PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Joe Rittler

Campaign Manager
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 585-210-9153
May 2, 2017 joe@rachelformayor.com

Barnhart Statement on MCDC Designation

Rochester, New York Mayoral candidate Rachel Barnhart has released the following statement
regarding the Monroe County Democratic Committee designation process:

The Monroe County Democratic Committee designation process is the ultimate insider game. It is a
battle of two party factions who have been at odds for decades. This process has picked the eventual
winner only once in the last four contested mayoral races. Ive participated in the process out of respect
for the party, to speak with committee members and for the chance to engage with my opponents.

Warren is a sitting mayor, and it would be a huge repudiation for her not to get her own partys nod.
Sheppard, who spent the last three years trying to stack committees to rig the insider game, went in as
the presumed designee, hoping the designation would cement his frontrunner status.

It now appears Warren will be the partys designee. This would be a significant blow to Sheppards
campaign. He is a nice, sincere man who cares about this community, but primary voters have real
concerns about certain aspects from his years as police chief. The fact he didnt vote from 1981 to
2013 is also a significant problem for voters in the Democratic Primary Election. Its become more and
more apparent at public forums that he cannot beat Warren.

As I said, the fight between Warren and Sheppard for the designation is a fight between two decades-
old factions of the party elite. Im proud to be a party outsider who is not a member of either side. I
believe strongly that the only way to rebuild the local Democratic Party is to elect people who are not
part of either faction. I look forward to real contest ahead the contest for votes of city Democrats.

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