Governor Andrew Cuomo has appointed Irondequoit Supervisor Adam Bello, a Democrat, to serve as Monroe County clerk. (See reaction from local Republicans below)
Cuomo made the appointment this morning, says Jamie Romeo, chair of the Monroe County Democratic Committee. The vacancy was created when Republican Cheryl Dinolfo, who had been county clerk since April 2004, took over as the county executive in January. Bello was first mentioned as a candidate for the temporary job right around the time that Dinolfo was sworn in.
Bello will start the job next week. To remain as clerk past the end of the year, he’ll have to win the seat in the November elections. And be does plan to run, he said during a press conference this afternoon.
Bello says that, as clerk, he plans to tackle zombie properties, which are vacant buildings neglected by their owners. Last year, Irondequoit passed a law establishing a registry for zombie properties and laying out penalties for owners who don’t maintain vacant structures.
Bello plans to establish a zombie property task force as clerk to examine the issues and present recommendations to local, county, and state governments.
“The issue, I’ve realized, is much bigger than the Town of Irondequoit,” Bello said this afternoon.
Bello is giving up the town supervisor seat to become county clerk. The Irondequoit Town Board will appoint an acting supervisor, who will have to run for election in November.
This post has been updated.
STATEMENT FROM MONROE COUNTY REPUBLICAN CHAIRMAN BILL REILICH:
Rochester, NY – “The Town of Irondequoit is a beautiful place filled with good people, but it comes as no surprise that Adam Bello is abandoning them all so soon. Bello burdened Irondequoit residents with the highest property tax rate in Monroe County, his solution to Medley Centre was nothing more than a band-aid – a sale to another developer while the taxpayers are still holding their breath for restitution. Additionally, financial woes are already apparent as I-Square is failing, and his greatest accomplishment to-date is cutting the ribbon on a library his predecessor built.
“Monroe County residents are once again on the losing end of Governor Cuomo’s political maneuvering; we deserve more than a career politician who couldn’t deliver for Irondequoit and certainly won’t deliver for Monroe County. We hope that Bello isn’t trying to use this appointment as a stepping stone for County Executive. We need someone who is actually interested in serving as Monroe County Clerk.”
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This article appears in Mar 16-22, 2016.
He should just stay in his current position.
He should do what his heart tells him to do. It’s HIS choice. And I could give a dam less about party affiliation. The man has earned the opportunity to accept or reject it. Good for him and CONGRATUALATIONS!
Adam Bello has just made a career mistake all to placate Joe Morelle. Adam could have run for County Clerk without taking this appointment and then, if he lost, still have a job. Instead, this way, if when he runs if he loses he is all done. Worse, there has been speculation that the reason that his political mentor Morelle orchestrated this is to create an opening for his son Joe Jr. to leave Wilmorite to be Supervisor.
The Wilmorite connection has gotten sticky since there is continual review of these sort of arrangements at the state level…companies with political agendas hiring the children of highly placed elected officials…similar to the Dean Skelos mess. In this case, Tom Wilmot has continually used Morelle influence to do a casino deal and has underwritten him for years.
So, a nice guy, Adam Bello, may be in for a rude awakening for trying to do a good thing for his political patron, Joe Sr. This may have a very bad ending for Adam!
Politics have become so incredibly divisive, so froth with hate, so destructive and have gone well beyond common sense. That goes for all party affiliations. One is just as bad as the other. Most of it is all about “me”, “I”, what can I get out of the deal, what can make the other guy/gal look like a fool, ….and on and on.
Don’t tell me that’s the way the political ball bounces. “It” (politics) doesn’t dictate, interpret, act, etc., the people who wallow in this mud bath and on occasion blood bath are the responsible for it and perpetuate it.
You wonder why political life is for the few? I guess to a degree I’m happy with that.
You don’t say know to the Governor when he returns a favor. It would totally screw things up for everyone in the pecking order. And thinking of one’s own best interest is not an option either.