Candidate For Albany Mayor Son Is Arrested On Weapons Charge

Should a politician’s career be dependent on the behavior of their family members? That is a question that many politicians are currently facing. An Albany mayoral candidate is being asked questions about the behavior of her son.

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Valerie Faust recently threw her name in the hat to run as a candidate for mayor of the city of Albany. Now the candidate is answering questions about her son's recent arrest.

According to Spectrum News, Ms. Faust’s son was recently arrested on felony weapons charges. Over the weekend Cohoes police responded to a call for shots fired on Hart Street, in Cohoes, and Ms. Faust’s son was allegedly involved in the incident.

Yesterday officers with the Cohoes Police Department arrested Ms. Faust’s son, 50-year old Wantu Ackerman, on multiple felony charges. He was arrested and charged with second-degree Criminal Possession of a Loaded Firearm, first-degree Reckless Endangerment and a parole violation.

Ackerman’s arrest comes at a time when the Capital Region is seeing an unprecedented spike in violent gun crimes. As a mayoral candidate, Ms. Faust has been very vocal about violent crime in Albany. She says that her son’s arrest gives her another perspective on the challenges that families face in Albany. She said, “I think that it will make me a better mayor because I’ll relate to the problems with our children. We have to hold our children accountable for what they do. He has to face the music. I am not accountable for his behavior, he’s a grown man. But I’m glad those guns are off the street.“

I’m sure that Mr. Ackerman‘s arrest is causing his mother immense embarrassment, but it could make her a better Mayor. At this point, it doesn’t appear that she is trying to pull strings to get her son out of trouble. We will see if the people of Albany will hold her accountable for her son’s crimes.