Troy

We're up to 10 days and counting since a woman with advanced lung cancer and others on Fourth Avenue in Lansingburgh have had running water.

As I reported Wednesday, at least two families on the street haven't had water service since Feb. 23. The problem is apparently frozen pipes that are under the public street, beyond the curb and the section of pipe that is generally a homeowner's responsibility.

The administration of Mayor Lou Rosamilia is declining to help the families and said they should hire their own plumbers.

That seems to violate Troy code, which says it is the city's responsibility "to supply and maintain service from the main to the shutoff at the curb."

What gives?

And where is the mayor on this?

City officials have known of the situation for a week, according to residents. Unbelievably, as of Wednesday afternoon, Rosamilia had not visited the affected families or even returned their many phone calls.

"I want to hear his voice," said Serena McIntrye of 871 Fourth Ave., whose family of five has now been without running water for 10 days. "I want him to hear my voice."

Talking to the families and listening to their concerns is the very least the mayor should be doing. If the city is going to draw a line in the sand, Rosamilia should be the face of the decision.

This is, after all, a mayor whose strongest asset has been his nice-guy reputation — or at least it was.

On Wednesday, I asked Deputy Mayor Peter Ryan and mayoral spokesman Michael Morris why Rosamilia hasn't returned the families' calls. The question was met with awkward silence before Morris offered a weak answer.

"Well, he's been a little under the weather," Morris said, adding that "there's a lot going on in the city." (Rosamilia spoke later Wednesday at the RFK Democratic Club's in Albany, according to a photograph the club posted on Facebook.)

The administration, which isn't disputing that the problem is under the public roadway, maintains it wouldn't have happened if the homeowners had let their faucets drip, although the McIntyres insist they did just that.

Morris said nothing in city code addresses frozen water lines. He repeated the city's position: It can't be responsible for "the factors that caused the problem — the weather and stagnant pipes."

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The message, then, to the families: Good luck!

"They're heartless," said Eric Daus of 881 Fourth Ave., whose mother, Lillian Daus, is undergoing chemotherapy treatments. "They all know about my mother."

Eric Daus said his family can't afford to hire a plumber, and he noted the sickness that accompanies chemotherapy. Without going into graphic detail, his mother needs a working toilet.

Yet it has been 10 days since she had one. What is this, Baghdad?

"I'm trying to make things as good as I can for her," Daus said. "We have no money. We have nothing."

The family's plight resonated beyond city limits. On Wednesday, Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple quietly arranged to deliver cases of donated bottled water to the Daus family.

Gee, now why couldn't someone at City Hall have thought of that?

Several members of the City Council are publicly calling on Rosamilia to reverse the decision.

"The city code is clear, and the human compassion issue is clear," said Jim Gordon, the council member who represents Lansingburgh.

Council President Rodney Wiltshire believes the administration's stance is a change and said the city has fixed similar problems in the past.

Wiltshire said restoring water service is "the humane and civil thing to do," but said the council has no authority to force the administration to do so.

The Daus and McIntyre families both told me that their water was nearly black before it stopped running.

That would seem to raise the possibility that the problem is something other than frozen pipes, although Ryan said the city tested the fire hydrant on Wednesday and is confident there's no issue with the general water supply.

It is unclear how many other Troy families are without water. The administration has said six city buildings lack water service due to frozen pipes.

Here's a question: Would the city treat the situation similarly if the problem was affecting residents on, say, Westover Road or another wealthier part of Troy?

What if downtown businesses didn't have water? What if the mayor's water line froze?

"I hate to think that where we're located is why we can't get help," said Brian McIntyre, who is Serena's husband.

So the standoff continues.

And Lillian Daus has another chemotherapy session scheduled for Thursday.

cchurchill@timesunion.com • 518-454-5442 • @chris_churchill