Tonawanda, N.Y. (WBEN) - Monday marks the recognition of the first Juneteenth federal holiday across the country, but not every municipality in Western New York is closed for this year's holiday.
One of those municipalities that kept their doors open on Monday is the City of Tonawanda, which drew some backlash from Erie County Democratic Party Chairman Jeremy Zellner. The Tonawanda native called out Republican Mayor John White on Sunday for not closing city government and offices in observance of the national Juneteenth holiday on Monday.
"We've got a federal holiday, we've got a state holiday, the county is now observing it," said Zellner during a press briefing Sunday. "We're at a critical time in this nation's history where this holiday needs to be observed. ... It's important."
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During a Juneteenth ceremony just outside Tonawanda City Hall on Monday, Mayor White addressed what Zellner brought about on Sunday, and he says Juneteenth will be on the docket for 2023 among the first items on his list moving forward.
"I'm very supportive of the day, and like I said, and as Pastor [Salvatore] Ciffa said, it's something that we can't forget, but it's an education process that's got to take place," said Mayor White on Monday. "You teach from the top-down, and that's what I'm willing to do. That's what a good leader does, and that's what I'm willing to do.
"I'm not going to blame any past administration, I won't do that. It's just not going to be me. So, moving forward, I'm looking forward to it."
Mayor White says he certainly is in favor of having the day off, but he wants Juneteenth to have much more significance to people than just another "day off".
"A lot of people think of this day as a day off, as an extended holiday, as, 'Oh, good. I get [a day off].' That's not what it's about," he said. "I'd rather teach and educate the true meaning of what it is, why we've got it, and how we should cherish it. You don't just bring it up and let's just shut it down. It's wrong."
As for Zellner's comments made on Saturday, Mayor White does not appreciate how politics were brought into the equation when it came to recognizing the national holiday.
"I hate the fact it's us against them, meaning Democrats against Republic. Please don't do that. I didn't run on that premise, I do not want to dictate that that's the way it's about it," White said.
"I was crushed when they brought this up. I mean, I'm not against anything like that. Oh my God, don't treat me that way. That's not what I am, not who I am. I'm an individual that cares about people. My whole life, everything I've done, has been for people. It's not about money. Money, to me, is the last thing. It's about people. I am a people person, and I will move forward with a strong group for the best interests of the people, period."
As the Tonawanda Mayor indicated on Monday, closing city government for Juneteenth wasn't possible this year due to labor contracts. White had taken office back at the start of 2022, and the discussion of Juneteenth had not come up until recently.
However, that's something he'd would love to have discussions about, and have an open line of communication as they move into the next year.
"It's a collective bargaining with the unions, you put certain things on the table. What are your three main holidays? What else would you like? What one would you be willing to take? I offered it off to everybody," Mayor White said. "The process is not just one person saying we're closed. There's too much feedback, and that's going to come back if I just do that. I will sit down with the unions, I'll sit down with the individuals, department heads, everybody involved, because it's a contract issue. It's more than that, it's a people issue too, and I don't want to lose that also."
More of Mayor White's comments on Monday is available in the player below:
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