Jay Jacobs, NY Democratic Party chair today in an interview compared the Democratic nominee for Mayor of Buffalo to David Duke.
Asked why the state party and he had not backed India Walton, a Democrat who shocked the Buffalo political establishment with her victory over four-term incumbent mayor Byron Brown, Jacob said:
Is it a requirement that if someone wins the Democratic primary they must always get the democratic endorsement of these people? And that’s a question I would answer no, it’s not. Let’s take a scenario, very different, where David Duke remember him, the grand wizard of the KKK, he moves to New York, he becomes a Democrat, he runs for mayor in the city of Rochester, which is a low primary turnout [note: Buffalo’s primary turnout was consistent with previous years] and he wins the Democratic line. I have to endorse David Duke? I don’t think so.
Byron Brown has rallied republicans from all around the region and country to run a write-in campaign. He’s heavily funded by the corporate interests he has protected at the cost of citizens. Indeed, just today an article highlighting how a high-ranking Buffalo police officer failed to provide smoke alarms in a rental property he managed, and three tenants died in a fire. The city inspectors failed to act:
buffalonews.com/…
Fire Commissioner William Renaldo said their initial investigation determined there was no evidence of detectors at the apartment. The devices are required by state and local building codes.Ismail N. Lewis, who works as a police lieutenant in the Northwest District, has been identified by three law enforcement sources as the landlord of the building. Property and business records show that Priority One Realty owns the building and Lewis is the company’s chairman.
When contacted Wednesday, Lewis said he could not talk and promised to call The Buffalo News later. He never did. Lewis did not respond to subsequent messages from The News. Two law enforcement sources, speaking on a condition of anonymity, said that no criminal charges are being considered against Lewis at this time. City code enforcement officials did not respond to calls and emails from The News asking if they had taken action over the lack of detectors.
The Democratic party needs to stand with its primary winners, those chosen by Democrats, and not with those who refuse to abide by primary results.
Jay Jacobs should resign his position as state party chair. These comments show he is unfit for the job, both by comparing a black woman to a Klansman, and in his refusal to ensure the party supports the primary winner and nominee.
