Calling for fiscal and ethical accountability in county government, Spencerport school board member Todd Dunn announced his candidacy in the Monroe County Legislature's first district. "From the scandals at the Water Authority and county industrial development agency to the chronic budget deficits that threaten our prosperity for years to come, I believe we need a county legislature that once again acts on behalf of the public interest rather than the interests of one political party," wrote Dunn in a press release. He is endorsed by the Democratic and Working Families parties. Dunn, elected twice to the Spencerport school board, wrote he has a record of holding the line on property taxes that reflect his commitment to protecting hardworking homeowners from the effects of poor financial management. He noted the ethical lapses that have occurred under the Republican watch, including revelations last year that Republican insiders were given huge, unearned salaries and benefits for their work at the Monroe County Water Authority. The state comptroller's office has criticized the authority's practices. "As a member of the county legislature, I'll demand oversight of the activities and operations that affect the lives and wallets of the citizens who pay for them," Dunn wrote in the press release. "The legislature majority, including my opponent, has done little to truly correct this failure of integrity, and we deserve better." Dunn, a professor of civil engineering technology at Rochester Institute of Technology and an engineering consultant for local construction contractors, also wrote that economic development would be a high priority. "More than 20,000 jobs have disappeared from Monroe County over the past decade. County government must abandon the failed economic policies of the past, which involve tax breaks for many businesses that promised to create new jobs but never delivered," Dunn wrote. "We must demand accountability and benchmarking to ensure that our policies are resulting in a real job growth, not wasted tax dollars." Dunn's family has lived in the Brockport-Spencerport area for four generations and owns Dunn's Furniture, a fixture of the Brockport business community for over 90 years. His wife, Sharon, has taught in the Brockport Central school district for 26 years. They have two children, Erin, 17, and Colin, 14. The First Legislative District includes the town of Parma and portions of Ogden and Sweden. © October 7, 2007 - Westside News Inc. |
