Which party controls the Monroe County Legislature will not be decided through the June 27 primaries. But city Democratic voters — and some suburban ones — still have consequential decisions to make, since the outcome of the intra-party contests will shape the party’s caucus in the Legislature.
Legislature President Sabrina LaMar is a central figure in those primaries.
LaMar made Monroe County history in 2022 when she became the first Black woman to be elected to lead the Legislature. But even though she was the first Democrat elected as the body’s president in over three decades, the way she won appointment didn’t sit well with some party members.
She ascended to the position through a deal with Republicans, who gave her the votes she needed to become president of the narrowly divided Legislature. In return, she agreed to caucus with them, a move that sparked enduring controversy.
LaMar now faces a challenge from Rose Bonnick, an aide to state Sen. Jeremy Cooney, who could oust LaMar from the seat she holds.
But LaMar could prevail, and if some of her allies challenging sitting Democratic legislators in other city-based districts win, she could have increased clout in the body.
Allies of County Executive Adam Bello, a fellow Democrat, are also trying to build up their ranks in the caucus. One is Santos Cruz, who is squaring off against progressive activist Oscar Brewer Jr. Another is Allan Richards, who is challenging Rachel Barnhart, a sitting legislator who has worked with Bello but hasn’t hesitated to challenge him on issues as well.
The primaries have lower stakes for the Legislature Republicans. The party has only one primary, which is taking place in a district covering Greece and Gates.
Democrats
Legislative District 17 (North Winton Village, Browncroft, part of Irondequoit)
Allan Richards is the Monroe County Democratic Committee’s designated candidate in this race.
A longtime aide to state Assemblymember Harry Bronson, and before that an aide to the late former Assemblymember Susan John, Richards has worked in constituent services for 20 years. Prior to his work in government, he was with Empire State Pride Agenda, an LGBT advocacy and lobbying organization that disbanded in 2016.
Richards said workforce development is one of his main priorities and that he wants the county to partner with and invest in job training programs, just as it does with the Multi-Craft Apprenticeship Preparation Program. That program trains adults from disadvantaged neighborhoods for careers in the building and construction trades.
Training young people in a skilled trade can provide a public safety benefit, as can boosting mental health services for youths, he said.
Richards wants to see the county invest more in housing, particularly for chronically homeless people who have struggled in shelter environments. Dedicated housing would make it easier for that population to connect with social workers and services, he said.
The county could also partner with local nonprofits to boost the affordable housing supply, senior housing options, or even market rate housing, he said.
Richards sees overlap between the issues the county deals with and the ones he’s dealt with as a legislative aide. He has said he wants to use the relationships he’s built with the local Assembly delegation to help the representatives and legislators work together on state issues of local importance.
Rachel Barnhart has served four years in the Legislature and is running for a third term. She currently represents the 21st District but following the once-a-decade redistricting process she moved into the redrawn 17th.
As she’s campaigned, Barnhart has highlighted a handful of accomplishments, from working across the aisle to pass ethics legislation to working with the Bello administration on the Food Delivery Fairness Act, legislation that curbs services like GrubHub from taking orders for restaurants without their permission and cooperation.
She also broke from her own party to work with Legislature President Sabrina LaMar on advancing a redistricting plan that ultimately yielded a map with six Black majority districts in the city. Barnhart strongly advocated for previous versions of the plan and while she voted for the final map, she also criticized it for favoring incumbents.
A longtime advocate for public transit and streets that better accommodate pedestrians and cyclists, she co-sponsored legislation requiring cars to leave a three-foot buffer when they pass cyclists.
Barnhart supported a recent move to expand and add staff to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. But she also proposed establishing a task force including representatives from law enforcement and social service agencies intended to help youth and families in crisis get supports such as housing, mental health care, or treatment for substance use disorders.
Barnhart believes poverty and housing are two of the biggest issues facing the Rochester area. She said that she’d like to see the county launch a trial program for housing vouchers that would assist people in need with security deposits and other move-in costs.
Legislative District 21 (Beechwood, Homestead Heights, Northland-Lyceum, part of Irondequoit)
Santos Cruz is the Monroe County Democratic Committee’s endorsed candidate in the race.
A community risk reduction firefighter in the Rochester Fire Department, Cruz also serves as president of the Rochester Hispanic Youth Baseball League. He has also volunteered with Poder 97.1, Rochester’s public Latin radio station.
