Monroe County Legislature

James Sheppard, (D, WFP, IND)

Monroe County Office Building
39 West Main Street, 4th Floor, Rm. 408
Rochester, NY 14614
Contact: James Sheppard
Phone: 585-(585)-474-2260

The Honorable Eric T. Schneiderman

New York State Attorney General
The Capital
Albany, NY 12224-0341

May 23, 2016

The Honorable Thomas P. DiNapoli

New York State Comptroller
110 State Street
Albany, NY 12236
Attorney General Schneiderman and Comptroller DiNapoli,
For over two months, Monroe County has been embroiled in a controversy that undermined the
trust in local government. Beginning on March 18 2016, when New York State Governor
Andrew Cuomo appointed Town of Irondequoit Supervisor Adam Bello as Monroe County
Clerk, events have unfolded raising serious questions about whether staff of the County of
Monroe Industrial Development Agency (COMIDA) an independent agency charged with
expanding economic opportunities in Monroe County through a range of taxpayer funded means
colluded with senior members of Monroe County Executive Cheryl Dinolfos Administration
and local Republican Party officials in a politically-motivated attack.
Even more alarming, four of the seven COMIDA board members have resigned, including their
Chairwoman Theresa Mazzullo, citing the politicization of the non-partisan agency and the
inaction of County government. I have attached a thorough timeline of the events that have
transpired to this letter.
While myself, and my Democratic colleagues in the Monroe County Legislature have patiently
tried to work with the Dinolfo administration, with our Republican colleagues in the Monroe
County Legislature, with the COMIDA board, and with the District Attorneys office, all efforts
to gain a complete and thorough rendering of the facts through a formal investigation have been
blocked. Despite assertions by the above parties, many unanswered questions remain, including
but not limited to:
1. Did the County Executive, any other County employee, or COMIDA staff or Board
members knowingly mislead the press and the public about what transpired relative to the
handling of the I-Square/COMIDA scandal?
2. Who initiated the inquiries into I-Square compliance and why? Were proper
procedures followed?

3. If the initial inquiry came from Mr. Reilich for a partisan political attack, why did the
administration apparently cooperate with this request and which public employees were
involved?
4. Was the hiring of former Assistant County Executive Justin Roj by Popli Design
Group, which is headed by a current COMIDA Board member and was recently awarded
a sizable County contract, a quid pro quo transaction?
5. Has the press surrounding the COMIDA controversy affected the progress of the ISquare development, and has the Nolans business been negatively impacted by this
matter?
6. Have any other actions taken by the COMIDA board been in response to political
pressure or influence from either the County Executives office, or the heads of any
political party?
7. Has internal information from COMIDA files been relayed to any other political
operatives in Monroe County?
8. What changes or safeguards need to be implemented to stop these kinds of abuses from
recurring?
Between 2010 and 2015, COMIDA has provided taxpayer assistance to 235 projects with over
$2.1 billion in capital investment. According to COMIDA, those incentives impacted 28,250
jobs and will generate $226,473,407 in real property tax revenue over 10 years. It is vital that
the citizens of Monroe County know that their tax dollars are being used to fund projects free
from political pressure or influence. Projects granted COMIDA assistance must benefit the
entire community, not just political benefactors.
I ask that you, as the chief law enforcement and chief fiscal officers in New York State,
undertake a formal investigation using your Operation Integrity partnership as the vehicle. Each
of you has made safeguarding taxpayer dollars and protecting the public trust important
priorities. Please help the citizens of Monroe County get the answers to the important questions
surrounding this deepening scandal, and aid in restoring their faith in our civic institutions.
Sincerely,
James M. Sheppard
Monroe County Legislator, 23 Legislative District
rd

CC: New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli,

Attached: COMIDA Timeline/COMIDA Factsheet