The one incumbent in the Rochester city court race, Melissa Barrett, led the field of six candidates competing for two seats. Barrett, one of the Democratic Party’s designated candidates, was appointed in December to succeed Leticia Astacio. She received about 30.4 percent of the vote.
Also heading to City Court: Nicole Morris, an assistant public defender, who received just over 20 percent of the votes.
The other candidates: Rochester school board president Van White, 17.48 percent; Mark Muoio, the Democrats’ other designated candidate, 15.69; Aaron Frazier, 8.9 percent; and Barbara Farrell, 7.14 percent.
White, who is currently president of the Rochester City Board of Education, said he will remain in that position “at least through December 2020.”
White said he’s seen members of the school board and the criminal justice system try to blame each other for problems affecting city youths.
“I hope our newly elected judges don’t do that,” he said, “And it’s important that folks … in our schools don’t blame the criminal justice system for what’s going on.
“Everybody needs to take some accountability for what they can do to improve those systems,” White said.
Towler is editor of CITY Newspaper. This story includes additional reporting by Brett Dahlberg of WXXI News.
