Editorial: The New York Amsterdam News Endorses Cy Vance for Manhattan District Attorney

The position of Manhattan district attorney is one that has not been vacant in 34 years. It is an office that sees some of the most violent crimes in this city, as well as high-profile white-collar crimes. The diversity of the prosecution is as varied as the city of New York and that is why it takes a very special individual to lead such a diverse office.

While all of the Democratic candidates are capable individuals, there are unique qualities and issues that make Cy Vance the ideal candidate. Vance, who worked in the D.A.’s office in the 1980s, has handled cases involving murder, organized crime, career criminals, political corruption and white-collar crime. While he has prosecuted offenders to the fullest extent of the law, he has also been active in sentencing reform, serving on Gov. Paterson’s Commission on Sentencing Reform, which delivered the first serious reform of the Rockefeller drug laws in more than 30 years.

Vance sees that the justice system is ever evolving and that the same measures that worked curbing and prosecuting crime in the past may not be as relevant today. He believes that alternatives to incarceration may help to reduce the number of young people in the prison pipeline. With nearly one in three young Black men spending time under supervision nationally, this is a critical issue in our community.

He also wants to reform the criminal court and help reduce the backlog that, in the end, costs the city millions. He wants to protect communities by implementing “Community Based-Justice,” a program that partners with the community to break the cycle of violence. In addition, it will mean closer ties with police departments whereby the D.A.’s will know the officers they are dealing with and may be able to identify police misconduct before it has an adverse effect on our communities.

Vance also is a great proponent of creating programs for re-entry and alternatives to incarceration. From creating a cabinet-level re-entry director to focusing on different options instead of incarceration, he wants to change the way justice is carried out in this city.

He understands that our communities are distrustful of the legal system and, in many cases, the police as well. He wants to implement measures that will ensure the safety and the rights of our communities while being cognizant of the very real fears our community has.That is why the New York Amsterdam News endorses Cy Vance for Manhattan district attorney.

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  • "I support Cy Vance in this year’s election because I believe he is the best qualified, by his experience and his views, to keep this office the strongest in the nation."

    Endorser Name & Title: 

    Robert M. Morgenthau
    Manhattan District Attorney

  • "Cy is the most experienced candidate in the race, and he has the support of those who best understand what is needed in our next DA. He has served as an outstanding prosecutor, criminal defense lawyer, commissioner for sentencing reform and community leader. But perhaps most importantly, through his long career, he has maintained the ability to combine pragmatism and idealism to achieve justice."

    Endorser Name & Title: 

    Caroline Kennedy
    Activist, Author, Attorney

  • “Cy Vance is an accomplished lawyer, a passionate advocate and a true progressive. But most importantly, he embodies a characteristic that I believe is essential for the Manhattan DA: fairness. "

    Endorser Name & Title: 

    Hon. David Dinkins
    Former Mayor, New York City

  • "Cy will be the kind of progressive D.A. that Manhattan needs – a lifelong opponent of the death penalty and supporter of the rights of women, LGBT people, and people of color. Throughout his career as a distinguished trial lawyer, Cy has embodied the principles of fairness and integrity that have long been central to the Manhattan D.A.’s office. He will work tirelessly to protect our communities."

    Endorser Name & Title: 

    Betsy Gotbaum
    Public Advocate, New York City

  • "The people of Manhattan expect and deserve a DA that will handle criminal justice issues with fairness and integrity... Cy has spent his career working on these issues [crime prevention, alternatives to incarceration, economic crime and financial fraud] from inside the courtroom, and his expertise is second to none. Manhattan DA is an important job, and it demands a leader with unparalleled legal skill and the utmost integrity."

    Endorser Name & Title: 

    H. Carl McCall
    Former Comptroller, NYS

  • "It's clear that Cy Vance has the experience and judgment necessary to lead such an important office. He has spent a lifetime in the courtroom, working on both sides of complex cases... We are endorsing Cy because we trust that he will look out for working families to make sure that they are safe and justice is being served."

    Endorser Name & Title: 

    Gregory Floyd
    President, Teamsters Local 237

  • “Cy's innovative vision of how to forge a greater partnership between prosecutors, police and the community is exactly the type of forward thinking that we believe will make this city an even safer place to live and work... Of all the candidates in the race, Cy is the only one with the right experience to run this office.”

    Endorser Name & Title: 

    Ed Mullins
    President, Sergeants Benevolent Association

  • “…an attorney in the tradition of Hogan and Morgenthau who will carry on a policy of fairness and toughness as chief law enforcement officer for New York County.”

    Endorser Name & Title: 

    Eleanor Jackson Piel
    Veteran Civil Rights Attorney

  • "Cyrus Vance has the experience and wisdom to understand that the public safety that New Yorkers deserve will not be achieved as the accidental by-product of business as usual prosecutions.  Cy Vance has long advocated the kind of proactive engagement with local communities that can produce dramatic crime reduction in the areas of our city most in need.”

    Endorser Name & Title: 

    Zachary Carter
    Former U.S. Attorney,
    Eastern District of New York

  • “We can be confident that Cy Vance will continue the traditions of effective law enforcement, fairness and justice that have defined and distinguished the Manhattan DA’s Office.”

    Endorser Name & Title: 

    David Boies
    Chairman of Boies, Schiller & Flexner, LLP

  • "Cy Vance's advocacy of reform of the draconian Rockefeller Drug Laws will help addicts get the treatment that they need instead of the prison time that turns them into hardened criminals."

    Endorser Name & Title: 

    Rev. Reggie Williams
    Chairman of the United Missionary Baptist Association’s Commission for Human and Economic Development
    Pastor - Charity Baptist Church of Christ

  • “Cy Vance is clearly the best qualified, most experienced, and most decent candidate to meet the enormous challenges and responsibilities of the office of District Attorney of New York County.”

    Endorser Name & Title: 

    Victor A. Kovner
    Former Corporation Counsel of the City of New York under Mayor David Dinkins

  • "As a superb prosecutor and leading member of the defense bar, Cy Vance is the candidate best qualified to lead this great office."

    Endorser Name & Title: 

    Author Linda Fairstein
    Former Chief, Sex Crimes Unit, Manhattan DA's Office

  • "Cy Vance has the experience, judgment and integrity to preserve the best traditions of this office and to ensure public safety and fairness.  Cy Vance is my choice for District Attorney.”

    Endorser Name & Title: 

    Michael Cherkasky
    Former Chief, Investigations Division, Manhattan District Attorney's Office

  • Endorser Name & Title: 
    “Cy Vance has the integrity, the experience and the energy to be a great District Attorney and a very worthy successor to Bob Morgenthau.”

    Robert Fiske
    Former United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York

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