NoMoJoMo

Morelle Enables Republicans

For a man who calls himself a Democrat, Joe Morelle has a curious habit: he keeps recruiting Republicans to run on the Democratic line, cross-endorsing them with the Conservative Party, and using his machine to install them in positions of power. The result is a local Democratic Party that looks less like an opposition to the GOP and more like a bipartisan patronage network run by one man.

Todd Baxter: A Trump Voter for Democratic Sheriff

In 2017, Joe Morelle personally recruited Todd Baxter—a Republican and former Greece police chief—to run for Monroe County Sheriff on the Democratic line. Baxter had never been a Democrat. He switched his party registration specifically to run with Morelle’s backing, challenging incumbent Republican Sheriff Patrick O’Flynn.

During the campaign, Baxter admitted on WXXI radio that he had voted for Donald Trump. “If you want to say Todd Baxter voted for Trump, that’s one thing,” he told reporters, brushing off concerns from Democratic voters. A flyer targeting Baxter’s Trump vote was mailed to Democratic voters before the general election, urging them to write in another candidate—but Morelle’s machine carried him to victory anyway. Baxter won with 57 percent of the vote.

Conservative commentator Bob Lonsberry confirmed the arrangement, writing that Baxter “was recruited by Joe Morelle” and noting that Baxter’s values were “more conservative than the man he is hoping to replace.”

In 2025, Baxter ran for re-election cross-endorsed on both the Democratic and Conservative party lines, running unopposed. A Trump-voting Republican, installed by Morelle, now permanently occupies the Democratic ballot line for Monroe County Sheriff.

Sources

Jeff McCann: Republican Turned Democratic Supervisor, Funded by Morelle

In 2025, Jeff McCann—a former Republican who had served as a Monroe County Legislator and Deputy Supervisor in Greece under the GOP—ran for Greece Town Supervisor on both the Democratic and Conservative party lines. He became the first Democrat elected to the position in over a century.

McCann’s campaign was lavishly funded, raising $161,929—nearly triple his Republican opponent and more than half of the total raised by all 17 other supervisor candidates in Monroe County combined. Among his largest contributors: Rep. Joseph Morelle, along with County Executive Adam Bello, labor union PACs, and real estate developers.

The pattern is clear: a former Republican, cross-endorsed by the Conservative Party, bankrolled by Morelle’s political machine, installed atop the largest suburb in Monroe County. Greece voters who pulled the Democratic lever got a candidate whose political career was built in the Republican Party.

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Roman Misula: Appointed to Fill a Vacancy

In 2026, Roman Misula—a former Republican and ex-Monroe County Legislator—was appointed by the Morelle-aligned Irondequoit Town Board to fill a vacancy for Town Justice, after the previous justice, Brian Green, was appointed Monroe County District Attorney. Rather than hold an election, the seat was filled by appointment—another example of Morelle’s machine placing its chosen candidates into office without competitive contests.

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The Pattern

Morelle doesn’t just collaborate with individual Republicans—he systematically recruits them, funds them, and installs them in office on Democratic ballot lines, often with Conservative Party cross-endorsements. The result is a Monroe County Democratic Party that serves Morelle’s patronage network rather than the values of the Democratic voters who pull its lever. For voters who want an actual opposition to the Republican agenda, Morelle’s machine offers something else entirely: Republicans with a (D) next to their name.