Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice is facing an electoral challenge this fall from Republican law clerk Howard Sturim, with each candidate voicing different priorities for the county’s law enforcement apparatus.
Rice, a Democrat who was recently named president of the District Attorneys Association of New York, told Blank Slate Media her office is dedicated to prosecuting public corruption and drug abuse.
Rice was named earlier this month to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s task force on state-wide public corruption, in the wake of several scandals that have seen state lawmakers arrested by federal authorities.
“There’s no doubt that I want to build on our success and I’m going to have some bold ideas about how to better safeguard our tax dollars,” Rice said.
“Not only is [drug abuse] our nation’s No. 1 health crisis, but it’s a public safety crisis as well,” Rice added.
Sturim, a clerk for 10th Judicial District Judge Alan Honoroff who headed former District Attorney Dillon’s major offense bureau before leaving the prosecutors’ office in 2004, said in an interview he would reduce plea-bargain opportunities for violent offenders who could not provide useful information to law enforcement.
“What I would focus on if elected is the prosecution of the predators – the violent criminals, those who possess illegal handguns and gangs,” said Sturim, who also ran unsuccessful campaigns for district court judge in 2005 and 2011. “If you can get them to cooperate, that’s certainly a valuable quid prop quo. But if you can’t you have to send a message out there that you either help law enforcement or you pay the full price for your crime.”
Rice, who unseated long-time District Attorney Denis Dillon in 2005, said she had led fights against drunk driving, gang activity and sexual predators during her time in office. Among the district attorney’s higher profile actions have been the formation of an anti-Medicaid fraud task force and a recent prostitution sting operation that led to the arrest of over 100 johns.
“I’ve kept my promises. Plea bargaining is down, convictions are up,” Rice said. “People know my record and that I’m not afraid to take on the important fights.”
The prostitution sting, which Rice’s office touted in a press conference and publicized the names of the arrested clients, was designed to deter the exploitation of women in the sex industry, Rice said – an approach that differs from recent stings by the Nassau County Police Department, which typically lead to the arrest of sex workers themselves.
“The sex workers are victims and I think that’s what people need to remember,” said Rice. “Nobody grows up saying that what they want to be is a sex worker.”
Sturim leveled charges that Rice was more focused on attaining higher political office than serving the county, pointing to Rice’s unsuccessful 2010 campaign for state Attorney General that was launched shortly after Rice won re-election in 2009.
“I’m not running to advance any political career or agenda,” Sturim said, adding that Nassau needs a “full time DA.” “Unlike [Rice], I’m not looking for a national stage or attention.”
When asked whether she would commit to a full term should she win re-election, Rice said she had no designs on another office but would not speculate on her long-term plans.
“I am focused on hopefully getting re-elected,” Rice said. “I have no intention of running for anything else. I love my job and I have a big agenda.”
Sturim said that he saw no conflict of interest in running against Rice while clerking on cases brought by her office, and that he had consulted court ethics opinions before launching his run.
“There is no conflict whatsoever. In both my role as my clerk and as DA, one of the most fundamentally important things is that you’re fair,” Sturim said.
Among Rice’s recent headlines was her appointment to Cuomo’s commission on state-wide corruption after multiple state lawmakers were arrested this year by federal authorities on corruption charges.
Rice said she was dedicated to rooting out corruption, both at the state level and in Nassau.
“There’s no question that public officials who betrayed the public trust exist everywhere across the state,” Rice said. “I was happy to be chosen to be co-chair of tis commission.”
Rice’s office is currently one of the agencies involved in an investigation of tens of millions of dollars in contracts given by the county after Hurricane Sandy. She said she was confident her office could maintain its working relationship with the county’s administration while following the case to its conclusion.
“My job is to investigate crime wherever it may lead,” Rice said.
Sturim alzo said corruption was a concern across the state.
“Corruption is a problem everywhere. It’s not particular to Nassau County,” Sturim said. “Someone who has the public trust and misuses it for their own gain or benefit, they should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
