County Executive Adam Bello excluded Legislators Mercedes Vazquez-Simmons and Rachel Barnhart from a briefing this morning about a $25.4 million American Rescue Plan Act funding package.
Portions of the spending package, negotiated in a back room, have very little detail. Legislators have only a few days to review the plan before committee votes next week.
“It’s ironic Bello excluded us on the same day his political ally is being arraigned for harassing Legislator Vazquez-Simmons in an attempt to get her to vote for ARPA funding for her organization,” said Legislator Barnhart. “It’s not lost on us that we filed a lengthy complaint with the U.S. Attorney about Bello’s ARPA program, and he is terrified to take our questions.”
“We’ll ask our questions in the legislative chambers. On its face, this plan lacks crucial support for housing and the eviction crisis,” said Legislator Vazquez-Simmons. “Bello should care more about the people we represent than protecting his friends.”
The funding package is one up or down vote, a way to set legislators up for criticism if they vote against popular spending items. This deprives legislators of the ability to deeply consider and vote their conscience on each item.
Legislator Barnhart wrote an op-ed in the Rochester Beacon calling for transparency, as we don’t even know how the administration calculated how much ARPA funding is left.
“Every step of the way, the Bello administration has fought us on basic information. The public has a right to know – especially after a quarter million dollars went missing,” said Legislator Barnhart. “Here we are again – being rushed into approving a massive spending package without being able to do due diligence beforehand. We don’t learn from past mistakes.”
“I don’t know how I’ll vote, but I’ll do the best I can to fight for my district and our community as we wade through these proposals, some of which are incredibly vague,” Legislator Vazquez-Simmons said.