Dave Garretson, who for the past four years has served as Greece town Democratic leader, is the new chair of the Monroe County Democratic Committee. But the real excitement happened before the vote took place.Â
Garretson was elected to the post during the Dems’ annual organizational meeting tonight. He beat Rochester for Obama organizer Ken Preston and Henrietta Democratic Committee leader Simeon Banister by a substantial margin. Garretson announced his candidacy much earlier than Preston or Banister, and several Democratic leaders said that his vigorous campaigning and organizing likely fueled his win.
But earlier in the evening, just as the meeting started, a rift in the party was on full display. State Assembly member David Gantt lead a group of his supporters out of the room, and gathered in a lobby area. They never came back.
Gantt told the roughly two dozen black Democrats who left with him that from now on, they’re going to act as a group. If party leaders want their support, they’ll have to ask for it and they’ll have to explain what they’re going to do for the black community in return.
Gantt and his supporters said that they are unhappy with the actions of party leadership. At the committee level, black candidates with grassroots support aren’t receiving designations, they said. And Gantt is still unhappy that some prominent Democrats campaigned for former Mayor Tom Richards after Richards lost the primary to Lovely Warren. Gantt said that he wants to make sure that the local Democratic Party is listening to the black community, as well as all groups in the community.
“The Democratic Party ought to be the party of all people,” Gantt said.
Garretson, in his acceptance speech, specifically thanked Gantt for his contributions to the party and said that he wished Gantt was in the room.
“We are a better, more inclusive party because of David Gantt’s leadership, including his mentoring of people of color,” Garretson said, to loud applause.
This article appears in Sep 17-23, 2014.
Typical Gantt temper tantrum. It’s a shame he’s interested in division and demanding special treatment for “his” people instead of bridging the divide between white and black in the community. There was enough division in the Morelle years.
David Gantt can keep on walking — out of the meeting, out of the hotel, out of the city. Please, don’t stop.
Congratulations Dave!
Hasn’t Gantt learned….you’re not part of the process of you’re not in the room. Drama queens like attention, so Gantt was successful and maybe that is all that matters to him.
David Gantt used language in a City Newspaper interview earlier this year saying that members of his Democratic Committee “think that we are still on the plantation”. I found this to be inexcusable and wrong. I sent a letter to City Council, the Mayor’s Office and David Gantt’s Office. No response or actions of punishment were taken or given. I even contacted City Council President as I wanted to talk about this issue at a public meeting. I was told it was not appropriate and that my issue did not belong at a council meeting.
Mr. Gantt has helped or endorsed most people that get elected and continue to serve or get re-elected in Rochester,NY. The notion that no one would speak up against such statements and condemn his behavior speaks loudly for City Government.
Craig R. Moffitt