Wallingford Town Council Censures Fishbein For Racist Retweet

WALLINGFORD, CT — The Wallingford Town Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to censure Councilor Craig Fishbein for retweeting a racist meme over the weekend. Fishbein, who is also the state representative for the 90th District, was heavily criticized by both Democrats and Republicans on Monday.

Fishbein retweeted a meme on Saturday that depicted a picture of former Vice President Joe Biden speaking at an event with the text: "If you aren't setting fire to buildings… Then You Ain't Black!"

House Republican Minority Leader Themis Klarides quickly condemned the retweet on Monday and Fishbein apologized. Since then, an online petition on Change.org that calls for Fishbein to resign from both posts has garnered nearly 2,600 signatures as of late Tuesday night.

Republican Town Councilor Joe Marrone made a motion at the beginning of Tuesday’s special meeting to censure Fishbein. Council Chairman Vincent Cervoni ruled the motion out of order because new agenda items aren’t supposed to be added to special meetings. Marrone said that since the issue is “extremely time sensitive,” the council shouldn’t wait to add it to a regular meeting agenda.

Following some discussion, the council voted to appeal the chairman’s ruling and proceeded with the censure discussion.

Marrone then read a statement saying, “Whereas our nation is in a time of great civil unrest and frightening government abuses of power, the Wallingford Town Council does not condone racially insensitive or inappropriate humor nor do we condone the mocking of someone else’s insensitive remarks with poorly chosen comments of our own. Specifically, the recent retweet by Town Councilor Craig Fishbein smacks of ignorance and a disgusting and inappropriate tone.”

“Whereas Martin Luther King Jr. once said the ultimate measure of a person is not where one stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where one stands at times of challenge and controversy,” Marrone said. “I move that this council censure Craig Fishbein for standing on the wrong side of challenge and controversy by spreading a backward and unsophisticated retweet on social media. Further, as this language is inappropriate in any context the council wishes to distance itself from these comments as an affront to good taste and an attack on the liberty of others.”

Fishbein said he wanted to make it clear that he doesn’t associate himself with the statement that was depicted in the meme.

“That is certainly not my statement,” Fishbein said. “It is not my feeling. It is not my position. It is not my belief. It was untimely. It was a mistake. It was a very bad mistake. I acknowledge that.”

Fishbein said that when he retweeted the meme on Saturday, he really didn’t “know the extent of what was going on.”

“It was solely in the face of what I felt was a similar and unaddressed statement made by the individual depicted in the meme,” Fishbein said. “I found that to be unfortunate and my retweeting is unfortunate and wrong. I totally recognize that.”

Fishbein also said that he couldn’t figure out how to undo the retweet on Saturday and moved on to other things. He eventually figured out how to delete it on Monday, but by then, “things happened.”

“So, I did and do apologize for my wrong actions,” Fishbein said.

Fishbein also voted in favor of his own censure.