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Monroe County accused of trying to force OTB to accept new executive

By Howard B. Owens

An attempt to fill a long-vacant executive position at Western Regional OTB with a Monroe County politician with some baggage is meeting resistance locally.

Genesee County's representative on the OTB board, Richard Siebert, told the Democrat & Chronicle that Monroe County officials are trying to make the appointment without going through proper procedures.

James Smith is a former deputy executive for Monroe County who was charged -- and later acquitted -- of misdemeanors related to alleged misuse of county workers for non-county work.

Smith's nomination is supported by Dennis Bassett, who is Rochester Mayor Robert Duffy’s appointee to the board.

According to Siebert, there's been no interview process and no other candidates considered.

One subcommittee vote was a tie, effectively killing Smith's application.

However, Bassett is now reportedly trying to bring a vote on Smith to the entire board.

A meeting with this single item on the agenda is scheduled for Oct. 11.

From the D&C:

Siebert said Smith supporters are trying to push the appointment through without advertising the job. Smith lacks gaming experience and, while Smith was acquitted of criminal charges, the accusations against him did raise questions about his managerial work, Siebert said.

“They’re ramming it down our throats,” Siebert said.

C. M. Barons

Since when do patronage jobs require experience (tongue firmly in cheek)? Smith belongs to the correct party; perhaps he fails on not being (unlike his colleagues) a former GOP Chair?

...Can't be insinuations about Robutrad? Not that I'm on Smith's side, but Mr. Siebert overlooked Paladino's questionable baggage: a campaign manager who ignored a $53,000 federal tax bill, an adviser indicted on charges of stealing more than $1 million from Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s re-election fund and a campaign chairwoman forced out of her last job over allegations she steered $1 billion in public money to a politically connected investment manager.

Oct 6, 2010, 2:48pm Permalink

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