The development marked the second time this year that the county has relieved an airport director of duty, and tarnished Walsh's image as a no-nonsense successor to a director who spent lavishly on cigars, alcohol and strippers.
The county appointed Angela Veltre, the deputy airport director in charge of finance, as the acting director pending the outcome of an internal investigation into the circumstances of Walsh's arrest.
Walsh, 52, was charged Thursday after she allegedly rear-ended another car near Washington Street and Linden Avenue about 7 p.m. and subsequently refused a breathalyzer test at the scene, according to East Rochester police. She also was ticketed for following too closely, a traffic infraction.
Police Chief Steven Clancy said Walsh was alone at the time of the crash and that the arresting officer observed her to be intoxicated. He said no one was injured and that damage to both vehicles was minor.
Walsh, who was arrested under her married name, Susan Ognissanti, was processed by police and released. She is scheduled to appear in East Rochester Court to answer the charge on Feb. 6, according to police.
County spokesman Noah Lebowitz said in a prepared statement that Walsh informed county officials of her arrest late Thursday.
"Given the seriousness of the charges, County Executive (Maggie) Brooks has immediately placed Ms. Walsh on administrative leave pending an employee investigation," the statement read in part. "Her use of a county vehicle has been suspended indefinitely."
County employees have been expected since 2004 to file reports of incidents of property damage or physical injury immediately after their occurrence.
Responding to a request for the report detailing Walsh's accident, Lebowitz said a report was not filed.
"The East Rochester police report has more than sufficient detailed information on the incident, making (the Monroe County Incident Report) form unnecessary," Lebowitz said.
Lebowitz declined to answer questions about the process of the county's investigation, calling it a confidential personnel matter.
The East Rochester Police Department did not release the arrest report.
What consequences Walsh may face will likely hinge on the decision of the court.
The Monroe County handbook for its management employees, of which Walsh is included, states that "negligence in the care and use of county property may be considered grounds for discipline, up to and including termination."
Walsh, a soft-spoken and articulate lawyer who formerly led the county's budget office, was tapped by Brooks in January to run the airport. Heralded for her background in law, management and finance, Walsh was viewed at the time to be a straight-arrow alternative to her predecessor, David Damelio.
Damelio resigned under pressure in January following reports of questionable spending that drew intense public outrage, and the episode prompted ethics and fiscal reforms at the airport.
A state Department of Motor Vehicles spokesman said Friday that Walsh had a "full and valid driver's license" and "no convictions of any kind on her public record."
According to the county, there were 3,018 DWI arrests in 2010, including 23 in East Rochester, although the records do not reflect how many of them were on misdemeanor charges.
While the Rochester airport is routinely well-regarded in public opinion polls for its affordability and convenience, it has struggled to recover from the public relations battering it endured earlier this year, and Walsh's arrest immediately drew comparisons to the fall of her predecessor.
As the airport's deputy director of finance, Veltre, 53, counted among her duties processing monthly credit card and bill payments and reviewing expenditures of employees.
Veltre did not return a phone message seeking comment about her new role as acting director.
Reached on his cellphone, Monroe County Airport Authority Chairman James Vazzana acknowledged the charge against Walsh and its fallout but declined to comment.
"At this point in time I have no details, so obviously there is nothing I can say," Vazzana said.
Asked specifically how the incident reflects on the Monroe County Airport Authority, the airport's governing body, Vazzana said he had to step into a meeting and hung up.
Airport Director Susan Walsh charged with DWI
Airport Director Susan Walsh was charged with misdemeanor driving while intoxicated last night following a crash in East Rochester.
“Late Thursday night Airport Director Susan Walsh informed the county administration that she had been charged with misdemeanor DWI in the village of East Rochester,” said county spokesman Noah Lebowitz in a statement.
“Given the seriousness of the charges, County Executive Brooks has immediately placed Ms. Walsh on administrative leave pending an employee investigation. Her use of a county vehicle has been suspended indefinitely. Deputy Airport Director Angela Veltre has immediately assumed the responsibilities of airport director in an acting capacity.”
Veltre is a deputy director who oversees finances at the airport, processing monthly credit card payments and reviewing expenditures.
East Rochester Police Chief Steve Clancy said Walsh, 52, was arrested last night under her married name, Susan Ognissanti. The charge stemmed from a two-vehicle crash near Washington Street and Linden Avenue just before 7 p.m. He said no one was injured in the crash and both cars sustained minor damage.
Clancy said Walsh was alone and driving a county-owned vehicle when she allegedly rear-ended another car. She refused a breathalyzer test at the scene, but was arrested based on the officer’s observations of her, he said. She was also ticketed for following too closely, a traffic infraction
Walsh was processed by police and released. She is due to answer the charge in East Rochester Court Feb. 6, he said.
Walsh has been the director at the Greater Rochester International Airport since January, when former airport director David Damelio resigned the job because questionable spending as director had drawn intense public outrage.
Walsh, a lawyer who had been the county’s budget director before she moved to the airport, was appointed by Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks. The Monroe County Legislature approved the appointment in February.
A spokesman for the state Department of Motor Vehicles said this morning that Walsh has a “full and valid license” and “no convictions of any kind on her public record.”
The 2010 report on Monroe County’s Stop DWI program says that there were 3,018 DWI arrests in the county last year, though it does not break down how many of those were misdemeanor charges. The same report says East Rochester had 23 DWI arrests that year, the latest figures available.
Messages left on Walsh’s and Veltre's cell phones were not immediately returned this morning.
Reached on his cell phone, Airport Authority Chairman James Vazzana acknowledged the charges against Walsh and the fallout from them, but declined to comment.
“At this point in time I have no details, so obviously there is nothing I can say,” Vazzana said. “I haven’t seen (the county’s statement), and until I see it I have nothing to say.”
Asked specifically how the incident reflected on the Airport Authority, which has spent the year attempting to overcome a public relations nightmare brought on by news reports of its former executive director spending lavishly on alcohol, cigars and strippers, Vazzana said he had to step into a meeting and hung up.
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