NY Candidate's Quaker Faith Prompts Threatening Online Posts

WAMC Northeast Public Radio | By Dave Lucas

Published July 14, 2016 at 3:38 AM EDT

At STAR Plaza: U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko, Olive Niccoli, Sara Niccoli and NY State Senator Neil Breslin. Niccoli also made campaign stops the same day in Kingston, Athens and Amsterdam.

New York State Police have been asked to investigate threatening online comments directed at state Senate candidate Sara Niccoli, whose Quaker faith prohibits her from reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

Niccoli, a Democrat and the town supervisor of Palatine, says Wednesday that she believes the attacks were orchestrated by her opponent, Republican. Sen. George Amedore. Amedore denies any responsibility.

The comments about Niccoli, including calls for her death, were posted on a Facebook page that criticized her refusal to say the pledge. The page has since been deleted.

Two Palatine Town Boardmembers wrote to State Police Tuesday seeking an investigation into what they called "hateful" attacks on Niccoli and her religious liberty.

Tags

Dave Lucas

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.

See stories by Dave Lucas

WAMC Ascertainment Survey 2024

Your response will help us better understand and serve your listening area. All responses are anonymous.

Take the Survey