SPECIAL COMMENTARY: BROOKS LEGACY AT A CROSSROADS

Monroe County bureaucrats
embarrassingly dismiss a NYS
Comptroller's Audit Report.

Rochester, N.Y.--   This past week the Office of the New York State Comptroller (OSC) released an audit in which it raised questions regarding a contract issued by Monroe County back in 2004-2005. Although the audit report is in draft form -- and could be revised if the County can substantiate evidence contradicting the findings -- as of today County officials have failed to do so.

 The audit concludes that Monroe County deceived taxpayers by claiming that contracted telecommunications services would save taxpayers money; to the contrary, the audit found this claim not to be true. In fact, the audit found that Monroe County sold telecommunications equipment to the contractor, then leased that equipment back -- taxpayers essentially paying twice for the use of the same equipment they previously owned. The audit also discovered that over a five year period, the county paid the contractor $8 million more than the county received in services.

How many of these mini-macro scandals will need to pile up before Monroe County taxpayers put all the puzzle pieces together? Pugnacious County spokesman Noah Lebowitz misguidedly considers the Comptroller's audit report of the UTC scandal as merely partisan mudslinging and was completely dismissive when asked for a formal response. Conversely, the sad truth is-- it's the local Republican Party who are sinking knee deep in a quagmire of mud and quicksand.

If the County Executive can just forget "politics" for a single moment-- and if she has the integrity that many have long believed she has -- then she needs to address this audit report head-on and admit wrongdoing. If Lebowitz and her cronies convinces her not to do so, voters will have to seriously consider the mounting evidence that her tenure and legacy as County Executive has done more harm to taxpayers than good.  

One way or another, the truth eventually surfaces.  Truth has no agenda.  We think when it's all said and done, history will not be kind to Maggie-- and history will be the final judge of the Brooks legacy.

For several years now, unethical and possible criminal wrong-doing have been tossed around to describe our County government-- and these questions will remain long after the 2011 election cycle.  Let's hope the voters of Monroe County wake up and smell the coffee before we dig a hole that we can not get out of.  We would hate to tell you, "we told you so."