This Tuesday, June 25, is one of the most important dates—not simply of the year, but of a generation.
Hyperbole aside, this Tuesday, residents of The World’s Borough will cast their ballots for who they’d like to see succeed the late Richard Brown as Queens district attorney. There isn’t a shortage of candidates for the coveted position, as no less than seven individuals from wildly diverse backgrounds and experiences are running in the Democratic primary.
So, in order to help you better do your civic duty and make a more informed decision, we wanted to provide as much information as possible on those candidates.
Melinda Katz: The current borough president has said that preventing crime and stopping people from becoming victims in the first place will always be the better solution. To that end, she has promised arrest, bail and sentencing reforms; ending marijuana prosecution and arrests; and to establish a Conviction Integrity Unit to examine cases and make recommendations for exoneration. melindakatz.com
Greg Lasak: The Woodside native and Richmond Hill resident is running for Queens DA after a career in law as a Queens prosecutor and Queens County State Supreme Court justice.
“You cannot make fairness and equal justice your priority when you haven’t the faintest idea where to start,” Lasak said. “A term-limited politician who has never practiced criminal law and decides on a whim one day to run for this position selfishly puts justice at risk for his or her own political gain. On-the-job training is not an option. I stand fully-qualified and ready to serve right now.” greglasak.com
Rory Lancman: The current city councilman and attorney has said that, instead of being driven by the cases police choose to bring to the DA’s Office, he will: stand up for victims of police misconduct; take wage theft seriously; defend homeowners and tenants; maintain a dedicated wrongful conviction integrity unit; support reentry efforts; keep immigrants from being preyed upon. lancmanforda.com
Tiffany Caban: The Richmond Hill native and public defender has made headlines for her push to end Broken Windows prosecuting, decriminalize sex work and recreational use of marijuana; and her commitment to working with safe injection facilities to help reduce overdose deaths. cabanforqueens.com
Mina Malik: The former head of the City Civilian Complaint Review Board is running on a platform to “restore fundamental fairness” to the Queens justice system by establishing a Conviction Review Unit, ending low-level drug prosecutions, and implementing alternatives to prosecution. mina4da.com
Betty Lugo: The defense attorney has dubbed her policy as Queens DA as Firm but Fair.
“The district attorney is entrusted with representing all of the people of the State of New York County of Queens,” Lugo said. “Everyone deserves to be treated equally and with respect.” bettylugoforda.com
Jose Nieves: The St. John’s University alum and former Brooklyn assistant district attorney has highlighted his role as a captain in the U.S. Army Reserves as a key to leading such a large office as that of the Queens district attorney. He has also said that he wants “to bring more fairness and transparency to our criminal justice system.” voteforthevet.org.
Get out and vote on Tuesday. Your future and that of generations to come quite literally depends on it.
