Rochester City Councilmember Jose Peo has announced plans to run for the state Assembly seat currently held by Sarah Clark.
Both of the candidates are Democrats, which means a primary is shaping up for the 136th District seat. The district covers Irondequoit, part of the city of Rochester, and Brighton under maps recently approved by the state Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul. Republicans are suing to get the maps struck down.
In announcing his candidacy, Peo sought to differentiate himself from Clark by framing himself as a “moderate JFK-style Democrat” who could draw support from Republicans and Democrats.
He also said he believes he better reflects the ethos of the district than Clark, who trounced both of her primary opponents when she ran for the seat in 2020.
“While Jose respects the work done by Assemblymember Clark, he is concerned she does not truly represent the current beliefs of the constituents,” his announcement read. “We need someone who shares our ideas and values to make true progress for our district.”
A resident of the city’s Charlotte neighborhood, Peo holds the Northwest District seat. He was elected in 2019 after winning the Democratic primary over Lashanna Boose by just 21 votes. He had no Republican opponent in the general election.
Clark, who lives in the Maplewood neighborhood, did not receive the Monroe County Democratic Committee’s designation for her seat in 2020, but she pulled in 59 percent of the roughly 15,500 votes cast in the three-way primary race. She prevailed in the general election against token opposition.
In a phone interview, Clark confirmed she’s running for reelection.
“Anyone can run in any race, that’s the beauty of our democracy,” Clark said. “But for me, what I’m really focused on, and the excitement I have, is selling my accomplishments, everything we’ve done in 15 months for my district and my constituents.”
She cited as an example a bill she sponsored in the 2021-22 legislative session enacted a requirement for county social services agencies to give child care providers the choice of receiving payments by direct deposit. The bill was signed into law in December 2021.
Peo, a business lending broker who owns TLS funding solutions, is Council’s most conservative member and his vocal support of law enforcement and opposition to masking and vaccine mandates during the pandemic have put him at odds with his colleagues.
Most recently, he was the sole dissenting vote on a December bill which authorized federal COVID relief funds to be used as an incentive for city employee vaccinations.
In May, Peo drafted a bill that would have imposed harsher fines and penalties for people caught illegally riding dirt bikes and ATVs in Rochester. An amended version of the bill passed in June 2021.
Gino Fanelli is a CITY staff writer. He can be reached at (585) 775-9692 or gino@rochester-citynews.com.
