D&C Ed Board Right On Public Defender Selection
As much as we take issue with the Democrat & Chronicle’s editorials, occasionally, they come out with something that’s right on target. stlo7 was the first to raise the issue in RT, mid-November:
Monroe County will need a chief public defender on Jan. 1, and the question emerging is: Will the county make the appointment based on credentials or connections?
Why is this even a question?
I followed up last week in the wake of Monroe County Prez Wayne Zyra (R) announcing a brand new plan for selecting the PD, asking why they would change a winning formula to a committee that looked custom made to select Steve Minarik’s pick.
Monday, the D&C addressed this in their top editorial:
Monroe County has changed a lot in the 30 years since the last public defender was chosen to serve poor people. Unchanged, however, is the reasonable citizen expectation of integrity in government decision-making.
Because that’s so is all the more reason why the County Legislature should stick to the same community-based process used to choose retiring Monroe County Public Defender Edward Nowak in 1977.
Unfortunately, County Legislature President Wayne Zyra disagrees. He has started assembling his own rendition of a community-based committee to recommend Nowak’s replacement to the legislature.
Yes, yes, yes! THANK YOU! They add this important observation:
what makes this panel notably different from the ones used in 1977 and 1974 is that it includes politicians.
Why is that a problem, in case it’s not totally obvious to the reader?
No one disputes that politicians are capable of fair, impartial decision-making. But the reality is that there is always the possibility that politics instead of merit may drive their decision-making.
What???? I’m shocked–shocked I tell you!– to find out that politicians are letting politics drive their decision-making. It’s not like they’ve been bought and paid for by the Brooks/Minarik funding machine… Oh wait, they have.
The D&C then adds this interesting tidbit:
And only after objections were raised was Zyra’s appointment of probation department official Robert Burns rescinded. Zyra should have known that the probation department is an adversary of the public defender’s office. While it’s true that mistakes happen, that one was troubling.
Doh! Again, I understand that the D&C has to tread lightly and afford these guys every benefit of the doubt. But come on. Zyra totally knew, but what Steve Minarik wants, he gets. Until folks start paying attention, apparently.
Nice job, D&C. More of this, please!
That’s a solid editorial. If I read it without knowing it were it came from (and the names were not identifiably Rochesterian), I would have guessed the New York Times.
A few more of these, and I may renew my subscription!
I’m definitely impressed. When the media pays attention and investigates what is happening, public officials tend to tread more carefully. It remains to be seen what Zyra will do after his next conversation with Minarik and Co., but at least he’s aware that people care and are watching.