Republicans on the County Legislature's Public Safety Committee interviewed three local candidates for the public defender's position today, following morning protests that led to the arrest of State Assemblymember David Gantt and community activists Franklin Florence and Raymond Scott. [See previous posting.]

Democratic members of the committee refused to take part, disagreeing with the Republicans' refusal to permit a non-partisan committee to screen the candidates. The process, said Democratic Minority Legislator Harry Bronson, is "a violation of the public trust."

Republican Majority Leader Dan Quatro said he expected that the Public Safety Committee will make a recommendation today, after the interviews. The committee will recommend one candidate, he said, and he expects a vote on the new public defender at the County Legislature's meeting Tuesday night.

Quatro said the committee was using a list of interview questions put together by recently retired Public Defender Ed Nowak, the county Human Resources department, and the county's Legal Department.

Channel 13 was reporting this morning that the three candidates being interviewed were Tim Donaher, Jill Paperno, and Vincent Rizzo. Donaher and Paperno both work in the public defender's office currently, Rizzo in the district attorney's office.

Republican Majority Leader Dan Quatro wouldn't confirm the names of any candidates, but said they are all good applicants who were trained by or worked with Nowak, who recently retired. Two Democrats at the meeting confirmed that the names mentioned by Channel 13 were "not incorrect."

Rumors have been circulating for weeks that Donaher would be given the position, and some critics have charged that the selection process was a sham designed to turn the public defender's office into a patronage center. Donaher is a respected assistant public defender, but critics - who have included not only African-American leaders but also the presidents of the Monroe County Bar Association and Nazareth College and Nowak himself - have wanted the selection process to be similar to that used when Nowak was selected. That year, members of the Bar Association and community representatives screened the candidates.

During an impromptu meeting with media following the protests this morning, Republican Majority Leader Dan Quatro accused Democratic legislators of working with activists to organize a disruptive protest during the committee meeting. He said that Democrats are using the issue for political gain and to create civil unrest, and the Democrats and the Monroe County Bar Association have used the issue as an opportunity to act as "obstructionists."

Quatro said the legislature president had an initial deal with the Democrats that could have included activists on the screening committee. That could have been done by way of Democratic and Bar Association appointments, he said.

On the arrests of Gantt, Florence, and Scott: "We're certainly not happy or enthused about that," Quatro said. But, he said, if they try to disrupt Tuesday night's County Legislature meeting, the legislature leadership will have deputies clear the room again.

Before they were led out in handcuffs, Florence and Scott reminded the crowd of the legislature's Tuesday night meeting. Clearly, they plan to attend it.