Democrats call for fire commissioner to resign

— Democratic Town Committee leaders are calling for Republican former mayor and current South Fire District commissioner Se- bastian N. Giuliano to resign due to what they consider an offensive statement he made on social media.

However, the head of the

Republican Town Committee said Giuliano’s comments are being misconstrued and are constitutionally protected.

The fire district’s union last week condemned a Facebook comment made by Giuilano on a friend’s post about a Ghanaian minister’s invitation to Blacks in America to move to Africa. Barbara Oteng Gyasi made the public statement welcoming Black Americans to Ghana in early June.

Giuliano said his words have nothing to do with the fire district.

A friend of Giuliano posted on Facebook a headline and photo saying, “Ghana Minister Invites African-Americans to Resettle in Africa if They Feel Unwanted in the U.S.”

In a reply comment, Giuliano wrote, “How long do you think the Ghanaian people will put up with their [expletive]?”

An open letter sent just before 6:30 a.m. Tuesday to the RTC by DTC Treasurer Amy Albert said the executive board is asking Giuliano to resign because of his “insensitive and inapMIDDLETOWN

propriate” words.

“No,” Giuliano said Tuesday when asked whether he would consider the request. “It will be a cold day in (expletive) when I take advice from the Democratic Town Committee or any member.”

RTC Chairman William Wilson, who has known Giuliano for two decades, defended Giuliano’s opinion, which, he said, falls under the First Amendment. People should not jump to conclusions or read into his comment, Wilson said.

“I would never ask a member to resign due to his First Amendment right to free speech,” he said.

“I know Seb and what he meant: the behavior of people he was talking about, the rioting, destruction, burning and breaking in to things. I truly believe he was talking about the actions that are going along with the protests; tearing down statues,” Wilson said. “Everyone is offended these days.”

But Albert’s email said that as Giuliano is a publicly elected official, his “racist comments are offensive to the people he was elected to represent. The union has fielded complaints, the South Fire District has fielded complaints, and he has been asked to apologize or resign, which he has failed to do.”

Giuliano was elected Feb. 3 with 160 votes to Daniel Penney’s 144 and Wilson’s 44.

“We call on the Republican Town Committee to demand he resign. Anything short of his resignation will communicate to Middletown that the Republican Town Committee agrees with his comments, condones them, and are proud to have him represent their organization,” the letter said.

When asked about the DTC’s demands, Wilson said, “It’s a Republican matter. Seb is a big boy and he can make his own decisions.”

Giuliano said advice he received from a friend in the past applies in this situation: “Don’t ever take advice from somebody who doesn’t have your best interests at heart.”

“They don’t care about the well-being of the Republican Town Committee. Why would anybody listen to them any more than they would take advice from us?” Giuliano said.

Last week, Giuliano told the Press “The people of Ghana are seeing the same images we are seeing about what’s been going on in the last few weeks. Why would they want that in their country?” he said, referring to burning and looting that took place in some other states.

“When he wrote ‘who would want these malcontents?’ he refers to people who have been moved to act by witnessing George Floyd’s murder. This has become a nation- and worldwide uprising against police brutality and racism in the United States,” Albert wrote.

Nick Fischer, president of the IAFF Local 3918, said Giuliano’s statement was “appalling, and we certainly do not share his views.”

South Fire Board of Commissioners Chairwoman Mary Bartolotta, in an email she sent Wednesday to staff and fellow commissioners, called Giulano’s words an “insensitive and inappropriate remark.”

“Although the social media remark was not made in the official course of the individual’s duties as a commissioner, nor does it reflect the official perspective of the district, we recognize we must all hold ourselves to the highest standards of conduct. Our community deserves nothing less,” Bartolotta wrote in the email.

In his comment, Guiliano asked why Ghana would want a similar situation to happen in that country.

“He misses the point,” Albert wrote in the open letter. “These are human beings who are suffering under racism here. They wouldn’t suffer the same in Ghana.”

“There has been a change in the country and the community in recognition of intolerance at every level,” DTC Chairwoman Lisa Loomis said Tuesday.

Giuliano was not copied on the email Albert sent, Loomis said, because the South Fire Board of Commissioners asked him last week to apologize and step down, actions he did not take. “He, rather than doing that, really doubled down on the comments (in the Press story),” Loomis said.

The letter effectively asked the RTC whether it endorsed Giuliano’s position, and, if not, whether it would take action, Loomis said.

Last week, Giuliano called his comments a “private conversation between two Facebook friends.”

That, Albert said, “indicates he does not understand that social media is the most public of forums.”

Giuliano