Brian Sharp

@SharpRoc

Infighting, politics and charges of racism in the local Democratic Party erupted Monday on the radio waves and on social media as City Councilman Adam McFadden pushed party leaders to investigate alleged "systematic disenfranchisement of black voters in the city."

While there will be no formal investigation — no rules appear to have been broken, according to the Monroe County Democratic Committee — there are plans for a detailed discussion and, potentially, changes in party rules.

More on that later. First, an explanation.

McFadden's charges reiterate those made last summer by the Rochester's Black Political Caucus, which claimed state and local teachers unions were attempting to seize control of neighborhood committees that help determine which political candidates the party endorses. Now that voting has started — heavily favoring mayoral candidate James Sheppard, the city's former police chief and a current Monroe County legislator, over incumbent Mayor Lovely Warren — the issue that simmered for months has boiled over.

► Democratic Party politics get messy in Rochester mayoral race

McFadden on Monday sent a letter to Jamie Romeo, chairwoman of the Monroe County Democratic Committee, asking her to impanel a special commission to investigate his concerns. McFadden made the request as leader of the 27th legislative district committee, which largely covers the 19th Ward,

He also joined other local political leaders in a spirited discussion of the matter on WXXI's Connections program.

Romeo does intend to convene a discussion on these topics, and expects proposed rule changes could result. To be clear, however: "There is no rule barring anything that is alleged in the letter," Romeo said. "But when it speaks to the spirit of the law, or the spirit of what our rules need to be, that is what needs to be addressed … that they are also meeting the spirit of the Democratic Party."

"There is no legal authority to hold an investigation," Romeo continued, as the committee lacks subpoena power and other formal mechanisms. "That doesn’t mean that we can't review the matter and find ways to have it mean something."

"There is no rule barring anything that is alleged in the letter. But when it speaks to the spirit of the law, or the spirit of what our rules need to be, that is what needs to be addressed." Jamie Romeo, chairwoman, Monroe County Democratic Committee

How restrictive MCDC can be on residency, and where state election law kicks in is another matter to review. McFadden wants a rule change requiring that committee members live in their assigned election districts (which together form the larger legislative district).

"I know there's a problem here," McFadden said. "The problem didn't start with James Sheppard and Lovely Warren."

Not to be left out, mayoral candidate and former WROC (Channel 8) reporter/anchor Rachel Barnhart seized on the dispute as evidence of the type of politics that has long divided Democrats.

McFadden and the caucus claim that New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) paid people to go out and find people to be on the committees, including the 27th; and to gather petition signatures to help put them there. McFadden, it should be noted, backs Warren. And Warren has backed charter schools and asked the state last spring to create a "receivership district" — different from mayoral control, she said, but which would give the mayor oversight of the district's lowest-performing schools. Nothing since has come of that matter.

NYSUT did help with training and technical support last summer, but it was Rochester Association of Paraprofessionals (RAP), representing about 600 teachers aides and assistants, that paid members to gather petition signatures, said NYSUT spokesman Carl Korn. The money likely came from NYSUT's political action committee, funded by members' voluntary contributions and which member unions can tap into for local projects.

McFadden alleges that the result was that black committee members faced primaries from people living outside the neighborhood. Some were white, he said, and many did not realize their names were put forward or that they were challenging existing resident committee members. People must only live in the larger state Assembly district to be eligible to sit on a city legislative district. RAP members are predominately African-American and Latino, and live in the city, Korn said.

MCDC does not collect demographic information to be able to document whether the racial makeup of committees has shifted. There are currently 40 members among the 873 committee members citywide who do not live in the city of Rochester, according to MCDC.

BDSHARP@Gannett.com