Candidates To Watch: Jo Meleca-Voigt, Candidate for Monroe County Legislature, 19th District

By Ove Overmyer
Jo Meleca-Voigt is not the kind of candidate who uses double-speak and spin to cover the fact that they are either unknowing or uncaring. She appears to be one of the most informed, articulate, caring and progressive Democratic challengers running for public office in our area.

The 19th District encompasses residents who live in the southwest portion of the Town of Greece. As of July 1, voter registration in the 19th District was dominated by the Republicans and Democrats, with the GOP registering 6,362 and the Democrats 5,554 voters. There are 3,930 blank voters and 1,295 others.

The Empty Closet caught up with Meleca-Voigt at SPOT Coffee Shop on East Ave. in late August. At the interview, she was on time, very direct and displayed a no-nonsense attitude. Simply put, Meleca-Voigt is a very organized, focused and driven individual who values job creation and education as a foundation for our youth and our struggling communities.

Asked why she is seeking public office, she replied, “I think our County is moving in the wrong direction. The notion that you can do one-shot ‘borrow and spend’ efforts to balance yearly budgets, without regard for the future, will jeopardize our solvency. The Republican majority is putting politics before people and playing shell games with our finances. Our current county legislator (in the 19th District) is voting in lockstep with these policies. We need a real plan for growth in Monroe County that is based on job creation and retention. I believe I possess the skills necessary to represent the Town of Greece residents in County government, and would love that opportunity.”

According to her website biography, Meleca-Voigt is a lifelong area resident. She is the proud daughter of Italian immigrants who worked hard to give her and her brother and sister the opportunities in life that they didn’t have.

Jo has been a public school teacher for over a decade. She currently is working in the Greece Central School District as a Middle School Italian and Spanish Teacher.

Jo’s passion for education goes beyond the classroom. She has served as Department Leader, Building Ambassador for the Greece Education Foundation, Political Action Chair of the Greece Teachers Association and Fiscal Responsibility Chair, just to name a few. She has lead several professional development opportunities for her colleagues at the building and district levels. She has also lead trainings on the state level through the New York State Middle School Association and New York State Association of Foreign Language Teachers.

As the Leader of the Greece Democratic Committee, Jo was recognized by the Monroe County Democratic Committee as the Town Committee Leader of the Year in 2008. Jo says the voter registration numbers have drastically changed since she’s been in charge. Greece Democrats are rapidly closing the gap on the Republican registrants in their town.

“Unfortunately, the Town of Greece has recently seen enough scandal to last us a lifetime. We need to hold all elected officials more accountable for their decision-making. The residents of Greece are becoming more progressive, and the voter registration numbers prove that. From what I have been hearing door-to-door, the voters do not plan on supporting incumbents,” she said.

The Democrat also says her opponent has not been held accountable to the taxpayers of her district, basically because he has not been challenged. She added, “Well, this year voters will have a real choice of who can represent their best interests.”

Meleca-Voigt is quick to point out that Monroe County has the lowest credit rating in the state, which she says is “thanks” to County Executive Maggie Brooks and a complicit majority in the legislature. Since the beginning of the year, Republicans have held a 15-14 majority in the legislature. The feisty challenger thinks County government is in deep trouble. “If we don’t turn things around soon, we could end up like Erie County,” she said.

Meleca-Voigt was referring to what happened in 2005 to Erie County, home to the city of Buffalo. Due to misappropriations and the lack of fiscal control, Erie County closed all of its parks and libraries, fired all the school nurses, shut down all of its public health clinics, severely curtailed snow plowing and police patrols, de-funded the arts – and basically eliminated most of what people think local government should provide.

“It’s that serious,” Meleca-Voigt said.

She calls Rochester’s former City Councilman and educator Tim Mains a true inspiration, recognizing the challenges he faced some 25 years ago when he became the first openly gay elected official in New York State. “People like Tim who succeed in life are the reason why I know what is possible,” she said. If elected to the County Legislature in November, Meleca-Voigt would be the first lesbian to hold elected office in Monroe County government.

Meleca-Voigt also serves on the Board of Directors for the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley and was a volunteer facilitator at Highland Hospital for a group that she helped form with hospital staff.

Jo was married in Canada in 2005 to Christine Voigt and enjoys traveling and spending time with her family. Christine Meleca-Voigt is also a teacher and community activist. Both Christine and Jo have been tireless advocates for Marriage Equality, serving as marriage ambassadors for The Empire State Pride Agenda. The couple lives on Stone Road and has two cats, Casey and Kennedy.

Democratic and Working Families Party candidate Jo Meleca-Voigt faces Republican incumbent Jeff McCann on Election Day, Nov. 3. McCann did not return a call from The Empty Closet requesting an interview.