An investigation is underway after pictures surfaced believed to show a Niskayuna employee wearing blackface.

Town Comptroller Paul Sebesta has been suspended from his position without pay as the town is now looking into the racially insensitive picture that has re-surfaced, believed to be posted on their personal social media page.

Town officials were made aware of the post after the group “Progressive Schenectady” brought it to their attention, and within just a few hours, Sebesta was suspended. The group said it believes the post was made about two years ago, and it has since been deleted.

Sebesta has been employed by the town for 32 years.

Progressive Schenectady and Town Supervisor Yasmine Syed say discrimination of any sort will not be tolerated in Niskayuna.

“If this photograph and the screenshot are actual depictions, he’s being paid with our tax dollars,” said Progressive Schenectady Co-Founder Lynell Engelmyer. “We felt really strongly that the people of Niskayuna deserve to know. You know, Niskayuna is a majority of the white community, but it’s not an only-white community.”

“I think the current protests and the current demonstrations are bringing all this to light, that even in a town like Niskayuna where we naïvely might think that racism does not exist, it does,” Syed said. “It exists everywhere, and we need to self-examine, and that’s what we’re doing now.”

Syed added that an outside third party will do the investigation. She said the investigation will suggest the fair and proper disciplinary action the town should take.

Spectrum News has reached out to Sebesta for comment, but has yet to hear back.