The Monroe County Executive’s Office says Julie Cinaca was sworn in Wednesday afternoon as the county’s Public Defender, less than a day after a bipartisan majority of County Legislators voted for her in a special meeting Tuesday night.
The move drew immediate condemnation from Legislature President Sabrina LaMar, a Democrat who with most of the Republican legislature caucus favored another candidate: Buffalo Defense Attorney Robert Fogg. LaMar called the 16 legislators who attended the special meeting “rogue legislators” and said the meeting was illegal under the rules of the legislature. Sixteen of 29 county legislators made it to the special meeting, and 15 of them voted for Cianca.
The legislature’s Democratic Caucus, which backed Cianca, said they acted to move forward after 11 months with the position vacant.
But LaMar said Cianca’s candidacy was rejected by the Legislature’s Public Safety Committee in September and the rules to reintroduce the matter were not followed. Fogg’s nomination was likewise rejected by a vote of the full legislature earlier in the fall, continuing the stalemate.
LaMar says she’s considering her next step after meeting with legal counsel. The issue could be headed to court.