A change in a key city board could have an impact on the city's largest development project. Our Bill Carey says that impact may not be what developers were hoping for.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- It was a battle that nearly tore city government apart. The mayor of Syracuse working out a deal on the Carousel Center expansion and the Destiny USA project. A deal that did not require approval by common councilors, a majority of whom opposed the deal.

The mayor's appointees on the Syracuse Industrial Development Agency, or SIDA, quickly okaying the deal. A long court battle followed. Councilors, led by Stephanie Miner and William Ryan, lost.

Now, Miner is mayor and has control of the board. And she's making changes. Irwin Davis, the chair, is out. Replaced by Councilor Ryan.

"Calling a special meeting. Meeting in a very clandestine way. I think that's really the issue that the mayor trusts that I will operate above board and everybody will be aware of what SIDA is doing," Ryan said.

"The reality is, I have said all along, that I thought that SIDA should have a responsive board of members. People who are open to the public and putting an elected official on as chairman, who has a reputation as being effective and responsive, was the perfect place to lead that agency," Miner said.

The appointment of Ryan raises new questions about the Destiny USA project and just where the city administration will stand on its future.

Now tied up in the courts, Destiny's developers say they still plan to finish the Carousel expansion and move forward with new phases of Destiny, phases that SIDA has already agreed to support.

The mayor says she wants to see the expansion done, but sounds non-committal on future phases.

"Destiny has not moved forward under its own weight and so we're waiting to see what happens out of the many, various pieces of litigation that happened," said Miner.

Ryan, too, says the expansion must go forward.

"Our position now has to be what's best for the taxpayers in the city of Syracuse. So, it's not a game of, we lost that one so we're going to try to beat you now. That doesn't serve anybody's purpose," said Ryan.

But he too is holding off on discussion of future phases.

The man who had headed the SIDA board, Irwin Davis, did not respond to requests for a comment on his ouster.