Albany County Republican & Conservative Conference Agenda 

It is a disgrace that the Schuyler statue was taken down early this morning and placed in storage by order of Mayor Kathy Sheehan.

I am totally against this erasure of our local history. Maj. General Philip Schuyler was a Revolutionary War hero, a U.S. Senator, and father-in-law to Alexander Hamilton. He is the namesake for a village, a town, and a county in our state.

This isn’t to say that Schuyler was a perfect historical figure. He owned slaves, as was the unfortunate reality of the time for many – including President Washington. It was unquestionably wrong. But nobody is calling for Washington Avenue or Washington Park in Albany to be renamed.

This political act by Mayor Sheehan is incredibly shortsighted; how can we expect to share Albany’s rich Revolutionary heritage with the world when we disrespect our greatest heroes and erase our history here at home?

We should be embracing, not erasing our local history. It is a dark day in the City of Albany when Philip Schuyler has no home.