Cruz positions himself as an ally of County Executive Adam Bello and said he wants to work with the exec to advance his priorities. He wants the county to direct additional resources to fight the opioid epidemic, invest in youth development and employment programs, and increase the number of minority- and women-owned businesses contracting with county government.
He also said one of his priorities is making sure the county’s Child Protective Services, which has struggled with vacancies and turnover for years, has appropriate staffing. He also wants to see better support services for incarcerated youth.
Oscar Brewer has the Working Families Party’s designation, so even if he doesn’t prevail in the primary, he’ll be on the November ballot. He’s running as part of the left-leaning People’s Slate, which includes City Council candidates Mary Lupien, Chiara “KeeKee” Smith, and Barbara Rivera.
A well-known tenant rights advocate and organizer, housing is Brewer's chief focus. For too many people in the community, poor quality housing is all they are able to find, he said. He wants the county to pursue laws establishing rent stabilization and solidifying protections for renters, especially around evictions. He also wants the county to make efforts to increase affordable housing.
Regarding public safety, Brewer believes law enforcement has a role to play. But the county, he said, needs to invest more in social services, especially programming and services geared toward youth. He also wants to see the sheriff’s office make better efforts to recruit staff from within city and county neighborhoods.
When temperatures drop below freezing overnight, the county activates its Code Blue protocols, where outreach workers and shelters try to find beds for as many homeless people as possible. Brewer wants the county to build on that effort by pursuing additional warming centers and shelter space.
Legislative District 22 (part of Center City, part of Neighborhood of the Arts, Upper Falls, Marketview Heights)
Jessie Parson, who has been active with the anti-violence organization Rise Up Rochester, is the Monroe County Democratic Committee’s designated candidate in this race. Parson didn’t respond to requests for information on his campaign and he has no website.
Mercedes Vazquez-Simmons, a boxing promoter with her own business, Pretty Girl Productions, is seeking her second term in the Legislature.
One of her priorities is public safety and she recently voted to support an expansion of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. Residents in her district have been telling her they want to see more of a police presence in their neighborhoods, she said.
But she’s also said the Rochester area can’t police itself out of some of the issues it is facing and that a community-wide response to violence and other crime is needed. She’s said that youths who commit crimes should face consequences, but that the county and other governments need to find ways to work with young people.
Vazquez-Simmons is involved in several community organizations and she started a youth program on North Clinton Avenue that provides young people with a space to focus on conflict resolution.
She also has said the county should be looking for ways to remove barriers to childcare and that it shouldn’t rely on or wait on the state to look for ways to do that.
Legislative District 25 (High Falls, Corn Hill, Plymouth-Exchange, parts of Center City and the South Wedge)
Nadja Justice
Nadja Justice is the Monroe County Democratic Committee’s designated candidate in this race. She didn’t respond to requests for information regarding her campaign and has no website.
Carolyn Delvecchio Hoffman, who lives in the Plymouth-Exchange (PLEX) Neighborhood, is vying for her second term in the Legislature. She is running on a progressive platform
which calls for the county to expand and simplify social services and its home improvement grants program, launch a universal basic income program, invest in child care and small businesses, and provide support to programs that help young people learn skilled trades.
She has also called on the county to find alternatives to policing to address public safety issues, and to expand its affordable housing efforts, programs for youth, and healthcare services, including those addressing substance use. She also wants the county to pass rent stabilization laws and stronger eviction protections for renters.
Legislative District 27 (19th Ward, part of Gates)
Sabrina LaMar’s election as Legislature president stirred controversy in her party, but she’s stood by her choice to work with Republicans. She said she ran for office to serve her constituents and the role of president was the best way for her to get things done for her district.
By way of example, LaMar said that, previously, there were small agencies and organizations in the city that could have benefitted from county funding but weren’t receiving it. But as a legislator and president she was able to secure funding for groups including Pop Warner football and cheerleading, art programs around the city, and anti-violence programs, including ROC the Peace and Rise Up Rochester.
But her biggest accomplishment, something she called a “victory for Monroe County,” happened during the redistricting process. She pushed for a map that she believed would better empower Black voters in the impoverished neighborhoods around the city’s center. The Legislature ultimately approved a map with six Black majority districts.
LaMar, a 19th Ward resident who is seeking her third term in the Legislature, is the Monroe County Democratic Committee's designated candidate in the race.
During her time in the Legislature, LaMar supported a proposal to rename the county airport in Frederick Douglass’s honor. She also supported Gantt’s Law, a measure that established a county program to certify minority and women-owned businesses to help them bid on county and city projects.
