Our new County Attorney is a career prosecutor who is registered with the Conservative Party, which opposes everything Democrats stand for.

[This essay was originally published on Rachel Barnhart’s Substack page on Oct. 1, 2025]

Matthew Schwartz is registered as a member of the Conservative Party — a party whose platform couldn’t be more at odds with Democratic values. The New York Conservative Party is against legal protections for transgender people, reproductive rights, cashless bail, DEI programs, tenant protections, regulations for gig workers, and no-excuse mail voting. It supports stop-and-frisk, conceal and carry, fracking, right-to-work laws, and dismantling New York’s climate agenda.

This is Bello’s latest shocking association with a Trump-supporting, rightward party that represents less than 2% of Monroe County voters. Let’s look at the recent history:

• Bello’s deputy, Jeff McCann, is running for Greece Town Supervisor on the Democratic and Conservative lines, a cynical move designed to win Republican voter support.
• Scott Nasca, a Conservative Party official, was reappointed to the Monroe County Water Authority Board. Democratic legislators were pressured by Bello to approve the pick, which I believe was a quid pro quo for McCann to get the Conservative nod for his Greece run. Nasca personally collected signatures for McCann to appear on the Conservative line.
• Sheriff Todd Baxter, to give McCann cover so he’s not the lone Democrat engaging in this betrayal, also accepted the Conservative Party line.

Now we have Schwartz.

You might ask if he’s the most qualified for the job. The answer is clearly no. Schwartz is a career prosecutor now tasked with running the legal department for the county, which involves complex matters including tax foreclosures, contracts, litigation, Family Court proceedings, guardianships, and matters related to human services – the largest portion of the county budget.

You might say in these polarized times, perhaps it is a good thing for Bello to reach across the aisle. But reaching across the aisle doesn’t mean bypassing Democrats and handing the keys of county government to Conservatives.

And this isn’t just about symbolism — it’s about function.

• Schwartz will be responsible for advising Bello on the county’s lawsuit against the federal government to preserve DEI funding, despite belonging to a party that is anti-DEI.
• Schwartz will have to negotiate union contracts, despite being a member of a party that is anti-union.
• Schwartz will have to advise the Human Services department on policies, despite being a member of a party that supports punitive social services measures and opposes tenant protections.

Even worse, Schwartz’s job is also to advise the Legislature, which is majority Democratic. How on earth can we trust him to share our values and advise us in a manner that helps us achieve our goals?

We can’t.

Let’s not forget: Bello’s last County Attorney refused to defend me in a frivolous lawsuit — all because I stood up for a Rochester firefighter facing racism. For demanding that legislators’ speech be protected, Bello’s office attacked me in the press. I fought back and won. And that was under a Democrat. Imagine how a Conservative prosecutor like Schwartz would handle it.

Schwartz’s appointment is not bipartisanship. Bipartisanship means we can work together, even when we disagree, even when we’re not members of the same party. I value that. I practice that. We can and should work with Conservatives on shared priorities without allowing them to infiltrate our government — especially in positions where their ideology is diametrically opposed to ours on fundamental matters of governance. Voters elected a Democratic County Executive and a Democratic Legislature.

It must be noted that Bello has been silent on Trump’s mass deportation plans — a policy the Conservative Party openly supports. He assures us Trump won’t cause chaos in our communities, even as lives are ruined and the threat to our democracy is very real. Instead of meeting the moment with urgency, Bello acts as if ignoring Trump will make the threat go away — a bizarre and dangerous abdication of leadership.

Finally, let’s be clear about how Bello enforces his version of “Democratic Party unity.” He plays footsie with Conservatives, but he comes down hardest on Democrats — especially women and minorities. If we step out of line or cross him, he will do everything he can to exact retribution through public smears, orchestrated primaries, and political isolation. Republicans and Conservatives make up less than one-third of voters in Monroe County, yet Bello panders to them more than he works to include everyone in his own party.

Schwartz’s appointment is not some kumbaya moment. It’s Bello showing us what matters to him most: aligning with the politics of the right. This is not bipartisanship. This is Bello using his power to benefit Conservatives — at the direct expense of the Democrats who elected him.