Jacobs seizes on Delaware Park tragedy in “distasteful political distraction”

Earlier this month, County Clerk Chris Jacobs sat down for an interview with AM Buffalo’s Linda Pellegrino.

In the aftermath of a tragic Delaware Park accident in which a driver suffering from narcolepsy hit and killed a three year old playing in the park along the Scajaquada Expressway, Jacobs is being criticized for what some are calling “a distasteful political distraction.”

The critics contend that Jacobs is using a tragic event for self promotion that distracts the discourse from the longstanding and more central objective of highway removal and public safety. Jacobs has called on the DMV to modify forms that would require an applicant for a license or renewal to disclose conditions like epilepsy and narcolepsy.

While many contend that the clerk’s suggestion is a good idea, Jacobs’ timing and publicity-oriented approach to the issue are being questioned.

Community activists have rallied for a removal of the expressway from the park, citing longstanding safety concerns and a decades long effort to do so. Supporters of highway removal see Jacobs’ press events as an seemingly deliberate effort to mitigate support for a complete downgrading of the expressway.