Irate Black New York City Leader Cites ‘Countless Threats, Verbal Attacks’ for Resigning After Receiving Voicemail Calling Her the N-Word

A black New York City leader has publicly stated that she is leaving office as a consequence of the quite a few threats and verbal attacks she experienced while serving on the City Council.

Jaime Puccioni announced that she’s going to resign from her position as a city councilor in Niskayuna, New York, a town of about 20,000 people just outside Albany, effective Sept. 1.

Under state guidelines, the city supervisor presides over the city council and is basically the city’s top elected official.

Last week, a Niskayuna woman called Puccioni’s office to depart a racist voicemail.

The resident, 24-year-old Osman Rasul, was charged with second-degree aggravated harassment, a hate crime.

Court documents show that Rasul called Puccioni’s office on Aug. 16 from an anonymous number after Puccioni announced her resignation, the Daily Gazette reported. reported.

“I have some concerns that she might want to hear this, otherwise the next step will be to file criminal charges at the federal level against the lover of the n— n—,” Rasul allegedly said in the message.

Before leaving the voicemail, Rasul attended a city council meeting in July where he said he was harassed by city police while giving a public statement.

He also addressed Puccioni directly.

“I didn’t want to add to the negative venom, and Jaime, I understand that you’ve had a lot of attacks on your character,” Rasul said at the July 23 meeting. “I’ve had attacks on my character. I sympathize with you and I feel for you. I say that from the heart.”

Puccioni’s secretary stated that Rasul commonly calls his office and that he has called her repeatedly in the past from anonymous numbers.

Following Rasul’s arrest, Puccioni issued a public statement admitting that she had initially desired to quietly resign from her position, but felt it was necessary to come back out and say that Rasul’s behavior had only increased her fears for her own safety after a series of other troubling incidents.

“The recent situation involving an individual who made racist and threatening remarks towards me is not an isolated incident. For me, the final straw was having to be escorted from the last two city council meetings by police officers because I felt threatened by this individual’s aggressive behavior,” Puccioni said in an announcement on Aug. 22.

Puccioni said she and other board members were subjected to “countless threats and verbal attacks.”

“Unfortunately, this scenario is becoming all too common. Locally, regionally and nationally, politics have become too polarizing and belligerent.” – Puccioni as well as“It became dangerous, to put it bluntly. And that was one of the factors that influenced my decision to leave public office.”

Puccioni is leaving office with 16 months remaining in her term. She was first elected as city supervisor in 2022 and won re-election in 2024.

Her role as city supervisor makes her the chief executive officer of Niskayuna. The person holding this position directs the day-to-day operations of city affairs and coordinates the activities of city department heads, establishes standing committees of the City Council, and appoints chairmen and members, as city ​​website.

She also served as Niskayuna’s Chief Financial Officer and was responsible for overseeing Niskayuna’s budget process and financial management.

Puccioni plans to return to a full-time teaching position at the University at Albany, where he already serves as an associate professor in the school’s School of Education.