Democrats in the County Legislature would be surprised, if not astonished, to hear that - at least according to Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks - the majority of their proposals get through the Legislature.
"I'm not sure what she means by that," says Democratic Minority Leader Ted O'Brien. "If she's talking about administrative referrals, like accepting a grant from the University of Rochester, 90 percent or more are passed unanimously. In terms of referrals initiated by Democrats, the record is abysmal. We can't get referrals through."
In fact, we can remember less than a handful of Democratic proposals passing during eight years of Brooks' leadership. Most are killed in committee or banished to bureaucratic hell, never getting more than perfunctory discussion.
The referral spin was the biggest "Oh, come on, Maggie," moment we had interviewing the county executive. Brooks faces Democrat Sandra Frankel, longtime supervisor of the Town of Brighton, in her third, and last, run for the county's top job. The county executive is limited to three terms.
The Brooks-Frankel contest should've been a barn-burner: two high-profile and well-respected local pols, both arguably at or near the top of their games. But somehow, we feel cheated. Maybe it's money: our rock-star county executive bleeds cash, and even a resurrected JFK might have trouble keeping up. Maybe it's apathy: Frankel's campaign seems to have suffered from a peculiar ennui right from the start. Whatever the cause or combination of causes, you can't help but feel the community deserved better.
Frankel, who probably would've cruised to re-election in Brighton had she not jumped into the county executive race, has focused on the ethical lapses in the Brooks administration. She's paid special attention to questionable business expenses charged by the former airport director - the "cigars and strip clubs" scandal - and the allegations of favoritism in a local development corporation deal. She's promised to open up county authorities and LDCs and to create stronger oversight. Election-year scandals are a rare gift from the political gods, but Frankel hasn't been able to capitalize. Nothing sticks to the likeable Brooks.
Brooks has painted Frankel as a tax-and-spend Democrat, citing tax increases in Brighton during Frankel's tenure, as well as Frankel's own salary increases. She's also repeatedly pounded her promise not to raise the tax rate: a message that does seem to resonate with voters, even though Brooks has found crafty ways to raise money. One example: MCC charge-backs, which are essentially user fees for people who attend the college. Such tactics allow Brooks to stick to the letter, if not the spirit of her promise.
In separate interviews, Brooks and Frankel spoke on a wide range of issues facing the county, including property taxes, spending priorities, MCC's future, and the use of economic-development incentives. The following are edited versions of those conversations.
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CITY: What are you most proud of over your two terms as county executive? Brooks: When I took this job in 2004, we immediately established three priorities: tax stability, job creation, and quality of life. And under that quality of life...
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Why did you decide to run for county executive? As I looked at the condition of Monroe County government and the impact that it had on our community, it was clear that many of the problems facing Monroe County were not dissimilar to what I...
Comments for "ELECTIONS: County exec: the race that wasn't" (1)
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CitizenCandyKane said on Nov. 02, 2011 at 4:03pm
A great overview of the candidates, particularly the manner in which it pointed our the ethical failings of Our Ms. Brooks (now there's a TV reference that indicates what a geezer I am) and her maladministration.
A pity that City declined to publish equally searching pieces on the two leading participants in this past spring's mayoral election. Maggie got hit with a hammer. Tom and Bill ? Barely tapped with a piece of nerf.
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