whose school this is. After that, Rocco became my chief enforcer.”