Monroe Confidential
An occasional blog on local politics in Monroe County, New York — especially the seamy underbelly of the machinery that operates New York’s democracy.
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Meredith Vacca Confirmation Triggers Anti-Democratic Activity
In yet another episode of carefully orchestrated anti-democratic behavior, the Monroe County Democratic Committee (MCDC) is poised to nominate a candidate to fill a just-vacated position for Monroe County Court Judge. Former County Court Judge Meredith Vacca recently resigned her position after havi
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2024 Campaign Summary
There are primary elections in fourteen (14) election districts (EDs) across Brighton, with progressive candidates backed by Justice for Brighton challenging a coalition of centrist Democrats who oppose diversity, inclusion, and equity in Brighton. At the bottom of this post, you can find links to e
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“Whiter Than A Trump Rally”
The Democrats for Brighton multi-candidate committee is supporting 31 candidates for Brighton Democratic Committee (BDC), and all are white. A montage of some of their candidates makes for a visually compelling image: For contrast, the Justice for Brighton slate is circulating a montage that looks l
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Violence At Twelve Corners Park
Jewish Federation CEO Meredith Dragon and others are advocating for restrictions on free speech, under the pretext that violence broke out at a pro-Palestinian protest in Twelve Corners Park on February 16, 2024. In a March 22, 2024 email to the Jewish Federation listserv, Dragon wrote: “One of the
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Campaign 2024: Brighton Democratic Committee
Three Factions Contest For The Soul of Brighton A primer on “What Is The Brighton Democratic Committee” may be found here. In 2022, progressive Democrats ran a counterpetitioning campaign in the Town of Brighton, triggering primary elections in four (4) election districts: ED4, ED5, ED13, and ED28.
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MCDC Expands Its Corruption
Soft Corruption Is Now Endemic In Monroe County After the November 2023 elections, a significant number of local elected officials are directly accountable to Democratic power brokers. The “coaching tree” emanates from now-Rep. Joe Morelle, who served in the New York State Assembly for three decades
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MCDC Elects Corrupt Chairman
On October 1, 2022, the Monroe County Democratic Committee convened its organizational meeting. These meetings happen in even-numbered years, according to a combination of New York State Election Law and the Rules of the Monroe County Democratic Committee. Former Chair Zachary Pelleschi-King had res
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Trespassing at MCDC
What do campaigns for obscure party positions have to do with trespassing? Read on to find out! On June 28, 2022, Brighton Town Councilmember Robin Wilt won the primary election for the female State Committee position in the 136th Assembly District. The State Committee is extremely influential in se
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Exquisitely Timed Judicial Appointment Triggers Undemocratic Process
This piece was submitted to the Democratic & Chronicle as an editorial before the July 18 meeting described herein. It is customary for newly appointed elected officials to defend their incumbency at the next opportunity. Judge Latoya Lee, who was appointed to Rochester City Court in February, did j
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LD24: The Untold Story
This year, the entire County Legislature – all 29 seats – is up for election, and for two of those seats (the 14th and 24th Legislative Districts), it was known long ago that they would be open. Justin Wilcox (LD14) and Josh Bauroth (LD24) were exiting the County Legislature due to the 10-year term…
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MCDC: Tectonic Shift or Power Grab?
As political junkies in Monroe County know, there has been unprecedented ferment in Democratic political power over the last year. The 2020 kerfuffle over the Democratic Board of Elections Commissioner, the racialized schism within the Democratic caucus of the Monroe County legislature, and the inci