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Former Police Chief Cedric Alexander named new deputy mayor

Cedric Alexander is announced by Mayor Lovely Warren as Rochester's new deputy mayor.
SASHA-ANN SIMONS/ WXXI NEWS
Cedric Alexander is announced by Mayor Lovely Warren as Rochester's new deputy mayor.

Mayor Lovely Warren has named former Rochester Police Chief Cedric Alexander as the city's new deputy mayor.

“He's a natural communicator, has a way of getting people to all focus on a common goal and work together to achieve that goal,” said Warren. “Now he's going to bring those skills to the deputy mayor's office to help us advance our goals of creating more jobs, safer and more vibrant neighborhoods, and better educational opportunities for all of our citizens."

Alexander, who has a doctorate in clinical psychology, is the deputy chief operating officer and director of public safety for DeKalb County, Georgia. He oversees the day-to-day operations of the county’s police and fire departments, the medical examiner’s office, and 911 communications. 

He served as Rochester’s police chief and deputy chief from 2002 to 2005.

Alexander said at a news conference Monday at City Hall that he came back to Rochester because the mayor is doing great work for the city, and he plans to help push her agenda forward.

“There's no political motivation in this for me,” Alexander said. “There is no road for me to go down, than to help [Rochester] grow into a city that we know can go beyond the capacity of what it is today.”

Alexander has appeared on national media networks to provide comment on police-community relations.

He will replace Carlos Carballada, who has been deputy mayor since June 2016, following the retirement of Leonard Redon.

The announcement comes one week after Mayor Warren announced her bid for re-election. She faces another former Rochester police chief in the race, County Legislator James Sheppard, along with former television journalist Rachel Barnhart and Green Party candidate Alex White.

Alexander’s first day in office is scheduled for April 24, 2017.

Sasha-Ann Simons joined the team at WXXI News in 2015 as a Multimedia Reporter/Producer. She tells stories about the innovation economy and technology in upstate New York and also does general assignment reporting. Sasha-Ann is the host of Arts InFocus, WXXI-TV's weekly arts and culture program. She is also a fill-in host and regular contributor to Need To Know.