Albany Common Council Member Judy Doesschate took to Facebook Monday to shame Mohawk Ambulance EMT's for double parking while they stopped at an area Stewart's for food.
She was seeking the public's opinion on the ambulance being double parked. However, the opinions that she got were not what she was asking for.
Nearly every single one of the over 2,000 Facebook comments shamed the Council Member for her attempt to embarrass the men.
After receiving such a backlash, she deleted the post. She had made the post after she left a meeting on New Scotland Ave's proposed streetscape, where residents discussed what they'd like improved. Doesschate claimed that many of the comments called for pedestrian and traffic safety improvements. She says she wasn't trying to shame the employees but instead, point out the ongoing parking issue.
Mohawk Ambulance is standing behind their employees decision to park in the way that they did stating that EMT's need to be able to have immediate access to their ambulance in the chance that they get an emergency call as seconds can be a matter of life or death. The crew seen in Doesschate's post had just come off an extensive cardiac arrest call and wanted to grab dinner in case they didn't have another chance during their shift.
Now, the EMT's have spoken out saying that they appreciate the public's support. Doesschate, in an interview, says she would like to apologize to the two for putting their photo up on Facebook.
Photo: Judy Doesschate Facebook