The Democratic primary for District Attorney and the general election that follows comes at a crucial time in Nassau County.
Both the federal government under U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara and the District Attorney’s office under Madeline Singas are or have been conducting investigations involving contracts made by Nassau County and the Town of Oyster Bay.
Singas began an ongoing review of Nassau County contracts in April after then-state Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos was accused of taking official actions to benefit AbTech Industries, an Arizona-based environmental company that sought and received a contract with Nassau County as well as Glenwood Management, a New York developer that had financial ties to AbTech. The complaint said Skelos agreed to do so as long as the companies paid his son.
Singas’ report presented what she called “troubling problems” in the contracting process, including no requirements for vendors to disclose subsidiary companies, criminal convictions, political contributions or whether a vendor is barred from government contracts in other places.
That has been followed by reports of the vacations taken by Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano and Oyster Bay Supervisor John Venditto – both Republicans – that were paid for by a restaurateur with county and town contracts, county contracts for amounts that appear intended to skirt the $25,000 threshold calling for county Legislature review and other contracts over $25,000 that slipped through without legislative review when they failed to act within the required 90 days.
Unsurprisingly, the beneficiaries of many of these contract were politically connected to Mangano and county Republicans.
By no means is the job of Nassau County District Attorney limited to investigating possible political corruption. But at a time like this a politically independent prosecutor that is certainly a big plus.
Both Singas and Michael Scotto, her Sept. 10 primary opponent, both meet that criteria.
Singas, of Manhasset, had worked for 10 years in Queens as an assistant district attorney before being tapped by then District Attorney Kathleen Rice to head her office’s newly created special victims unit and then become her top assistant.
Scotto, of Port Washington, had worked for 20 years in Manhattan as an assistant district attorney, rising to chief of the rackets bureau, before opening a private practice in Garden City.
Both have extensive experience in prosecuting criminal cases and know how a district attorney’s office works. Both are well qualified to oversee investigations.
And until this election, neither candidate has run for public office.
Unlike Scotto, Singas has the actual experience of working in Nassau County, managing the DA’s office as Rice’s top assistant and running the office since January as acting District Attorney after Rice was elected to Congress.
During this time, Nassau County has continued to enjoy one of the lowest crime rates of any county in the United States.
Singas also combines the hard-nosed qualities of a good prosecutor with a sensible willingness to use programs that allow young offenders to avoid the stigma of a criminal record and put themselves on the road to a productive life rather than a life of crime.
We believe Scotto has many qualities that would make for a strong district attorney.
As a underdog with limited finances, he has waged an aggressive campaign that has been unsparing in its criticism of Singas and Rice as well as the Republican candidate for District Attorney, Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray. He has been particularly critical of Singas, who he has accused of running a “dysfunctional” office that is too reactive and has failed to adequately address problems with gangs, heroin and political corruption.
The county’s crime rate does not support Scotto’s contention.
We believe that Singas is not only is well qualified to effectively run the DA’s office, but has a track record to prove it.
For that reason, we strongly endorse Singas.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this editorial, which appeared in the Sept. 4 editions of TheIslandNow’s newspapers, should have stated: “The county’s crime rate does not support Scotto’s contention” that Rice and Singas’ district attorney’s office is dysfunctional and reactive.
