While it’s often said that elections hinge on who gets their voters to the polls, that is certain to be the case in the race for Irondequoit town supervisor.
And with Democrats holding a distinct edge in registered voters, the odds for incumbent Republican Rory Fitzpatrick’s re-election are – by his own account – not in his favor.
“The odds, they're already against me, they were against me last time, they're against me this time,” Fitzpatrick said.
Fitzpatrick won election in 2021 by a margin of 76 votes over Joe Morelle Jr., the son and namesake of U.S. Rep. Joe Morelle, D-Irondequoit. It was an off-year election. Turnout was low.
This year is different.
Fitzpatrick’s Democratic challenger Andrae Evans is a relative unknown. But Monroe County Executive Adam Bello, an Irondequoit native, is leading the ticket, and his race against Republican challenger Mark Assini is expected to boost Democratic turnout. A contested county Legislature race for a district in Irondequoit also should help push people to the polls.
The supervisor’s term is just two years. Fitzpatrick said in that time he has sought to provide an even playing field for businesses, invested in city infrastructure, green initiatives and police, and brought in an outside consultant to address concerns with the town’s community development operations that he claims were in disarray with skipped inspections and waived fees.
“I wanted to create a more consistent business environment here,” said Fitzpatrick, 48. “Before I got here, everybody received a different message or a different treatment from the town.”
Evans, 61, says he is running to provide voters a choice, and says he would bring more voices to the table. He questions the even-handedness of the Fitzpatrick administration.
“I heard things that were anti-business. I heard unresponsive government. And I wanted to bring us back to a place where we could build and grow for the future,” he said.
Expectations and results
On the issues, Fitzpatrick points to investments in public safety – putting money into training and equipment for a Police Department that is now fully staffed, he said, culminating a multi-year buildup. The town restarted a teen academy and has focused on increasing the department’s community outreach.
The town spends 32% of its $41 million budget on police, fueled in part by the use of federal pandemic relief dollars. Fitzpatrick’s 2024 budget proposal continues that trend. If approved, police spending will have increased 15% over 2022.
Evans said he would do more to bring police closer to the public, link crisis intervention and social workers with police, and supporting officer health.
It's in their assessments of economic and community development that Fitzpatrick and Evans differ most.
“I think I've done what people voted me in for,” Fitzpatrick said. “In a very political world, we've put down those political lines here in this town and gotten things done. And I think you see it with the events we have, the amount of people coming; with the amount of people that are showing up to our board meetings, that are now active in our in our government, are giving their inputs."
There have been controversies, the most public involving I-Square, which has a long history of skirmishes with the town and county. Evans said he has known the developers for years and thinks he can be the one to finally resolve the conflicts.
“There are things that we're raising as issues that aren't really issues, or really problems,” Evans said.
Both candidates talk about the need to update the town code, zoning laws, and comprehensive plan. Evans said he also would seek to elevate economic development discussions, bring in area chambers and developers, and would create a business incubator.
“We can bring in the landowners, the commercial property owners, and those interested in creating a business here to our town,” Evans said. “And I think that's easily done. It just takes will and know-how, which I have a lot of. And pulling the experts together. I don't know everything. So it's relying on the experts that's in the field already.”
Beyond the issues
Evans is a veteran who, since leaving the military, has made a career working mainly in public safety.
That includes a short stint with the county in 2017-18 as safety and security administrator under then-County Executive Cheryl Dinolfo. That ended abruptly, with Evans later suing, claiming he was terminated in retaliation for complaining about racial discrimination in a confrontation with a female colleague. He now says he was not fired.
The county denied the allegation and sided with the colleague who claimed Evans slammed a door, hitting her in the face. Evans sued. The county settled the case for six months wages at his final salary of $35,975.
Fitzpatrick is a former professional hockey player who, for a time, had a stake in a handful of area ice rinks and owned Cooper Deli with his wife for 10 years.
During his first year in office, town councilmember Patrina Freeman, the only Black member of the five-person town board, accused him of slamming a door and breaking her wrist during a heated argument. Police investigated but did not file charges. Freeman sued Fitzpatrick in late September.
There’s a lot for voters to digest. And many already have cast their ballots. Early voting turnout countywide is tracking ahead of two years ago.
“Though it's not a Morelle, it's kind of the same situation where you're running against that club, or that team,” Fitzpatrick said.
The “team” he refers to is the faction of the local Democratic Party closely aligned with Congressman Morelle. The previous two Irondequoit supervisors — Bello and Dave Seeley – both worked for Morelle. But Evans — a former U.S. Army colonel — insists he isn’t an extension of the old guard.
“Is it a continuation? No, it's not,” Evans said when asked about the claim. “Do they support me? Yes, they do. They support me because we're Democrats. And I think we've learned that if we're unified, we can get more accomplished than if we're divided.”
