Rockland District Attorney's election field getting crowded

There's no shortage of Democrats lining up to replace Tom Zugibe's as Rockland County district attorney.

Even before Zugibe won a seat on the state Supreme Court last November, one candidate had already announced: Former prosecutor Patricia Gunning.

With the primary election moved from September to June, hastening the dates for party conventions and petition filings, other candidates are jumping in for a shot at the four-year, $197,600-a-year post as Rockland's top prosecutor.

Kevin Gilleece is serving as acting district attorney for the one year remaining on Zugibe's term.

Assemblyman eyes seat

Ken Zebrowski, fresh off his victory for a sixth term serving the 96th Assembly District, has formed a committee for a run at the seat, according to a filing with the state Board of Elections. No financial data had been included with the filing as of Tuesday.

Zebrowski, an attorney, said in an email that as a senior member of the Assembly's Codes and Judiciary committees, he had "worked to shape criminal justice policy in New York State for over a decade."

Zebrowski's sister, Kristen Zebrowski Stavisky, is chairwowman of the county Democratic Committee and a county elections commissioner.

The New City resident said he was exploring "how best to serve the people of Rockland" and has scheduled a Feb. 10 announcement.

Retired judge announces

Victor Alfieri, a retired judge who once served as an assistant district attorney and assistant public defender, recently announced his intentions.

"I am entering the District Attorney race to utilize my 38 years of law and judicial experience to usher in a more modern, professional and fiscally responsible approach to the District Attorney’s Office, to protect victim's rights, and to help make Rockland County a more safe and secure place to live and work," Alfieri, of Congers, stated in his announcement.

Current judge mentioned

Another name linked to the race is Thomas Walsh, who would have to give up his seat as a state Supreme Court justice to run for DA.

Walsh, a former Haverstraw and Surrogate's Court judge, did not respond to email and phone messages seeking comment.

Off and Gunning

Gunning's January campaign filing showed a balance of $121,862, most of it coming from $100,000 the candidate loaned herself.

The Grand View-on-Hudson resident formerly worked for the Rockland and Brooklyn district attorney's offices, and was most recently prosecutor and inspector general for the state Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs.

In prepared remarks delivered during her October announcement, Gunning said: "A good District Attorney can be tough on crime AND compassionate, balancing fidelity to the rule of law and fairness to the victim and the accused. We can build programs for the youth, especially youth of color, so that we can end the cycle of incarceration before it starts."

Conventional wisdom

Rockland's Democratic Committee will be holding its countywide convention on Feb. 21, Zebrowski Stavisky said.

Besides district attorney, a number of other town and county seats are up for grabs this year.

Rockland Republican Committee Chairman Lawrence Garvey said his party was in the process of identifying candidates for a number of spots in advance of a Feb. 19 convention at Clarkstown Town Hall.

County Attorney Thomas Humbach has previously expressed interest in running for DA on the GOP line, but Garvey was not ready to divulge any details.

"I expect that we will have a candidate on the Republican line, but won’t go public until the convention," Garvey wrote in an email.

Read more on this topic:

Rockland: Ex-prosecutor is first to jump into race to replace DA Thomas Zugibe

Rockland: Meet the new acting district attorney

Rockland DA Tom Zugibe: 5 cases I'll never forget

Twitter: @Bee_bob