Rochester city councilmember removed from committee chair position after podcast controversy
By
Spectrum News Staff
Rochester
PUBLISHED 1:00 PM ET Jul. 01, 2022PUBLISHED 1:00 PM EDT Jul. 01, 2022
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ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Rochester City Councilmember Jose Peo is standing his ground after being punished by the president of the council.
Miguel Melendez removed Peo from his role as chairman of the council's Parks and Public Works Committee following a controversial episode of Peo's podcast.
Peo's co-host, Lavelle Lewis, made comments about another city council member, Mary Lupien, during a conversation on the podcast on June 15.
"My hope is that the lessons get learned and we move forward," said Melendez. "Hopefully there is some kind of reconciliation between the two members of council. But certainly, it takes both of them to decide if that's where they want to go."
Peo issued the following statement in response to Melendez:
Melendez removed Peo from the assignment after consulting with the rest of Rochester City Council.