After 'Daily Show' prods, upstate village to change controversial seal

ALBANY - An upstate village that attracted national attention for sticking behind its controversial seal has decided to change course -- after some prodding by "The Daily Show."

The Comedy Central program aired a segment Thursday on the village of Whitesboro's official seal, which depicts a cartoonish scene with a white pioneer with his hands near a Native American's neck, overpowering him during some sort of tussle.

And after six minutes of skewering the Oneida County village and its support for the unusual seal, "Daily Show" correspondent Jessica Williams broke some news: Village officials have agreed to drop the seal after years of standing behind it.

The village issued a joint statement Friday with the Oneida Indian Nation, the central New York tribe, confirming the news, saying they will meet to develop a new seal.

"Really for real," Williams said during Thursday's show. "The village officials and the descendants of (Whitesboro founder) Hugh White are getting together with the Oneida Indian Nation to come up with a new seal that makes everyone happy."

Big red letters popped up across the bottom of the screen: "We did it!"

"We ended racism!" host Trevor Noah joked.

The village seal had generated headlines in recent weeks, leading to an informal survey of village residents, with about three-quarters of those who voted supporting the current seal. Supporters say it depicts a "friendly wrestling match" between a settler and a native.

Whitesboro Mayor Patrick O'Connor, who appeared extensively in the segment, said Friday that village residents were "surprised at the negative attention" the seal was attracting.

"They wanted to preserve history at the time of the vote, but also want to ensure that (the) village is seen as the inclusive place that it is” he said in a statement. “This is an exciting opportunity for our community to create its own piece of history that they can be proud of for the next 100 plus years to come."

But the "Daily Show" segment shed more light on the show's involvement in the vote.

Designers for the show came up with several different options for a new seal -- some realistic, others a joke -- that were part of the informal vote. Among the show's designs: A native and a settler choking out a Revolutionary War-era British soldier, and dramatic photos of former NHL goalie Robert Esche, a Whitesboro native.

The decision to change the seal was praised by Oneida Nation CEO Ray Halbritter.

"We applaud the village leaders’ willingness to evaluate their own symbols and how to make sure they accurately reflect their community’s core values,” Halbritter said in a statement.