Editorial

Look within for next district attorney

Posted

In less than a month, Nassau County will be without a district attorney. Kathleen Rice, who has held the position since 2006, will be heading off to Washington, D.C., to represent New York’s 4th Congressional District.

A special election will be held next November to select the next district attorney, but someone must oversee the office for the next year. Gov. Andrew Cuomo can appoint someone to fill the position until the election. We would like to see the selection come from within the D.A.’s office.

Last year, voters elected Rice to her third term as the county’s chief law enforcement officer. We see that as an endorsement of the work she did in her first eight years, and that work should continue. The elevation of a top-ranking assistant district attorney to the post would ensure continuity in the office and show respect to the electorate.

During her nine years in office, Rice made DWI prosecution one of her hallmarks. She secured a murder conviction of Martin Heidgen, a Valley Stream man who drove the wrong way drunk on the Meadowbrook Parkway and slammed into a limousine, killing the driver and a young girl. The crash occurred months before Rice took office, and was initially prosecuted under her predecessor, Denis Dillon. Rice’s assistant D.A.s persuaded appeals courts to uphold Heidgen’s conviction. We believe this tough stance on DWI needs to continue, because drunken driving remains a problem.

Rice’s office has brought several educational programs to schools focusing on drinking and driving, the heroin epidemic and cyberbullying. Education is one of the strongest crime deterrents, and we would like to see these programs continue.

We also want a district attorney who will continue to seek innovative solutions. When a security guard was trampled to death at the Valley Stream Walmart in 2008, Rice could have criminally prosecuted the company, which would have resulted in a maximum fine of $10,000. Instead, she worked with the retail giant, secured $1.5 million for county youth services and got Walmart to implement sweeping security changes at all of its New York stores.

Page 1 / 2