When Manhattan’s next District Attorney takes office in January 2010, a new chapter will begin for one of our city’s greatest public institutions. The Office requires leadership that preserves the legacy of excellence, integrity, and fairness that has defined and distinguished it throughout the Morgenthau era, while providing the vision and expertise to adapt to new challenges. How we meet these challenges is critically important for our borough, city and state.
This election comes at a difficult moment in our city’s history – a time of severe recession, painful budget cuts, high unemployment, and mismanagement and malfeasance on Wall Street that affects all of our communities. At the same time, information technology and the Internet have created new vulnerabilities, new types of crime, and new ways to commit crimes that have been around for centuries. To stay one step ahead, the Office must constantly develop new methods of detecting, investigating and prosecuting crime.
The next District Attorney must be prepared to keep Manhattan safe in a way that is both fair and effective. This requires not just being tough on crime, but also being smart about how to fight crime.
My commitment to building the next generation’s DA’s Office is rooted in four principles.