Recently, she introduced“Ban the Box” legislationwhich would prohibit the county from asking people seeking a job with county government whether they have been convicted of a crime on their application.
Rose Bonnick said she entered the race for the 27th District seat for two reasons: she didn’t want to see the incumbent run unopposed and the people and businesses in her district have needs that aren’t being met.
As community affairs coordinator for state Sen. Jeremy Cooney, Bonnick’s main responsibility is constituent service. When someone calls Cooney’s office seeking help for a problem — it could be a family in crisis, a small organization looking for funding, or business owners looking for assistance for improvement — they get Bonnick, who is adamant about going out and meeting face-to-face with them.
Bonnick, a resident of the 19th Ward, wants to take a similar approach as a legislator. She said there are lots of issues facing the district, including a significant senior population that needs access to housing and services.
Housing is a major priority for Bonnick, who believes that the county should be working with other agencies to provide safe and supportive homes for people who need them. She also wants to see the county partner with the city to improve its housing stock and wants it to explore whether there’s a way to put some social services recipients on a path to eventually own the home they’re in.
But Bonnick said her true strength is connecting people to resources, which is much of what she does in Cooney’s office. She believes that when people come to her, they should leave better off than when they arrived.
Bonnick said that as a legislator she’d make sure to be out at places where constituents can talk to her about issues, concerns, and problems.
Legislative District 29 (Maplewood, part of 14621)
Candice Lucas, who has run for a few elected offices over the years, is the Monroe County Democratic Committee’s designated candidate in this race. She is also leader of the party’s 29th Legislative District Committee.
Professionally, Lucas has a background in health and social services field and currently is the senior vice president of equity and advocacy for the Urban League of Rochester.
She’s said that one of her priorities as a legislator would be the equitable distribution of county resources, including funding, programs, and services. The work of the county-city Commission on Racial and Structural Equity should serve as a “blueprint for that work,” she added.
Lucas said she would have supported the recent measure passed by the Legislature to expand the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. Voters are telling her that they want to see more police in their neighborhoods and that they want to be protected, but that they also want to know that they’ll be treated with respect by any responding officers.
She said that could be addressed in the Sheriff’s Office by reviewing training, operational practices, and recruitment. She added that the deputies need to understand the communities they work in and that she would like to see greater diversity among the office’s ranks.
William Burgess is seeking a second term as legislator for the 29th District. He’s been a social worker for 27 years, working primarily with at-risk youth or young people in foster care.
As he’s gone door to door, he’s heard from many people that public safety is their top issue. He said some of them are afraid to come out of their homes. That’s why he recently voted for legislation expanding the sheriff’s office.
He said he wants the office to do more proactive policing where they work with youth in city neighborhoods, hold things like basketball camps, and generally get to know the communities they serve in.
But the county could also improve public safety through additional efforts to connect people with jobs and programs including mental health services.
Republicans
Legislative District 4 (parts of Gates and Greece)
Virginia McIntyre is the Monroe County Republican Committee’s designated candidate in this race.
A mezzo-soprano who studied vocal performance at SUNY Purchase and performed across Europe, McIntyre has also worked as a language professor who helped unemployed and underemployed people learn the skills they needed to get higher-paying jobs.
The Gates native returned to her hometown in 2021 to care for her mother and currently leads the town’s Conservation Advisory Board and Climate Smart Communities Task Force. She also served on the board that oversaw a 2022 update to Gates’s comprehensive plan.
Much of McIntyre’s focus is on job creation and workforce development. She wants to see stronger county support for RochesterWorks!, which helps unemployed and laid-off workers find new jobs.
She also wants to see efforts that encourage young people and workers to explore trades and wants the county to strengthen programs such as Monroe Community College’s Precision Tooling and Machining Program.
In terms of public safety, she believes that when people run afoul of the law, they should be appropriately punished. But she has also said that where youth are concerned, communities and leaders need to be asking why young people are out doing things such as stealing cars when they should be in school.
She also wants the county to look for ways to shift additional funding to caregivers of children and the elderly.
Rita Pettinaro, who works as a real estate agent, has the Conservative Party’s designation but is also challenging McIntyre for the Republican line.
Pettinaro has kept her campaign messaging simple and direct. One of her Facebook posts stated that her priorities are keeping Greece and Gates safe, keeping property taxes down, and ensuring property values increase. Pettinaro did not list any additional background, priorities, or positions on her Facebook page. Her campaign did not respond to a request for additional information.
