David Riley, and Meaghan M. McDermott

Democrat and Chronicle

Monroe County Executive Cheryl Dinolfo on Monday sought to quell a political controversy that centers on the I-Square project in Irondequoit, but there are few signs that the furor will go away quietly.

In her first public remarks since the dispute began 10 days ago, Dinolfo said little about whether she thought the matter was handled properly. For the most part, she tried instead to explain some of the events that led up to the dispute.

Dinolfo said the County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency, or COMIDA, dispatched a staffer to the I-Square site on a Sunday night not at her bidding or that of the county Republican chairman, but to answer a flood of media questions about the development.

Beforehand, COMIDA chairwoman Theresa Mazzullo had contacted Assistant County Executive Justin Roj to ask him how to handle the media inquiries, according to Dinolfo. She said Roj simply directed Mazzullo to talk to the agency's attorney and do what she thought was necessary.

“No one on my staff gave them the go-ahead to go out to I-Square,” she said.

Mike Nolan, who owns I-Square with his wife, Wendy, said he saw little substance in Dinolfo's remarks.

"It was terrible and she blew the one chance she had to come out and show ethics on a county level," he said.

I-Square caught in political crossfire

The dispute began on Friday, March 18, when County Republican Chairman Bill Reilich attacked Adam Bello, a Democrat who left his position as Irondequoit supervisor to accept an appointment as county clerk. Reilich said Bello was abandoning Irondequoit as I-Square was failing, and that its owners had defaulted on their end of a deal for tax breaks from COMIDA.

Over that weekend, Nolan and his wife, Wendy, sharply disputed Reilich's claims. A COMIDA staffer then went to the site the night of Sunday, March 20, and the agency said in a legal memo released the next day that the Nolans had indeed defaulted on their agreement.

Both the Nolans and local Democrats have questioned why Reilich was apparently privy to information about I-Square before its owners, and at whose direction someone was sent to check out the site on a Sunday night.

Other than a four-sentence statement released last week, Dinolfo had yet to speak publicly about the matter until Monday.

Andreatta: Reilich digs himself big hole over I-Square

Noting that she lives in Irondequoit, Dinolfo said she was glad that I-Square has been successful overall.

She said it was not unusual for COMIDA to react promptly to media questions on a weekend. It is not common practice, however.

Dinolfo said Roj did nothing wrong in his direction to Mazzullo. “My staff did in fact say go out, consult with your attorneys, follow your attorneys’ advice and do whatever you think is necessary," she said. "And they did that.”

Dinolfo said she didn't know who went to look at the I-Square development.

As to whether it was acceptable for Reilich to know about any issues at I-Square before the Nolans, Dinolfo said there are many public documents about the project online. But none on the COMIDA website at the time indicated any finding of a default at the project.

Dinolfo declined to directly address Reilich's political statement. When asked what influence party politics plays in county government, she replied: "It doesn't."

Mazzullo and Roj could not be reached for comment.

The Nolans said that they received their first official notification of any apparent problem from COMIDA on Monday afternoon.

"It's funny because I made three phone calls to COMIDA last week, and none of those were returned," said Mike Nolan.

The issue is apparently a dispute over what qualifies as the project's "second building" that was supposed to be constructed by Dec. 31, 2015. The Nolans say their COMIDA agreement did not specify any particular building that had to be constructed by that time, while COMIDA asserts that a three-story, 15,000-square-foot apartment building labeled "Building 2" on a site development plan should have been built. A much smaller second building, a maintenance/recycling and storage facility, was constructed before the deadline.

According to the COMIDA letter from Acting Executive Director Paul Johnson, the benchmarks and construction milestones I-Square hasn't met were enacted at the request of the town of Irondequoit and the West Irondequoit Central School District, and that if the Nolans ask, the agency will check with those entities to see if the recycling building is a satisfactory substitute for the "second building."

I-Square owner denies default, threatens to sue GOP leader

On Monday, Democrats in the Monroe County Legislature called for a special committee to investigate apparent collusion between COMIDA and the county GOP.

"I and my colleagues believe it is time for the County Legislature to use its oversight and investigatory powers to determine what happened and whether any improper actions were committed by county employees, said Legislator Mark Muoio, D-Rochester.

Under its charter, the legislature has the ability to create temporary investigative committees with "substantial powers" that can issue subpoenas, compel testimony under oath and require the production of documentation and records, he said.

Hundreds roll out to support I-Square

The legislation will be submitted to Legislature President Anthony Daniele, R-Pittsford, to be considered as a "matter of urgency" so it can be discussed at the legislature's April 12 meeting. If it is not submitted by the president as an urgent matter, Muoio said Democrats will introduce the legislation themselves for consideration in May.

But, he said, "We do not believe delaying this investigation until May serves the goal of creating the most ethical and transparent county government in the nation," referring to Dinolfo's campaign pledge of bringing a new, more ethical era to county government.

Asked if she thinks an investigation is needed, Dinolfo talked instead about her plans for an Office of Public Integrity, a sort of in-house watchdog for county government. Once a director is hired, it will be up to that person to decide what to investigate — including this matter, if he or she sees fit, Dinolfo said.

DRILEY@Gannett.com

MCDERMOT@Gannett.com

I-Square dust-up prompts call for investigation

What, exactly, does COMIDA do?