Across the nation in 2020, waves of social justice protests decried decades of systemic racism in policing. Rochester was no exception, as demonstrators first reacted to the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, then to the death of Daniel Prude in the custody of Rochester police.
As the protests abated, their organizers activated a second phase of action — taking elected office.
In 2021, the so-called People’s Slate, a contingent of left-leaning activists, launched bids for office as Democrats. Two of them, Stanley Martin and Kim Smith, won four-year terms on City Council.
This year’s Democratic primaries feature a new round of People’s Slate candidates, including two vying for City Council seats. In the Northeast District, Chiara “KeeKee” Smith, a program officer at the Greater Rochester Health Foundation, is challenging the incumbent, Michael Patterson. In the South District, Barbara Rivera, a community organizer with Citizen Action of New York, a progressive advocacy group, is looking to wrest the ballot line from LaShay Harris, the incumbent.
The two races, coupled with East District Councilmember Mary Lupien’s bid for a second term, could have major implications for the political leanings of City Council. Martin, Smith, and Lupien have aligned to form a consistent leftist voting bloc, upholding values that include diverting funds from the Police Department and strengthening protections for tenants. They are in the minority, however, and have faced an uphill battle in the body.
Their priorities could move to the forefront of the Council’s agenda if Lupien prevails in her challenge, and Smith and Rivera win seats, giving the People’s Slate a majority on Council.
Harris and Patterson both declined to be interviewed for this profile of the candidates in their respective races.
Barbara Rivera, a tenant organizer seeking a City Council seat
Barbara Rivera, 35, has been a prominent voice in Rochester’s tenant movement for years as an activist with the Rochester City-Wide Tenant Union, and later as an organizer with the statewide Citizen Action.
Her activism was fueled by an incident that occurred in 2018. She was living in an apartment complex on Thurston Road, when her bathroom ceiling collapsed while she was bathing her 6-month-old daughter.
Rivera said she was invigorated by advocating for herself and her fellow tenants, and that she sees her run for office as a natural progression.
“This community is my heart and soul,” Rivera said. “And I’m very much deeply invested in making sure we get the resources that we need. I want to run for City Council because I feel than I can do more advocacy work than the organizing that I’ve been doing.”
Addressing housing issues is at the top of Rivera’s priority list for Council, primarily ensuring that all city residents have access to safe, affordable, and stable housing.
In the first year of his administration, Mayor Malik Evans sought to address shortcomings in Rochester’s housing issues, by way of upping the number of code enforcement officers and hiring Mike Furlano, the city’s first-ever housing lawyer.
Rivera sees those as positive developments but doesn’t think they go far enough.
“It just boils down to accountability,” Rivera said. “There isn’t any, from the mayor’s level all the way down to the landlord, and I just think that once someone starts taking accountability that this isn’t working, then we’ll get started on the right track.”
Rivera believes the most powerful tool for promoting quality housing is code enforcement with harsher penalties that landlords can’t shrug off. She sees code enforcement as a tool to compel landlords “to care about their investments.”
Like most of the People’s Slate candidates, Rivera is a proponent of pulling funding from the Police Department in favor of funding community resources, like after-school programs, mental health resources, recreation centers, and job training.
“There are folks in our community who can use that money, honestly,” Rivera said. “I don’t think the police officer with militarized weapons should be in our communities, especially around children. I think the craziness that’s been happening post-COVID is a direct result of, people are suffering, they’ve had enough, and they’re acting out.”
Rivera said she has filed campaign financial disclosure reports with the state Board of Election, but a thorough search of the board’s database turned up none. Disclosures are mandated for campaigns that raise money.
Harris, the incumbent, has received $5,600 in donations in this election cycle, according to the Board of Elections, with support from Council President Miguel Melendez and Mayor Malik Evans.
Chiara Smith, an anti-poverty figher seeking a City Council seat
Chiara Smith, 44, says advocacy is in her blood.
Her aunts include the late Audrey Smith, co-founder of the anti-violence group Mothers of Murdered Children, and antiviolence advocate Maudine Brown-Long. Her great-great uncle, Steven Wynder “Rocky” Simmons, was a Negro League baseball player-turned political activist, youth mentor, and Monroe County’s first Black court attendant.
“Me just understanding the needs of this, in particular, community, and seeing the neglect of this community, it made me an advocate at a very early age,” Smith said. “Because you had to speak up for the things that were not there, that needed to be there.”
The 14621 ZIP code is among the poorest in the state. In 2021, the United States Census reported 37.4% of residents, and 61.2% of children under the age of 5 live below the poverty line.
Smith has tried to build a better sense of community in 14621. In 2020, she started 14621 Food Stands, a program that brought six free food stands to the neighborhood. Smith was also a regular figure at racial justice protests in 2020, where she handed out water and snacks.
In running for office, Smith sees herself as a figure who can bring the voices of an oft-overlooked area of the city into City Hall.
“This is definitely the people’s seat, and I represent the people, so I’m not here to represent Chiara’s viewpoints,” Smith said. “But I’m here to serve and to advocate on behalf of my constituents and to make sure their voice is heard, which is not what’s been happening.”
On most issues, Smith is more moderate than the typical People’s Slate candidate. For example, she is not in favor of abolishing police like Martin or Rivera, although she said she understands the viewpoint. Instead, she is a proponent of “reimagining” policing and placing more resources into “credible messenger” programs, like the city antiviolence organization Pathways to Peace.
Smith sees the problems in her neighborhood as an interconnected web. Poverty fuels housing and public safety issues, which in turn leads to more transience and a lost sense of community, she said. Fixing those issues, she said, starts with reaching young people in a way that resonates with them.
“We need to come up with ways that we can get our kids involved in productive opportunities before they get so far gone into the streets until they’re lost,” Smith said. “Let me be clear, that needs to be culturally appropriate services, to include mental health.”
Smith is challenging Patterson, the longest-serving member of Council and a former Monroe County legislator. He was tapped to fill the seat vacated by Lovely Warren in 2013 when she became mayor.
Smith has raised $4,344 for the race, according to campaign disclosure records on file with the state Board of Elections.
An active campaign committee for her opponent, Patterson, could not be found. But Patterson has $1,500 in a dormant committee from his days as a county legislator, according to the Board of Elections.
