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Albany maven Jack McEneny: Schuyler statue should not have come down

 Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan looks on after the statue of Philip Schuyler was removed from outside Albany City Hall on Saturday, June 10th
Dave Lucas
/
WAMC
Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan looks on after the statue of Philip Schuyler was removed from outside Albany City Hall on Saturday, June 10th

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.

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.
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