State Sen. Todd Kaminsky (D-Long Beach) announced he will run for Nassau County district attorney to fill the seat previously held by Madeline Singas, who was appointed to the state’s highest court in early June.
Kaminsky, who announced his candidacy on Monday, attended law school at NYU and spent a decade working as a prosecutor on the federal and state levels. He worked as an assistant district attorney in Queens County under Singas in the Domestic Violence Bureau. Kaminsky later served in the Eastern District of New York as an assistant federal attorney and acting deputy chief of the district’s Public Integrity Section.
“Nassau County needs a district attorney with a record of results and experience to keep our families safe – and I am ready to do the job day one,” Kaminsky said. “As an assistant district attorney, federal prosecutor and legislator, I have always prioritized public safety and delivered justice for our communities.”
Some of the high-profile cases Kaminsky worked on included an investigation of Jimmy Rosemund for drug trafficking, obstruction of justice, firearms violations and other financial crimes, and former state Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada on embezzlement and federal corruption charges.
State and county Democratic Committee Chairman Jay Jacobs touted Kaminsky’s efforts to enhance law enforcement throughout Long Island.
“Senator Todd Kaminsky is a fearless former federal prosecutor who has put Long Islanders’ safety first his entire career,” Jacobs said in a statement. “When fringe groups were crying ‘defund the police,’ Todd did the opposite: he added more money for Long Island cops and strengthened our criminal laws.”
The Nassau County Republican Committee, on Facebook, criticized Kaminsky as “too extreme and too dangerous” for Nassau residents. The Republican Committee has not yet named a candidate to run against Kaminsky for district attorney in the November special election.
“Nassau Democrats could not have selected an individual who is softer on crime,” the committee said in a statement on Facebook. “Kaminsky helped author a criminal-first law that took away judges’ discretion to detain dangerous gang members and drug dealers as they awaited trial. He even voted in favor of giving contact information of crime victims and witnesses to accused criminals.”
Kaminsky won his seat in the state Senate in a 2016 special election after former Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos was arrested on public corruption charges.
Kaminsky, who spoke on the need for transparency and accountability on Monday, received support from County Executive Laura Curran, a fellow Democrat also running in a November election.
“As an experienced prosecutor, Senator Kaminsky has a record of supporting our law enforcement officers, working hand-in-hand with them to clean up crime and take on corruption,” Curran said. “With Senator Kaminsky as our District Attorney, the County will have a strong ally as we continue to keep Nassau families safe.”
“As DA, I will protect our families from violent crime, taxpayers from fraud and corruption, and the human rights of every New Yorker,” Kaminsky said. “Let’s get to work.”
Singas was confirmed by the state Senate to the New York Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court, on June 8.
Singas, a Manhasset resident, filled a vacancy left by Judge Leslie Stein, who retired last week, and will take a 14-year term on the court. Singas was succeeded by Joyce Smith, a longtime assistant district attorney and special victims prosecutor, who is the county’s first black district attorney.
