Steele seeks second term on Troy City Council District 3 seat

TROY, N.Y. — Sue Steele is the only member of the Troy City Council’s Democratic Majority seeking re-election this fall.

The one-term incumbent said, “This has certainly been a challenging term. However, I’ve really enjoyed helping constituents with city issues and would like to continue that work.”

Steele has been endorsed by the Troy Democratic Committee and the Working Families Party and had no challengers in the June Primary.

“I’m very grateful for the support and confidence of these endorsements. For now, I am focusing on the daily constituent representation. As a retiree, I can be a full-time Councilperson,” Steele noted.

While running for her first term in 2019, Steele promised to meet monthly in a public space where residents could gather with her to talk about city issues, ask questions and build community.

“We met once in February 2020 and then everything shut down,” Steele explained.

“Throughout the pandemic, I’ve tried to stay in touch via social media and Zoom District meetings that have been well attended. The meetings bring City Hall to District 3,” Steele noted.

Like her City Council colleagues, Steele attended the Rally for Black Lives in June of 2020 when 11,000 people peacefully rallied for equity and justice. She became frustrated at the slow response to then Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Executive Order 203 to adopt a policing reform.

The result was the bipartisan formation of the Council’s “Reimagine Troy Community Justice  Services Work Group” which Steele convened. It included a diverse group of citizens who were interested in change.

“We met sometimes biweekly for nearly six months. I learned a lot during that process and am so grateful to the citizens who are stepping up and raising difficult issues that need to be discussed publicly,” Steele added.

During the 2021 budget, Steele said she supported efforts to improve recreational opportunities for youth, tackle illegal litter and garbage dumping, and promote recycling. She is particularly pleased with improvements to Frear Park and the Golf Course that “offer such wonderful green spaces within our city.”

Steele is the mother of three, grandmother of two who has lived in District 3 for 47 years, active in school activities, politics, church, and various community organizations. She chairs the Board of  Commissioners of the Troy Housing Authority and is “especially committed to [seeing] Troy move forward in the  areas of affordable housing and strong, vibrant neighborhoods.” As a member of the Council’s  Neighborhood Improvement Program Subcommittee, she has supported small grants that “encourage  neighbors to work together, take pride, and improve their part of the city.”

Steele’s professional career involved service in city, county, state, and federal governments as well as a decade at a local nonprofit agency. Positions she held include Clerk of the County Legislature, County  Auditor, and Deputy Director of Communications at the NYS Office of Children and Family Services. “My career prepared me to understand the value of constituent service and the importance of local government,” Steele noted.