Whitesboro Mayor Patrick O’Connor said the village will begin the process of changing its controversial village seal depicting its founder Hugh White in a wrestling match with an Oneida native. A majority of village residents who participated in an informal vote two weeks ago sided with keeping the seal the same. Some residents are now rethinking their position after national media coverage portrayed the village negatively.
“Several people that wanted to keep the seal and voted to keep the seal were now asking for consideration to maybe redraw it, update it, modernize it so it would be more graphically detailed,” O'Connor said. “We can keep the history behind the seal in a more appropriate image.”
O’Connor said he has been in contact with a descendant of the White family and the Oneida Indian Nation, who will both be part of the process of redesigning and updating the image. No time frame has been established yet and O’Connor says the village board still welcomes input from the community.
