New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has nominated Brian Stratton, the mayor of Schenectady, to run the state’s canal system.

Cuomo announced the nomination on Wednesday; The Business Review first reported Stratton was heading to the New York State Canal Corp.

Stratton said he plans to leave his job as mayor of the Capital Region’s second-largest city in mid-March, after the seven-member Canal Corp. board approves his nomination as director of the Canal Corp.

The Canal Corp. operates 524 miles of canal crisscrossing upstate. The entity assesses fees for commercial shipping activity on four waterways, including the Erie Canal.

Stratton called Cuomo “a tremendous proponent of the economic development potential of the canal.”

“I certainly look forward to working on that,” Stratton said in a brief mid-day interview with the media at City Hall.

Stratton will replace Carmella Mantello, who was appointed by former Gov. George Pataki in 2005. Mantello will remain in the post until Stratton is approved.

Mantello made $145,715 a year in the canal job, according to salary data on the website SeeThroughNY.net. Stratton said he and Cuomo had not yet agreed on how much he’ll be paid.

Stratton took office as mayor in 2004, and he’s now in the final year of his second term in office. He made $96,441 a year as mayor, according to SeeThroughNY.net.

The Canal Corp. is a subsidiary of the state Thruway Authority. Thruway tolls fund canal operations.

Stratton, asked what he knew about canals, replied: “I know the water goes in, the boats go down, the water goes in, and the boats go up.” He said his time as mayor would help him in his new job….

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