Old Social Media Posts Cost Somerville Mayoral Candidate Endorsement

SOMERVILLE, MA – Payton Corbett's social media past has come back to haunt him. The progressive candidate for mayor of Somerville lost the endorsement of Our Revolution Somerville – a group of left-leaning activists – after his old Facebook posts were uncovered by the Boston Globe last week.

The posts, which the Globe described as "embarrassing" and "politically incorrect," included comments about Asians favoring restaurant specials, comparing Black History Month and a coffee shop's "Chocolate Lovers Month" and using the phrase "dumb broads" to describe women. Some of the posts were as recent as 2013 and others dated as far back as 2009, according to the Globe.

Corbett chalked it up to his "dark sense of humor" and called the posts "stupid immature jokes" in a statement to the Globe. He added that the jokes are not necessarily indicative of his political views.

Patch reached out to Corbett, who did not immediately return a request for comment.

Even so, Our Revolution pulled its support of Corbett this week, referring to the posts as "sexist and racist." Corbett, an employee of an alcohol distributor in Medford and high ranking member of Teamsters Local 122, was a favorite among the Bernie Sanders-inspired group as a champion of union rights.

"One of the things that excited our organization about the candidacy of Payton Corbett was his broad experience fighting for racial, gender, and economic equality through his work as a union steward at a multiracial job site. However, we cannot overlook the severity of these statements," a statement from the group read in part. "We strongly believe that no one is immune from the systemic racism and sexism in our society, and that people are capable of growth and should not be forever defined by their past mistakes. However, our commitment to building a multiracial and welcoming organization must take precedence."

In a lengthy Facebook post on Friday, Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone said he was "nauseated" by the posts and asked local groups backing Corbett to reconsider their support.

"I respectfully ask these organizations to consider carefully whether they want to be associated with a candidate willing to disparage women and people of color in this way," Curtatone wrote. "We might not always agree on the best way for Somerville to reach our progressive ideals, but I hope we agree that these posts undermine our efforts and do great harm to our diverse community."

Corbett quickly hit back, calling Curtatone "scared" and dismissing the mayor's statement as a deflection from the issues impacting Somerville.

"I've apologized for insensitive and ignorant jokes and stories made years ago but the Mayor and his corrupt allies refuse to let it go," Corbett wrote. "They want this to be a distraction from the real issues."

Corbett, Curtatone and a third candidate, Kenneth Van Buskirk III, will face off in the preliminary election on Tuesday.

Photo: Payton Corbett and his wife, Jenny, at SLC Candidates Night