Rochester Mayoral Candidate Rachel Barnhart is calling for an overhaul of the city’s ethics review process, opening it up to complaints from citizens and providing fines and possible disciplinary action against violators.
Barnhart says issues with an Uber job fair at City Hall last month show major change is needed. The Democratic candidate says incumbent Mayor Lovely Warren’s former chief of staff now works for the PR firm representing Uber in their successful campaign to bring ridesharing services to New York. She says that amounts to an inappropriate relationship with Uber, a claim Mayor Warren rejects.
Barnhart is running against Warren and against former Police Chief Jim Sheppard for the Democratic nomination.
Barnhart wants a one-year-ban on any former city employee contacting city officials on behalf of a new employe. She wants to ban city employees from serving on political party committees and ban political contributions from any city vendor to the mayor or members of city council.