Committees in each of the legislative districts in the city of Rochester meet to decide what city candidates should receive the party designation or endorsement.(Photo: Monroe County Board of Elections)
The dustup is the latest in an ongoing feud dating to last summer , when Rochester's Black Political Caucus called out what they saw as an effort backed by New York State United Teachers to take over the city's Democratic committees that determine which candidates the party endorses. The committee in question did flip. And it is a notable one: The city's 25th Legislative District, which for decades was led by the late Willie Lightfoot. The 25th predominantly represents the southwest side, east of Genesee Street. And it had, until the flip, been in lockstep with the party faction aligned with Assemblyman David Gantt.
Now the committee is led by Beatriz LeBron, a candidate for city school board and a vocal supporter of mayoral challenger and County Legislator James Sheppard.
Last week, the 25th hosted a candidates night at the East End Tavern on Charlotte Street, and McFadden attended to speak on Warren's behalf. He later took to Facebook, posting "Willie Lightfoot is turning over in his grave," and elaborated in a separate post, saying the committee now was predominately white with folks who don't live in the community or, in some cases, in the city.
"All in an effort to give James Sheppard the Democratic Party endorsement," he wrote, reiterating the charge against the union while noting that the committee met outside the district, in the East End. "I'm sorry if you are black and supporting Sheppard. Please be aware that he is working with a group of people who is purposefully disenfranchising black Democrats."
►Black Political Caucus protests union 'takeover' in Rochester
There is much more to all of this, of course. Why it matters is that it strikes at the integrity of the process. Jamie Romeo, chairwoman of Monroe County Democrats, likened it to the questions and challenges that arose during the presidential primary. Then, as now, there is a need for introspection, she said, to be open and review established bylaws and practices. That is under way. There also is a need to make sure people understand and believe in the process, she said, adding: "That, at the end of the day, is my main responsibility — that people trust this process."
But it would seem that to understand the process, in this current circumstance, is to question its validity.
In their letter, also directed to McFadden, the 25th LD committee leaders countered McFadden's portrayal of the committee, stating that membership was 18.3 percent white while the population of the district is 30 percent white, and noted the diversity of its executive committee that includes a Latina and two black men. The letter calls McFadden's remarks at the meeting and on Facebook "shameful," intended to bully and intimidate committee members, and to inflame racial divisions.
"It is difficult to express how aghast we are that a current elected official made hateful statements aimed at community activists, many of whom are his constituents, with intent to delegitimize us," reads the letter that is signed by the executive committee, whose members include Paul Hypolite, a regional political organizer for NYSUT.
Not addressed was the residency issue. Like other committees on the west side, the 25th is populated with a smattering of residents living outside the neighborhood, mostly in the northeast.
Follow this link to an interactive version of this map.
Members of the city Democratic committee representing most of downtown inside the Inner Loop and areas immediately west and southwest.(Photo: Brian Sharp)
City districts are determined by county legislative districts, some of which have been redrawn to include a greater share of the suburbs, but membership is determined by state Assembly districts. This has been the case at least since 2006, and is why, to McFadden's point, not just suburbanites but residents from elsewhere in the city end up sitting on committees in the southwest while living in the northeast.
Overall, 40 — or 4.5 percent — of the 873 city Democratic committee members do not live in the city, Romeo said. Just .9 percent of the 25th committee live in the suburbs, however, while in the 26th LD, which extends along the city's western border, 19 percent live outside of Rochester. The issue of residency is being discussed by party leadership, and Romeo said she expects there to be a proposal made that would address the matter. But it would not affect the current nomination process, which has already begun.
Watching all of this is another Democratic mayoral challenger, former WROC-TV reporter/anchor Rachel Barnhart, whose campaign manager Joe Rittler weighed in Wednesday, issuing a statement that read: "We respect the committee members and the designation process, but it's clear that there is a predetermined outcome. The designation process is not representative of voters generally. Nonetheless, we believe everyone has a role to play in our city, and all voters have a right to know where the candidates stand on issues. For that reason, we feel it is important to participate in this process."
McFadden, in an interview, said he made no mention of the 25th LD committee's racial makeup at the meeting but felt compelled to note it later. He is the leader of the adjoining 27th LD representing the 19th Ward, and his City Council district includes the 25th. He acknowledged not being aware of the full membership of the 25th, but based his assessment on those who identified themselves as committee members at the meeting — a group, he said, that was predominately white.
"I wasn’t even trying to assess the blackness or whiteness of the room," he said. "When I saw who raised their hand, I made a mental note. ... (Willie Lightfoot's) whole thing was making sure people of color had a seat at the table and a voice in the process. I know, because I came up through that.
"There is no way I could walk away from that and not say what I saw."
The letter called on Warren to publicly reprimand McFadden. Warren said that she had not yet seen the 25th LD's letter and had no comment.
"It's all about the nomination for mayor, and that’s what it's about, and that's wrong," Gantt said in an interview this week, having previously expressed his concern over similar issues with committees in the northwest. "If you can't vote for a person (in an election), then you ought not be voting them on the committee."
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Where members of the northwest side city Democratic committees live.(Photo: Brian Sharp.)
Angie Rivera is a member of the 27th LD, and was one of the chief organizers of an effort last fall that resulted in a number of sitting committee members facing primaries. NYSUT supported that effort by assisting with the gathering of petition signatures. Rivera is president of Rochester Association of Paraprofessionals, representing about 600 teachers aides and assistants. In all, the effort helped place what Rivera estimated were 75 or more people, not all of them union members, onto city committees. She said at the time that the issue was grassroots, diverse, unassisted by any elected leader and not about the mayoral race, but education and labor issues, including the minimum wage.
"I believe that our voices will be heard moving forward," she said. "We are going to be involved in plenty of other races. It is not a one-time only. It is not about one issue. ... We want to be involved in the decisions, all of the decisions."
On the eastside, the committee membership appears more in line with district boundaries but exemplify another issue: Check the addresses of the combined 310 listed members of the three committees, and you find 58 duplicate addresses — meaning more than a third of the membership is potentially related or at least are close acquaintances. In two instances, three committee members live at the same residence. In the northwest, with a combined 164 members listed, there are 25 duplicate addresses, with three residences each listing three members. Again, roughly a third of the total.
Warren and her husband both are members in the 21st District. Barnhart is not listed as a committee member, and was denied when she sought appointments. Specifically, she sought appointment to the 21st where she lives but said the leader, Anthony Plonzynski, also Sheppard's campaign vice chairman, told her there were no seats available.
Barnhart's case highlights one of the problems with making the simple rule change Gantt suggests. If a committee has no open seats, newcomers are denied the opportunity, or established members get knocked off. It also closes the door for people living in areas without an established committee. In Chili, for example, 23 percent of committee members, five in all, live in Ogden or other areas outside the town, Romeo said. There is no committee yet in Ogden, though the party wants to be more active there. This way, they can bring people into the fold rather than turn them away.
“It is without question that the Democratic Party needs to find a path forward," Romeo said in formal statement issued in response to the 25th LD letter. "It is without a question that we have a growing number of voices, interest and ambitions from people all cross this community that are looking for ways to contribute in the political process. However, what also remains clear is that we as leaders of the Democratic Party must continue to prioritize and push for a constructive dialogue regarding our future. I will continue to urge our leaders to participate in our party’s process to find our path to move this party forward.”
BDSHARP@Gannett.com
Follow this link to an interactive version of this map.
Where members of the east side city Democratic committees live.(Photo: Brian Sharp.)
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