From WHEC-TV (Rochester, NY):
The Monroe County Public Defender was chosen in early February. The County Legislature appointed Tim Donaher. But the controversy about how he was chosen continues, and some local clergy say their right to protest that process was violated.
Could a lawsuit be in the works?
A group called the coalition met Thursday night to discuss strategy. Members say they want to fix the process of choosing a public defender for the future.
Rev. Franklin Florence said, “There has to be a process that is non-partisan.” County legislator Calvin Lee is a member of The Coalition. He said, “If we have to be the sacrificial lamb lets lean from this experience, lets correct this forever and not have to go through this in life.”
The other issue this group is upset about is how the people who protested the process were treated. Florence said, “What’s important here is that you had people petitioning their government and if America is America, a citizen should have that right.” Reverend Florence described the treatment as unlawful. Florence along with Assemblyman David Gantt, Reverend Raymond Scott and two other people were arrested during the selection process. They were all charged with disorderly conduct.
We asked, were your rights violated? Rev.Florence answered, “We think they were.”
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