ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Monroe County Legislature voted 21 to 8 to opt out of a state-backed short-term rental registry on Tuesday. This decision sets Monroe County apart from other counties like Erie, Onondaga, and Albany, which have opted into the registry.
Legislator Rachel Barnhart was among the eight who voted against opting out. She claims that Congressman Joe Morelle’s son, Nicholas Morelle, influenced the vote due to his position as senior vice president at Ostroff Associates, a lobbying firm for Airbnb.
“Monroe County stands alone because a powerful congressman here has a son who works for Ostroff Associates,” Barnhart said. “And three hours ago, we were given information that I suspected was there all on showing that Nick Morelle, Joe Morelle’s son was deeply involved in crafting the very legislation that we’re voting on tonight that Airbnb wants.”
According to files from County Executive Adam Bello, there were at least seven correspondences between the county and Ostroff Associates from April to November.
When asked about these interactions, the county executive’s office provided the following statement:
Legislator Barnhart told a compelling story tonight at the County Legislature meeting. Unfortunately, it’s just that – a story. Any implication that anyone other than the County Law Department was “deeply involved” with the drafting of Monroe County’s local law opting out of the state’s short-term rental registry law, and the negotiation of any associated agreements, is offensive, spurious, and baseless. This is just another example of Legislator Barnhart disguising her personal and political grievances as policy disagreements.
Despite Legislator Barnhart’s claims, opting out gives Monroe County flexibility – it does not prevent us from opting in and establishing a registry at a later date if the State’s system proves to be more financially beneficial. This approach also allows us to collect more information from local government partners and be deliberate in our approach to this new system. Our responsibility is to protect taxpayer resources, preserve critical revenue, and act in the best interest of Monroe County residents.
The option to join the registry later influenced some legislators’ decisions. Legislator John Baynes was among those who supported the opt-out, citing this flexibility.
“And I will be deeply disappointed if this matter – after six months, eight months or eleven months – We don’t together make a determination whether to have another discussion and possibly join this registry, at that time, if it’s the right decision.” said Baynes. “And for that reason, I’ll be voting yes in favor of not making an irrevocable decision, but opting out.
News10NBC reached out to Congressman Morelle’s office and his son for comment but has not received a response.
The post Monroe County opts out of short-term rental registry in 21 to 8 vote appeared first on WHEC.com.
