‘Heritage’ comments spark controversy
KINGSTON, N.Y. » Jean Jacobs, a Republican candidate for Ulster County Legislature, has stirred controversy with her public Facebook posts criticizing the O+ Festival murals in the city.
Jacobs, a longtime critic of the festival, took issue on Facebook with one of the murals, questioning who authorized the paintings on public buildings, as well as the subject matter of the artwork.
In a series of comments posted publicly on Facebook, she questioned why a black man from Brooklyn was painting a mural in Midtown and what his depiction of indigenous people had to do with “our heritage”:
• “I just had a long discussion with the artist. I came right down to the YMCA to witness this myself,” she wrote. “He said he painted it from his heritage and he is from Brooklyn. He is a black gentlemen most professional and cordial. I was respectful of his heritage but I have an issue with the painting.”
• “I agree totally definitely a talented man. I told
him this. I admire this talent but not the location or what is the theme Why???”
• “I am done with this my heritage runs deep since 1891.”
• “I am old school I value my history here and I adore all the historic buildings and our heritage. But they have gone to far and I am speaking out.” • “Restore Kingston Pride.” Those comments and others attributed to Jacobs generated an outpouring of responses on Facebook, with a number of people calling her remarks racist.
Jacobs, who is running against David Donaldson for the District 6 seat in the Ulster County Legislature, defended herself on Friday, saying her remarks were taken out of context.
Her objection, she said, is to the fact that there seems to be no approval process before the murals are painted.
“You have that picture going into the Y and it definitely defines ethnicity in a way, because of the picture. But that’s not what I found wrong with it,” she said.
“I am offended that the mural, and not only that one, but all of them, went up without any approval process or a permit,” she said. “It just doesn’t seem feasible that we can do that.”
Still, her remarks were concerning enough for the city Republican Campaign Committee to apparently withdraw its support for her election bid.
Jerry Brown, the GOP Campaign Committee chairman, did not return several telephone calls for comment Friday.
But Jacobs said he had contacted her to tell her that the committee would not be
working for her election. “In their mind’s eye,” she said, the main objection was that this could have an affect on the rest of the Republican candidates.
“I’m still in the campaign,” she said.