TROY – Councilman Mark McGrath cracked open a four-week logjam in 99 minutes by telling Mayor Patrick Madden and Corporation Counsel James Caruso he had filed a complaint against them with the city Ethics Commission for not giving him copies of property deed releases.

McGrath wanted copies of legal papers, known as reverter clauses since Jan. 1, 2018 that ended the city's right to take back a property it had sold. The city’s handling of these deed restrictions and its past sale of city-owned properties seized for back taxes to city employees has been under investigation by the state attorney general’s office. Troy gave the state investigators earlier documents related to the investigation in late 2017.

“They’re required under the city charter to give me information and they failed to do so until 99 minutes after I filed the complaint,” McGrath said Thursday.

McGrath, a Republican, emailed the city Ethics Commission at 3 p.m. Tuesday and had copies of the requested paperwork involving 14 properties at 4:39 p.m. from Caruso.

McGrath wanted copies of reverter clause releases signed by the Democratic mayor since Jan. 1. A reverter clause is a hold the city places on the deeds until it verifies the parcel it sold meets city building code requirements within a specified time.

McGrath has been critical of the city’s handling of property sales since it sold a 1.85-acre wooded parcel to Andrew Donovan, the former city engineer. Donovan was to have built a home on the property, but this did not occur.

“As an elected Troy councilman I'm filing an ethics complaint against both Mayor Patrick Madden and Corporation counsel James Caruso for their failure to properly uphold the Troy City Charter,” McGrath wrote the Ethics Commission and sent copies to Madden and Caruso.

The mayor told McGrath in an email in July that copies of the releases were coming, but they never did.

“I still have not received the information I requested and will note there is an ongoing criminal investigation concerning the past practice of this very subject,” McGrath said in the email.

John Salka, spokesman for the mayor, said McGrath was sent the information he requested. When asked why it took about a month, Salka said Caruso had been on vacation.

Salka said Madden and Caruso had not violated the city’s ethics code in this case.

“We looked at the ethics law and code on the books. There are no violations of the ethics law,” Salka said.

Even though he has the documents, McGrath said he wants a ruling from the Ethics Commission which will consider the complaint under the city's ethics law, the state Pulbic Officers Law and civil service law. The Ethics Commission next meets Oct. 25.