Board member resigns amid racism allegations
BOYNTON BEACH — A Boynton Beach volunteer board member accused of being a white supremacist and racist, based on comments she made while discussing sanctuary cities, announced her resignation in an email late Sunday.
Residents accused Cindy Falco-DiCorrado of spewing racial slurs toward them at the Dec. 5 commission meeting when the city’s leaders spoke about whether to become a sanctuary city at the request of Commissioner Christina Romelus. Boynton discussed
the issue but ultimately decided against becoming a sanctuary city.
Afterward, officials fielded
emails about Falco-DiCorrado, who opposed Romelus’ pursuit, from residents asking for her to be fired from the Community Redevelopment Agency advisory board. Resident Mathi Mulligan said Falco-DiCorrado told him at the meeting to speak “better English” and allegedly told black residents, “You’re lucky we brought you over as slaves, or else you’d be deported, too.”
Mulligan added: “We will keep pressing on until the City Commission fires this white supremacist from a job that gives her direct power over the lives of people of color.”
Falco-DiCorrado previously told The Palm Beach Post her comments were misunderstood and she didn’t mean any harm.
Vice Mayor Justin Katz this past week asked for her to resign, but she declined. Commissioner Joe Casello, who appointed her to the board, planned to discuss her position at today’s City Commission meeting.
However, Falco-DiCorrado did not wait until today.
She wrote to the city’s clerk that she received a new career opportunity and would have a conflict in time if she didn’t resign from her position on the CRA board and also on the art council.
“I also heard that the City of Boynton Beach is being attacked through my stance on sanctuary cities and things that I said that were taken out of context and it just keeps getting worse as those who have hate in their hearts only can hear and see hate,” she wrote. “I ask if anyone was hurt by things that I said that could of (sic) been misconstrued, taken out of context or due to misunderstandings to please forgive me. For the record I am NOT a racist nor a white supremacist (which I had to look up what it meant) I forgive them too.”
She added: “I see that a lynch mob was put out on me, which keeps Boynton Beach in a negative light. I do love the City of Boynton Beach and I don’t want to see lies and vileness spewed for an agenda of a certain group.”
The CRA advisory board members make recommendations to the CRA board, composed of the City Commission, on redevelopment and other agency business in the Heart of Boynton. The CRA is trying to remove slums and blight.
Casello said Falco-DiCorrado did the right thing.
“I think she saved herself a lot of embarrassment. I think she saved the city a lot of embarrassment,” he said.
He added he does not think she is a racist. He said statements she might have said could have been taken out of context.