BREAKING NEWS: CSEA ENDORSES SANDY FRANKEL FOR MONROE COUNTY EXECUTIVE

Brighton Town Supervisor and
Democratic candidate for County
Executive Sandra Frankel.  

Rochester, N.Y. -- Town of Brighton Supervisor Sandra Frankel, a Democrat, gave up her chance to seek reelection to that office and is instead running for Monroe County Executive.  According to CSEA sources at the Region 6 office in Amherst, N.Y., the CSEA PAC committee made the recommendation to endorse the Frankel campaign earlier this week. 

Frankel was re-elected to her tenth term of office as Brighton Town Supervisor in 2009. She has consistently received support from Democrats as well as scores of Republicans, Independents and the Working Families Party voters who all enjoy a high standard of living in Brighton and appreciate her administration's style of open government. 

Frankel is running against incumbent Republican County Executive Maggie Brooks, a matchup that the Democratic challenger knows she can win.

In an email addressed to CSEA members on July 29, Frankel said, "I am proud to have received the endorsement of CSEA, which represents valued public employees who provide essential services and programs that our residents depend upon in their everyday lives. I look forward to working with CSEA to build a bright future for Monroe County."

Ove Overmyer, CSEA Monroe County Local 828 PAC Co-Chair said, “We are thrilled to support a candidate for Monroe County Executive that respects and understands the value of public employees and worker rights.  As Brighton Town Supervisor, Sandy Frankel has a proven track record of honoring collective bargaining agreements while at the same time efficiently delivering public services to her constituents.  There is every reason to believe that Sandy Frankel will once again restore confidence, credibility and dignity to the office of the Monroe County Executive.”

During a press conference on May 4, Frankel began her campaign by aggressively attacking Brooks over a series of county government scandals that happened during her time in office.  "We must restore the public trust and confidence in county government," she told enthusiastic supporters at the Monroe County Democratic headquarters on University Ave in downtown Rochester, N.Y.

Bess Watts, CSEA Local 828 President says, “Even though Sandy has very good name recognition, many people might be surprised to know that her administration has cut property taxes in five of the last 15 years, fixed a major inherited structural budget deficit, restored fiscal integrity and stability, and earned a high-level Moody's credit rating upgrade to Aa3.  Monroe County can't say that.” 

Watts also told The Voice Reporter, “While researching for our candidate interviews, we found out that since 1994, the annual growth in Town of Brighton property taxes was less than the average annual rate of inflation.  She proves that she is fiscally smart and knows how to manage public budgets with the best of them.”

Frankel said that if she's elected, she would freeze her salary and wouldn't take a county car, cell phone, or credit card. She wants an audit of all county spending.  In her campaign kickoff speech in May, Frankel also laid out several goals for her first six months in office, should she be elected.

They include:

*Establishing an office of integrity that has independent oversight.

*Working with young professionals to attract and retain young talent.

*Work closely with the City of Rochester and the Rochester City School District. She also wants the County Executive's office to help the city school district improve its results by laying the foundation for school success via restoring adequate funding for preschool daycare, family and child health services and after school programs.

*Working with the County Legislature to ban hydraulic fracturing in Monroe County and to prohibit the treatment of fracking wastewater at county treatment plants.

*Establishing a business roundtable.

CSEA members who live in Monroe County did request an endorsement interview with County Executive Brooks, but she declined to meet with us.  CSEA will be making an official public statement about this endorsement in the coming days.

The general election will be on Tuesday, November 8.

There are nearly ten thousand CSEA Monroe County represented voters who are employed by public municipalities and private companies, including the state of New York, County of Monroe, City of Rochester, several towns and villages plus the home health care industry.