Welcome to the Democraticledger.org!
The Democratic Caucus of the Monroe County Legislature consists of 14 members. We represent the people of Monroe County, from Brighton to Henrietta, to Gates to Greece, from Irondequoit to Webster, to the City of Rochester. This site contains a wealth of information about our legislators and the issues that effect our community. If you are concerned about the future of Monroe County, you’ve come to right place.
Harry B. Bronson
Democratic Minority Leader
Breaking News from the Democratic Caucus
Lightfoot: Lonsberry an Embarrassment to the Community
Demands Swift Discipline for False Claim
Rochester, New York – August 22, 2008. Monroe County Legislator Willie J. Lightfoot (D-Rochester) is calling for immediate disciplinary action against radio host Bob Lonsberry for potentially libelous statements made on this afternoon’s broadcast of his show, which airs on local radio station WHAM.
Speaking about Legislator Lightfoot’s essay on child care subsidies in today’s Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, Lonsberry repeatedly questioned how “convicted drunk driver Willie Lightfoot” could find the nerve to write the essay. Lightfoot has never been charged or convicted of driving while intoxicated.
“Mr. Lonsberry’s comments are an embarrassment to our entire community and he has fatally wounded the remaining shred of credibility his show had. All he needed to do is a simple fact check to realize he was making a serious false charge against a public official. Given the controversy surrounding his show over the past few years, I find it very hard to believe that he did not know full well that his statements were false,” Lightfoot said.
Lonsberry’s show was cancelled several years ago after he referred to the former Mayor of Rochester as a primate. After WHAM chose to bring Lonsberry back, controversy again erupted when in June he said that single mothers in the Rochester City School District’s Black Scholars program should not be rewarded and should have “kept their legs together.”
“This is the latest example of Lonsberry’s racist disregard for the entire African American community. The management team at WHAM should be embarrassed by his vicious and continuing habit of tearing people down. These comments are totally unacceptable and I will be speaking with legal counsel regarding potential action to remove this offensive personality from Rochester’s airwaves,” Lightfoot added.
Aside from his duties as a Monroe County Legislator, Lightfoot also serves as a City of Rochester firefighter, small business owner, ordained Minister and he is a veteran of the first Iraq War.
Democrats Call for Clerk to Protect Personal Privacy
"Social Security Numbers Must Be Removed from Website"
Rochester, New York – August 7, 2008. After media reports revealed that thousands of individuals' social
Click HERE for Information on how to protect your social security numberTo see the Proposal "Monroe County ID Theft Prevention Policy," Blocked by the President of the Legislature, Click Here. |
security numbers appear on the Monroe County Clerk’s website, Democrats in the County Legislature are calling for the information to be immediately removed or for portions of the website be blocked by the County until it can be removed.
Given the urgent need for action to protect citizens from potential identity thieves, Democrats have introduced Legislation that, if passed, would implement their demands.
The documents containing the social security numbers that were discovered yesterday were primarily bankruptcy related, which compounds the potential for damage from identity theft. While the Clerk is prohibited from redacting the physical documents after their filing, posting them on her website is optional. The Clerk is not required to post any documents to her website. The documents with social security numbers were filed with the Clerk’s office from the early 1990’s through at least 2007.
Assistant Democratic Leader Calvin Lee (D-Rochester) said, "Every citizen's social security number must be protected. It's hard to believe that Ms. Dinolfo has refused to shut down her website until these documents are removed. It is a risky decision that is making an untold number of Monroe County residents vulnerable to financial criminals. She's had more than 24 hours to take action and she has failed: that is simply unacceptable."
The legislation was introduced by Legislator Ted O’Brien (D-Irondequoit) who said, “It is imperative that all social security numbers be removed from the County Clerk’s website immediately and that steps be taken to ensure that Monroe County residents are not put at risk like this again.”
To support their call for a temporary shut down of the site while these documents are removed or redacted, Democrats pointed to a similar situation that arose in Suffolk County in 2006. After the Suffolk County Clerk was notified that several thousand social security numbers were visible, the County Clerk’s website was promptly shut down.
According to the industry experts, there are several commercially available software programs capable of redacting 100,000 documents each day, which means the Clerk’s website, with 15 million documents, would take only two weeks to fully scan.
In 2007, Democrats sent a letter to Clerk Dinolfo regarding a constituent complaining that a social security number was posted on her website. Despite this warning, Dinolfo failed to initiate any comprehensive review to seek out and remove other sensitive information from her website. This letter is attached.
Please find the legislation attached. Also, individuals concerned about protecting their privacy are encouraged to read the following website containing a wealth of useful information: (http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/10064.html#confidential)
For More Headlines, Check out the Newsroom
Democrats Disappointed with Steep Day Care Cuts
Rochester, New York – August 1, 2008. Democrats in the Monroe County Legislature expressed shock and disappointment at today’s announcement that Maggie Brooks intends on cutting the income threshold for day care subsidies from 165% to a disgraceful 125% of the federal poverty level. In real dollars, this means that a single mother must earn less than $17,500 annually to qualify for day care subsidies, down from $23,100 annually.
The change will have the effect of pushing many Monroe County families further into poverty by eliminating their ability to provide safe, quality child care so they can earn a living wage and raise their family. This change is the most severe in recent memory, even steeper than former County Executive Jack Doyle’s cut down to 140% in 2002.
Legislator Carrie Andrews (D-Rochester) said, “Today’s announcement is a slap in the face to the hard working families in our county that struggle to put food on the table while keeping their children safe. I strongly implore the Executive to reconsider this decision due to the long-term social and fiscal consequences it will reap to taxpayers. Numerous studies have proven the long-term cost reductions to criminal justice, education and health care expenditures when parents have access to safe, affordable child care. Simply put, this is the wrong direction for our county.”
Democrats are committed to breaking down the financial barriers that prevent children from receiving safe, affordable child care and will fight further cuts in this area of critical importance to our community’s most vulnerable citizens.
Democrats Call for Additional Hearing on Lift Line Changes
Short Notice Impedes Transportation Arrangement Needs
Rochester, New York –July 31, 2008. Democrats in the Monroe County Legislature have sent a letter to the Rochester Genesee Regional Transit Authority (RGRTA) requesting that a second public hearing be held regarding proposed changes to the Lift Line passenger fares.
The request comes after disability rights advocates expressed concern about the short notice given to Lift Line patrons regarding the initial hearing, which is scheduled for this evening at 6:00 P.M. at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center. According to the advocates, many Lift Line patrons were only notified of the hearing yesterday, which will present challenges for those needing to make transportation arrangements to and from the hearing. To view more on this story, click here. Please find the letter to the RGRTA attached here.
