A nominee for Albany County Historian says it was a mistake for Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan to remove the Schuyler statue from its longtime perch outside city hall.
Former New York State Assemblyman Jack McEneny told the Albany County Legislature's Personnel Committee that removing the statue of the Revolutionary War General in June was a "very poor idea."
"It is not fair to our veterans. It is not fair to our heritage. No one supports slavery, certainly not in this day and age. But the 1700s were a cruel period everywhere in the world, regardless of whether you were in Africa or in Europe, or here or elsewhere in the world."
Sheehan announced that the statue would be taken down in 2020 during the national racial reckoning following the death of George Floyd.
The full legislature is expected to unanimously approve McEneny's nomination to the vacant post at its next meeting on August 14th.
