Public Defender Selection: Why Change a Winning Formula?
Somehow, I feel like I’m watching local corruption unfold before my eyes. Again. Earlier this week:
County Legislature President Wayne Zyra is calling for a committee of representatives from inside and outside government to help select the next chief defender.
Based on the list of people Zyra appointed to the committee or who he’s letting appoint people, I count at least 5 folks out of 9 likely to do Minarik’s bidding, including Dan DeLaus, county attorney. Window dressing aside (*cough*Steve Lindley*cough*), it looks a little stacked to me.
What was the committee makeup before?
The former committee included three sitting judges, three members of the bar association and three representatives of community groups.
So retiring PD Ed Nowak, selected by the former committee, was so great that he served, with distinction, for 30 years. Not an easy task for such a public figure in such a thankless job.
Why then, are they changing the process, when it produced such an exemplary candidate before? Where’s the community involvement, especially by the minority community, who are the vast majority of folks being served by the public defender’s office.
What’s the Dem’s response to this?
Legislature Minority Leader Harry Bronson, D-Rochester, said the committee is capable of producing a list of qualified candidates without concern for political affiliation.
Harry, I love ya. Got a lot of respect for ya. Let’s hope you’re right and we don’t need to do a cartoon of you being played like a bass fiddle!
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