Election 2020

Candidates: Fight drugs, increase openness

By Art Steinhauer | Manor Ink Mentor

Sullivan County, NY – The District Attorney is the chief law enforcement officer in the county, in charge of all prosecutions for arrests that are made, deciding what charges to bring or alternative resolutions. The DA also works with local police and other agencies on investigations.

Meagan Galligan, the current acting District Attorney, and Frank LaBuda, a retired county judge, are running for the office. Manor Ink sat down for discussions with each of them.

The DA office is made up of eight Assistant District Attorneys working under the District Attorney. There are also five investigators who are police officers. According to Galligan, each year the DA’s office takes on about 3,000 cases, from low level violations or misdemeanors to high level crimes such as homicides.

Drugs a major problem

Frank LaBuda, the Republican candidate,  has been a judge in Sullivan County for 24 years and is also a former assistant district attorney.

“The absolute priority in this county is to effectively deal with the drug and opioid crisis,” he told Manor Ink. “Sullivan County has the highest opioid addiction rate, as well as the highest opioid death rate, in New York. People who need money for drugs rob, steal and commit other crimes to pay for their habits.” LaBuda said that as a judge, he set up the first drug court in the county to specifically deal with those offenses.

Meagan Galligan, running on the Democratic ticket, is currently acting DA after serving 10 years in the office as an assistant DA and chief assistant DA. She also spoke of the drug epidemic in Sullivan. She said that in addition to recognizing where prosecution as opposed to treatment is warranted in individual cases, her office is reaching out to leaders and contacts in the community for help to identify lower level drug users. “That way we can get them care so they don’t commit crimes,” she said. “At the same time, we’re working to identify major drug traffickers who prey on addicts and eliminate them from our communities.”

Galligan also emphasized her work to establish the Child Advocacy Center in Liberty. “The goal is to bring all services needed by abused children under one roof,” Galligan said, “in order to reduce the trauma they have experienced and offer compassionate care even as they are part of the judicial system.” This includes securing a grant to have an on-site physician who specializes in child abuse treatment.

Views on social justice

The Ink asked both candidates for their thoughts on the Black Lives Matter protests now occurring throughout the country.

“There’s mistreatment, not only of black people due to the color of their skin, but toward people due to the clothing they wear because of the religion they practice,” said LaBuda. “This is America, where everyone deserves to be treated in a respectful and tolerant manner. No person is above the law. And no person should be treated as if they were below the law. Anyone who breaks the law, whether they’re a police officer or not, must be held accountable.

“On the other hand,” LaBuda continued, “the police and correction officers have a very difficult job to do. I believe that as a prosecutor and district attorney, fairness is due all people, but if you break the law, you ought to be held accountable and responsible for your actions.”

“The key is hiring good people as police officers, by picking the right people and giving them the right training,” said Galligan. She added, “We are very lucky to have in the county a very solid group of police officers who exercise restraint, who can be trusted in the community and who aren’t targeting people because of their race or sexual orientation or for any other inappropriate reason.” She spoke of various trainings her office undertakes with police officers to school them in effective techniques for exercising restraint and appropriate actions in difficult situations.

Experience and openness

LaBuda stressed his extensive experience and desire to see the office be “more user friendly, open and transparent to the public and to ensure speedy trials for the benefit of defendants, victims and the community.”

Galligan emphasized her local roots and said she would like to further her “open door policy.” “I want to shine a brighter light on the work we do in this office, while continuing to earn the trust and respect of our community,” she said.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. For more information about the candidates, visit their websites at electlabuda.com and facebook.com/Galligan4DA.

Reporter Emily Ball helped with this story.