First hour: Linda Kingsley, retiring corporation counsel for the City of Rochester
Second hour: Discussing the state of overdoses in Monroe County and how to curb the local opioid crisis
The top lawyer for the City of Rochester is retiring. Prior to serving the administration of Mayor Malik Evans, Linda Kingsley held the same role from 1994 until 2005 under Mayor Bill Johnson. The breadth of her work is expansive, representing the city in a range of legal areas, including housing, gun violence, taxes, economic development, and the recent Kia and Hyundai thefts. Guest host Gino Fanelli sits down with Kingsley to discuss her work, her long career, and what’s next. Our guest:
- Linda Kingsley, retiring corporation counsel for the City of Rochester
Then in our second hour, a new report shows the number of opioid overdose-related deaths in Monroe County increased 14 percent from 2021 to 2022. While fentanyl was present in nearly all of the cases, cocaine and a new synthetic anesthetic is also cause for concern. Meanwhile, the prevalence of heroin in overdose deaths has drastically decreased. For every person lost, there are friends and family struggling to cope. This hour, we discuss what we can learn from the report, how we can apply that knowledge to harm reduction strategies, and we talk about how to curb the opioid crisis in Monroe County. Our guests:
- Michael Mendoza, M.D., Monroe County Health Commissioner
- Christopher Abert, executive director of New York Recovery Alliance
- Stephanie Forrester, board president and co-founder of Recovery All Ways, and peer advocate for Person Centered Housing Options
- Lori Drescher, founder of Recovery Coach University; recovery coach trainer; and mother of Jonathan, who passed away in 2021
