Monroe County Executive-elect Adam Bello on Friday capped off a week consumed by news of Republican legislators attempting to strip his office of some of its powers by announcing the makeup of his transition team.
The team consists of three chairs and five subcommittees, each with its own co-chairs.
The chairs are Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce CEO Bob Duffy, Action for a Better Community President and CEO Jerome Underwood, and Fran Weisberg, whose career as a nonprofit executive included leadership roles at United Way of Greater Rochester, Finger Lakes Health Systems Agency, and Lifespan.
Bello said he has asked members of the subcommittees to identify "critical issues facing our community" and recommend strategies to address them.
"I've argued with passion that there is no issue too large that we can't overcome by working together, and we are setting that tone today," Bello said in introducing his team.
The committees and their co-chairs are:
- Economic and Community Development: Naomi Silver, president and CEO of Rochester Red Wings Baseball, and Alex Castro, chief operating officer of Pathstone Corp.
- Human Services: Wade Norwood, CEO of Common Ground Health; Meaghan de Chateauvieux, president and CEO of Willow Domestic Violence Center; and Ann Marie Cook, president and CEO of Lifespan of Greater Rochester.
- Public Safety: Monroe County Sheriff Todd Baxter, Rochester City Council member Willie Lightfoot, and Carla Palumbo, president and CEO of Legal Aid Society of Rochester.
- Infrastructure: Norm Jones, the city of Rochester's commissioner of environmental services; Tony Diperna, president of the Rochester Building & Construction Trades Council; and Nabil Nasr, director of RIT's Golisano Institute for Sustainability.
- Administration: Angela Panzarella, president and CEO of the YWCA of Rochester; Marlene Bessette, president and CEO of the Catholic Family Center of Rochester; and Bess Watts, retired president of CSEA Monroe County Local 828 and a longtime LGBTQ equality activist.
Irondequoit Supervisor David Seeley will serve as executive director of the transition team.
Bello also said that over the next few weeks, he'll be assembling his administration's leadership team. Anyone interested in joining can e-mail resumes@monroecountytransition.com.
Residents can provide input on the transition by e-mailing info@monroecountytransition.com.
Jeremy Moule is CITY's news editor. He can be reached at jmoule@rochester-citynews.com.
