Funny, but I didn’t think that “Renaissance” meant “the same old crap.” Apparently, according to the way things work in Monroe County, I was wrong:

GOP benefits from Ren Square developers’ largesse || Democrat & Chronicle: Local News

County Executive Maggie Brooks, who is seeking re-election in November and has received about $12,500 in campaign contributions from Renaissance Square developers during the same time period, said she does not control who is selected for the project’s contracts; the companies are chosen by a committee that reviews bids.”I absolutely discount the fact that that has anything to do with it,” she said. “We have a lot of talented people in this community, and we don’t make our decisions based on” political contributions.

Still, some developers admitted that they contribute to the parties — and had been doing so long before Renaissance Square — to help get contracts.

So, once again, Maggie Brooks blames all the ills of our contracting/construction world on some nameless, faceless “committee.” It’s COMIDA all over again. The fact that she’s the chief executive of Monroe County’s affairs and aught to at least be somewhat familiar with major contract negotiations seems not to factor into this equation at all, at least not for her. It’s just not her department, that’s all.

Meanwhile, the contributions keep rolling in and the contractors are not shy in admitting to Joe Spector that, well, those contributions are helping bunches and bunches. Moreover, the article points out that the Dems are getting about 15 cents on the Republican dollar. You know what they say: it’s the squeaky wheel that gets the grease.

OK, people. I think we’ve heard enough. I’m as sure as anybody that Maggie Brooks is a well-intentioned public servant, but she’s either intentionally ignorant of the impropriety around her or she’s really as out-of-touch as she seems to be when questioned. Either she’s allowed Steve Minarik to run the show as he claims to, or she’s in over her head.

Both options are viable, since after all, she’s twice now made a big deal out of stuff she saw on television about her own administration. Stuff that a responsible administrator would either have already known or else quietly made reparations on and dutifully reported back to the public without the pomp and circumstance.

Let’s try to do better with the next Executive.

Technorati Tags: Maggie Brooks, Steve Minarik, Renaissance Square, Graft, Clean Money, Republicans, Monroe County

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