Monroe County Legislature President Sabrina Lamar has named Buffalo Criminal Defense Attorney Robert Fogg as her choice for the county's next public defender. But his appointment depends on a vote of the full legislature, where Democrats hold a one seat majority that mostly favors another candidate: Assistant Public Defender Julie Cicanca.
Lamar urged all legislators to resist party politics and vote for Fogg as the most qualified candidate, or as she put it, to "do the right thing." Lamar claims the Public Defender's office has grown too political over the past decade, and not diverse enough. Fogg is African American, and says his appointment would mean something at this point in history.
The vote will likely come at the next full meeting of the legislature in August.