Kevin Bette, president and CEO of First Columbia, has been transforming the riverside neighborhood north of downtown Troy.

Troy Mayor Carmella Mantello announces that Troy City Hall will be relocated to the Fourth Street Proctor's Theater property on Tuesday during a news conference in Troy.

When I started at the Times Union nearly 20 years ago, our business editor at the time, Marlene Kennedy, sent me out to meet individually with some of the area’s movers and shakers — the point being to help give a newcomer the lay of the land.

One of the meetings was with Kevin Bette, the president of First Columbia development company. Among other things we discussed that day, he told me he shied away from media attention and that, unlike many developers, he avoided getting involved in politics. Praising and criticizing politicians wasn’t his thing.

Advertisement

Article continues below this ad

Bette has been true to his words since, which is why his recent comments about Troy Mayor Carmella Mantello were so astonishing. In an interview with the Albany Business Review, he didn’t hold back.

“This is the most incompetent administration I’ve ever dealt with,” Bette told Mike DeMasi. “She just doesn’t know what she’s doing. She’s not a good person, has no integrity, no follow-through. It’s very sad for Troy to have no leadership.”

Mantello, in response, called the developer “unhinged.”

Truer to........

© Times Union