The alligator man
After receiving a heads up about Albany Library trustee candidate Jose Lopez -- YouTube-described follower of "fascism" (as well as flag orderer) and "alligator man" -- Kerry contacted us to basically ask: Is this for real?
Well, he's on the ballot. And as for whether he's for real... well... this Metroland article about Lopez might shed some light on that.
Lopez is one of two candidates for the open trustee spot -- John D. Davis is the other. Update: Davis won 1,952-530.
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Comments
I think the swastikas in Lopez's campaign videos are profoundly disturbing.
I wish his opponent, John Davis, had provided more detailed background in his candidate statement regarding his credentials beyond his family's love of he library and his professional work as an environmental scientist. However, there were no swastikas so I'm voting for the candidate without swastikas. I set my electoral bar pretty low, but swastikas are a deal breaker.
... said chrisck on May 21, 2013 at 4:09 PM | link
This Metroland article actually does nothing to shed light on the Jose Lopez situation. It is a typical fluff piece on a local personality that provides the subject with more validation than they actually merit. From viewing his Youtube videos, one can see that he is mentally ill. It is also difficult to imagine that his myriad pets are provided with a suitable living environment. Endorsement of national socialism or fascism is allowed in our society but culturally unacceptable. Please vote for John Davis. Also, the library board clearly could use some smart, reasonable, and responsible individuals, so if that's you, maybe next time, think about running. ANYONE can.
... said Stewart on May 21, 2013 at 8:19 PM | link
Perhaps he's trying to see how few votes he can get? He's best ignored.
... said Charlemagne on May 21, 2013 at 11:47 PM | link
Lopez still managed to get 530 votes.
I echo Stewart's comments about Albany citizens running for library trustee. I heard that next year several current trustees will be finishing their term and their will be more open seats. And maybe Lopez will run again.
... said chrisck on May 22, 2013 at 9:25 AM | link
did anyone else attempt to read the "about" section of the youtube video...
... said colleen on May 22, 2013 at 10:18 AM | link
@ colleen: Yes I Did Try To Read The "About" Section - I Would Like To Think That It Is Some sort Of Calculated Piece Of Performance Art...but I suspect he's just a crank.
... said Eric Scheirer Stott on May 22, 2013 at 12:09 PM | link
@eric--i usually have a moment of "maybe its me" when i read those things and then i usually settle on "nope....just another bats*** crazy person"....if you allow it to go to the next video there is a discussion of crocodillian licensing, its "fascist-nating"
... said colleen on May 22, 2013 at 1:31 PM | link
Would would have thought that when I voted for a position on the library board... it would Really make a difference.
... said Lola on May 22, 2013 at 4:56 PM | link
People, please run or get your friends to run next time! Davis ran bc he cares about the library and heard that the only other guy likely to get on the ballot was the nazi alligator guy. Davis had no burning desire to be a politician. If you read his profile on the library web page (and the library put a very strict, low word limit on the candidate submissions), he's got some experience dealing with dealing with public funds. He's also got an MPA and yeah, loves the library. There was a public forum for the candidates last week. It was attended by about six members of the public. The folks complaining about not getting enough info--it's an unpaid volunteer position and you could have attended the public meeting to meet and ask questions. Please, run next time. There will be several seats open. We need more people to put themselves out there and get involved. Also, I have it on good info that Davis hates fascism and nazism and is not a homophobe like the other guy. Lopez is mentally ill, but he isn't stupid. One of these years he may just squeak into office in this town if people don't bother to get informed about who is on the ballot and if more people do not volunteer to run. If Davis hadn't run, Lopez would absolutely have been elected this time.
... said lulu on May 22, 2013 at 5:01 PM | link
A few years ago, when my partner still had his apartment on Delaware Avenue, we used to run into this guy all the time. He was always...and I mean every single time we saw him...talking about running for some office or another. My impression was always that he had some sort of mental issues, but I wouldn't have guessed that it extended as far as endorsing Nazism.
... said Paula on May 22, 2013 at 7:04 PM | link