ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The campaigning for the 2022 election is already underway, as La’Ron Singletary formally announced his run for Congress Thursday.
Fired from his job as chief of the Rochester Police Department more than a year ago, Singletary aims to make a comeback.
“With much thought, careful consideration and talking with various people who I admire and have much respect for his community, today I stand before you to publicly announce my candidacy for Congress to represent the great people of New York's 25th Congressional District," said Singletary, who is running on the Republican ticket.
He steps into the political arena to take on the well-known Joseph Morelle, who’s filled the seat since the death of Rep. Louise Slaughter.
Slaughter was first elected to Congress in 1986.
“I am not a career politician, but let me tell you what I am. I'm a public servant who cares about public service, who cares about you, the people," Singletary said during his news conference.
He was ousted from his position as RPD chief by Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren in the wake of the death of Daniel Prude. Singletary filed a lawsuit against Warren and the City of Rochester alleging defamation, creating a hostile work environment and wrongful termination – a lawsuit that will be pending during the campaign.
"There is a pending lawsuit that is occurring right now,” he said. “But again, the voters will decide in November 2022 what the issues are, how I stand on the issues and how they think I will represent them. So ultimately it will be up to the voters.”
New York’s 25th Congressional District includes much of Monroe County, including the city of Rochester, where the newly-announced Republican candidate grew up.
“Over the past year, I have listened to the hard-working people who live and travel throughout this congressional district,” Singletary said. “I've had many discussions on many issues. I hear what people want, but also hear what they don't want. And what I've heard loud and clear, is that people do not want to defund the police.”
The candidate says he considered taking a job in another state several months ago, but plans changed over the summer. His party affiliation also changed from Democrat to Republican. Singletary says, "I became a Republican because there are some issues within the Democratic Party that I could no longer believe. I think the party was going too far to the left."
Specifically, Singletary refers to safety, "Well, I think one thing is public safety. You know, being a former police chief, I'm a person who wants to be tough on crime. And I believe that we should support our police department, support the men and women who risk their lives each and every day with their lives on the line for this community. So public safety was key. We see some of the inadequate policies that have been put in place. They're continuing to see people go through the criminal justice system at an alarming rate and complete further crimes. Now we can talk about reform, but we must talk about keeping people safe in neighborhoods as well.”
Singletary also says national security is an issue he’ll focus on, saying he seeks to have a strong military and safe borders.
“As your next congressman, I will work harder for you every day, just like I did when I was a police officer and police chief for this community," said Singletary.