Rochester's Democratic Committee has endorsed Rochester Mayor Tom Richards. Richards will be the party's candidate on the September primary ballot.

His designation will be formalized at the Monroe County Democratic convention next month.

Mayor Richards will be going against current City Council President Lovely Warren in a democratic primary in September.

Rochester Police Chief James Sheppard and Mayor Tom Richards spent Saturday afternoon at a local barber shop, but they weren't there for haircuts.

On the heels of a violent week in the city, they held an open forum called "Shop Talk.”

The goal of the forum was to promote communication with members of the community in a place where they are used to speaking their mind.
 
Chief Sheppard and Mayor Richards created an open dialogue with residents who may not have had a chance to speak up about their concerns before.

For some, it's easy to get up in front of city officials and talk about real issues in their community, but the truth is, many residents don't. So they brought City Hall into the community.

The event was held at Masterpiece Unisex Barber Shop off of Dewey Avenue. It was not your traditional public forum, but the Mayor and the Police Chief say it was a perfect platform for an open discussion.