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County Legislator James Sheppard Wants State to Investigate COMIDA

Democratic Monroe County Legislator James Sheppard has written to the State Attorney General and State Comptroller, asking for a formal investigation into the I-Square controversy.

He wants the state to investigate the conduct of COMIDA, the county administration, and Greece Town Supervisor and Republican Chair Bill Reilich.

He told WXXI that  his questions to local officials have gone unanswered.

"The County Executive and the County administration have not initiated an investigation, COMIDA had expressed that they were going to start one, they have not.  And then the Monroe County DA's office took a look into it, and felt there was nothing worthy of reporting out," he said.

Sheppard says the four COMIDA board members that have resigned all say they think the County Administration should come forward with the facts.  Dinolfo is scheduled to have a news conference about the COMIDA situation on Tuesday morning.

Here is the statement released by Sheppard Monday:

Today, I am requesting that the New York State Attorney General’s Office, in conjunction with the Office of New York State Comptroller, investigate the conduct of COMIDA, the Dinolfo Administration, and Greece Town Supervisor and Republican Chairman Bill Reilich to ensure that the government of Monroe County is operating in an ethical and transparent manner, and that County tax dollars are not subject to political influence.  I believe the following questions represent the starting point of any thorough investigation:

1. Who initiated the inquiries into I-Square compliance and why?  Were proper procedures followed?

2.  If the initial inquiry came from Mr. Reilich for a partisan political attack, why did the administration apparently cooperate with this request and which employees were involved?

3. 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?

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 I-Square development, and has the Nolan’s’ 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 Executive’s 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?

9. Any other relevant questions and findings related to the Dinolfo administration’s access to COMIDA or quid-pro-quo activities

Ensuring that our government is transparent and maintains the highest ethical and legal standards is not a liberal or conservative issue – it’s one in which we all have a stake. We owe it to the citizens of Monroe County to find the answers to these important questions. I ask that state officials intervene and provide the accountability that our citizens are entitled.