The speculation is over: outgoing County Executive Maggie Brooks has landed a gig as an RTS executive.
Brooks has been tapped to be the transit agency’s vice president of strategic initiatives, a move that’ll probably come as a surprise to few. RTS officials recently created the position to better connect and work with regional groups, a job description that seems tailored for Brooks.
“The new reality is that more resources are being directed to our community through strategic initiatives such as the Regional Economic Development Councils and the Anti-Poverty Initiative,” RTS CEO Bill Carpenter says in a press release. “That reality brings with it a growing need for RTS to increase our level of engagement and make sure the members of the respective initiatives understand what we can and can’t do with the resources we have. Maggie’s experience, dedication to the community and involvement with these initiatives make her the perfect fit for the job.”
Brooks ends her third term as county executive this month. She’ll start with RTS on January 4.
“I am thrilled to be joining Bill Carpenter and the RTS team to continue serving the community I love,” Brooks says in the press release. “Public transit is a critical component of our community and RTS does a great job connecting its customers to jobs, education, health care, shopping and recreational activities. I look forward to drawing on my experience to support Bill and continue working to address some of our community’s most pressing needs.”
Carpenter served a stint as finance officer in the Brooks administration. Several other RTS employees are also former Brooks administration officials, including chief financial officer Scott Adair and general counsel Dan DeLaus.
This article appears in Dec 23-29, 2015.
With all the business friends and connections Maggie has after doing them favors all these years why does she not find work in the private sector that she and her fellow Republicians are forever praising. Surely one of them can use her”expertise” to make more money in the free market zone. No, these hypocrites actions speak louder then their words. Maggie is off to a made up job at RTS. Something of a glorified bus matron. What does Bill Carpenter do anyway? It sounds like he has handed over some of hid duties to this new overpriced VP position. People are outraged but there is no viable alternative when it comes to Election Day.
Guess it is way easier to create a new position for yourself than it is to actually go out and look for a job. Maggie is part of the 1% who can do that.
Corrupt till the very end….but in reality it never ends for some people.
Maggie missed a great opportunity. A coronation as Queen of Monroe County.
Does anyone think that the Democrats are any better? Just look at Duffy, Morelle, Clifford and the mayor. They all play the same game.
“Does anyone think that the Democrats are any better? ” I don’t think many people do think this. It’s basically more indication that politics are often corrupt, regardless of part.
Have you all forgotten the sinecure teaching position Bill Johnson was given at RIT when he decided not to run for mayor of Rochester anymore? He could have been mayor of this democrat-controlled basket case of a town until he died if he had wanted to, given that close to 2/3 of the our population is black and Hispanic. At least, Maggie Brooks didn’t leave the county in a hole for several million dollars because of some stupid fast ferry!
As is often the case, Mr, Bathory is often inaccurate in his “rants”. If you go to his blog, he states that Scott Adair and Dan DeLaus were hired “in the last few days” as well by RGRTA. That is totally untrue! Adair went there over 2 years ago, DeLaus over a year ago. Adair is a well respected CPA with government reporting and auditing background. DeLaus a respected attorney with similar talent.
Government service for all involved comes with a curse. People work for less money in the government sector than the private sector and quid pro quo is a healthy pension. The problem is that means they need the required time to complete their years in the system so they move from government job to government job. Maggie Brooks, but for term limits, would continue as CE and in the system. AT RTS, right or wrong, the continues as well. But it is untrue to say she is not qualified…her contacts statewide are valuable.
I disagree with US Senators that become lobbyists…but, where is the indignation with Bob Duffy collecting a government pension making over 300k in a quasi lobbying job? Where is the anger at Molly Clifford who got job after job with the city after being Democrat chair?
I agree there are plenty examples of this in both parties. I called out Molly Clifford for wanting to be a fireman. But just because both parties do it doesn’t make it less wrong for Maggie. And it is outrageously blatant when a new position is created for Maggie. And I highly doubt Mags is well versed in transportation issues.
Making less in the public sector pays out in the end because with her continuation in the public servive, her pension keeps growing. Public service becomes an addition just for the pension.
This will be great for our region! Maggie Brooks has unique talents plus connections.
I think Maggie Brooks has done an excellent job as county executive, she handle her job with authority I think this type of aggressiveness will achieve more status with (R.T.S.) however we will see on election day. her action speaks louder than her words. may god bless Maggie with all her most complex and comprehensive issues. thank you.
It must be nice to be able to exploit your connections and have a job created for you . What Maggie’s new job sounds like to me is another iteration of the LDCs she so skillfully exploited to funnel money (tax dollars) into projects that made a lot of rich people richer.