Former Rochester Police Chief Jim Sheppard is running for mayor, saying the city has a leadership crisis.
Speaking at the Workers United union hall, the Rochester Democrat said the city is pilotless under current Mayor Lovely Warren. Sheppard says he won’t say “rudderless,” because that’s an equipment problem.
Sheppard says Mayor Lovely Warren, also a Democrat, has let the city flounder and lose traction. He says it’s not working for community groups, employers, neighborhood associations, parents, students or children. Sheppard is running with the motto “We must get Rochester Working Again.”
Mayor Lovely Warren hasn’t said whether she’s running for re-election, saying she’ll answer that question when it’s the right time.
A third Democrat, Rachel Barnhart, is also exploring a run for mayor. Today her campaign issued a statement saying James Sheppard is backed by one of the two Democratic political machines in Rochester, but there are serious questions about his past support of discriminatory policing policies. Barnhart says she looks forward to helping Rochester Democrats make an “informed decision.”