Monroe County Legislature Makes Appointments to Public Health and MCWA Boards Amidst Some Controversy
Tuesday, the Monroe County Legislature confirmed a slate of appointments to key positions, including Dr. Marielena Vélez de Brown as Commissioner of Public Health, Truman Tolefree to the County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency (COMIDA) Board, and Timothy Barbeto, David Young Jr., and Scott Nasca to the Monroe County Water Authority (MCWA) board.
Dr. Vélez de Brown, M.D., M.P.H., confirmed by the County Legislature, is set to become the first Latina woman and mother to lead Monroe County’s Public Health Department. Vélez de Brown has been acting commissioner since March 2024 after the departure of Dr. Michael Mendoza.
The Legislature also confirmed Truman Tolefree to the COMIDA board. Tolefree brings over 20 years of real estate experience and is expected to enhance the board’s initiatives in housing and economic development as COMIDA continues its work to address critical needs within the community.
For the first time in three decades, the MCWA board appointed two labor representatives, both Democrats, to its membership. Timothy Barbeto and David Young Jr.
Additionally, the Legislature reappointed Scott Nasca to a third term at the MCWA, despite objections from some legislators including Rachel Barnhart.
“I’ve seen a lot of bad stuff in my five years on the Monroe County Legislature but tonight’s reappointment of a conservative party official to the Monroe County Water Authority Board, well it’s among the worst,” Barnhart explained on Instagram.
Barnhart sent a letter to Monroe County Legislature President, Yversha Roman on October 8, 2024 expressing her “strong opposition” to Nasca’s reappointment. Among her concerns were Nasca’s political connections to the Conservative Party and what she notes as corruption in the MCWA stemming from 1996 when Republicans were accused of stacking the MCWA board.
“As a sign of collective will, I sought the re-appointment of Scott Nasca to the MCWA. New York State Law requires the board to have representation from more than one political party,” Roman noted in a press release after the appointment.
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