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Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks has pulled her name out of the pool of potential candidates seeking the 29th Congressional District seat.
Eric Massa resigned last week before an ethics investigation into alleged inappropriate behavior could begin.
Brooks said her decision not to run was personal.
"We really needed to make the decision, is this the right time? Is this the right opportunity? And what does it mean for me personally and for the county, and so all of that weighed into the decision to stay put," Brook said.
Brooks said she also had to weigh the fact that the 29th Congressional District may not even exist in two years after redistricting.
Now that Brooks has decided not to run, Tom Reed will likely be the Republican name on the ballot if the governor decides to call a special election for the 29th Congressional District seat.
Brooks said she would support the official Republican nominee once they're named.
On the Democrat's side, a number of potential candidates have surfaced.
"We have probably about 10 people who've expressed an interest," Monroe County Democratic Chairman and Assemblyman Joe Morelle said.
Among them, Assemblyman David Koon, former Bausch & Lomb VP and political candidate David Nachbar and Governor David Paterson's regional director, Mary Wilmot.
Massa's number one choice for the seat, Hornell Mayor Shawn Hogan, has withdrawn from the running.
Morelle says fellow county chairs, the state party, and Democratic Congressional Committee are all focused on finding a candidate that measures well against Tom Reed.
"Everyone is interested. This is not a usual occurrence and it's in the middle of some pretty significant votes that'll need to be taken in the House of Representatives on the economy, and on the stimulus package, and on health care reform, etcetera. So, these are big issues," Morelle said.
Morelle says he expects the governor will announce the date for the special election for the 29th district within the next few weeks.
He says they're trying to work out some technical glitches that have resulted from the new federal law on new voting machines.
Meanwhile, Brooks is not ruling out the possibility of being a running mate for gubernatorial candidate Rick Lazio, if she is approached.
"Wherever I can best serve taxpayers and promote, doing more with less, smaller government, creation of jobs, where ever I can more effectively communicate and have an impact on government with those messages and those priorities is going to be where I'd like to serve,” said Brooks.
Monroe County