The longtime clerk of the Monroe County Legislature has resigned, forced out in an alleged political power play by Democratic leadership.
David Grant had served in the office for 16 ½ years and was unanimously reappointed after Democrats took majority control of the Legislature in 2024.
The 42-year-old enrolled Conservative is replaced by 24-year-old Democrat Nayeliz Santiago, the former deputy clerk appointed Tuesday night in an 18-11 party-line vote.
“This is morally bankrupt. It's not leadership. This is not public service,” Minority Leader Sean McCabe, R-Greece, said during the Legislature meeting. "This is truly political rot.”
McCabe nominated Grant to continue serving in the position, claiming that Democrats had falsely derided Grant’s job performance to justify the ouster.
Legislature President Yversha Roman, D-Greece, backed Santiago. In an interview Wednesday, she said McCabe “allowed his emotions to cloud his judgment and leadership.”
She described Grant’s years of service as “notable and honorable,” but said “there are so many things that the clerk’s office can do in the future to make county government more accessible and available.”
She noted there are years of consolidated legislative proceedings that have yet to be posted and therefore publicly searchable on the county website. She also said Santiago has overseen a shift to new meeting technology. And Roman sees her as bringing a new energy to make the Legislature’s records more easily navigable, including conducting community sessions to train people on the local process and records.
Clerk of the Legislature is an appointed position that serves at the pleasure of lawmakers, maintains official records, manages the legislative process and supports the president and other legislators. While it has been a patronage position in past years, Grant had served under both Republican and Democratic leaders.
Grant resigned Friday in an email to legislators that expressed thanks and regret.
“To be candid,” he wrote, “these last few months have been incredibly difficult. When I was first told that the Legislature was ‘moving in a different direction,’ I was assured there would be an open and transparent process. Unfortunately, that is not what occurred.”
Grant concluded that he was proud of his record and disappointed to leave under these circumstances. McCabe described Grant as “politically inconvenient.”
Roman said the position was not posted but rather that a job description was circulated to Democratic lawmakers to solicit applicants. Two people interviewed for the post, she said.
