DiFiore vs. Scarpino
By Dan Murphy
As we enter 2019, we continue to be sent information about who will become the next County Court Judge in Westchester. With the election of two County Court judges to State Supreme Court last November, two vacancies on the County Court became effective Jan. 1.
The battle over who will fill the County Court seat in Westchester began last year, with our source within the democratic party complaining over the efforts of Denis Glazer and New York State Court of Appeals Chief Judge Janet DiFiore to galvanize support and twist a few arms, to win over Westchester democrats and hold a County Court endorsement for their daughter Alexandra DiFiore Murphy.
We first ran the story in April of last year, but the complaints continued and we wrote again about it in October.
“I wrote about this problem earlier this year, but things are heating up again,” said our county democratic source. “Dennis Glazer brought his daughter to a barbeque at Judge (Alan) Sheinkman’s house on Sept. 16 and was introducing her to everyone. He’s also making phone calls again to local party chairs and is pressuring people. Surely there must be something improper about the chief judge’s husband making phone calls to party chairs, twisting their arms to support his daughter for County Court Judge.
“There are other candidates who have been making the rounds, but he thinks he can helicopter her in to the front of the line. The rumors are that she is the only assistant district attorney in the Manhattan D.A.’s office working part-time. The party folks are really upset at his heavy-handed manner. She is unknown and entitled. If she is actually running, then she has to leave her job.”
County Court Judges David Everett and Barry Warhit won election to the State Supreme Court. And while two vacancies now exist that will temporarily be filled either by the Westchester Democratic Party or by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a special election will be called for November to fill both seats.
As we have reported in the past, Glazer is telling any Westchester Democrat who will listen that if the county democrats don’t appoint his daughter, he will get the governor to do so. In addition to our democratic source in the party’s judicial process, Rising newspapers has confirmed with more than one local Democratic chair that they have been approached to consider DiFiore-Murphy for County Court judge next year.
“Some chairs have felt threatened by him,” said the same Democrat and party insider. “Folks are mad that Dennis is telling them what to do. The daughter is not active politically, but Glazer has said the daughter doesn’t have to be known, because either the party leaders give her the nomination, or Janet will get the governor to appoint her to a vacancy and then they will have no choice but to support her.”
In addition to DiFiore-Murphy, other interested democrats for County Court judge include Noah Sorkin of Chappaqua; Amy Puerto, Judge Blackwood’s law clerk; Ossining Judge Michael Tawil; and ADA Robert Priscol, to name a few.
We turn our attention to one of these rumored candidates, ADA Robert Prisco, who works for Westchester District Attorney Anthony Scarpino. Our same friend in the democratic party writes to us: “Robert Prisco, who is senior staff in the D.A.’s office, has been making the rounds and speaking with (Westchester Democratic Chair) LaFayette and local chairs that he is running for County Court and has a consultant.
“The word around the county office building and courts is that D.A. Scarpino is supporting Prisco because he wants a pro-prosecution judge. But the problem is that a long-held practice has been that ADA’s must take a leave of absence to engage in political activity.
“Prisco has told some party folks that the DA is supporting him and letting him work through the campaign. This has raised some eyebrows among Westchester Democrats, because this is against the rules of the D.A.’s association, and it appears that both Prisco and Scarpino are flaunting the rules,” continued the source.
“This has also created an uncomfortable situation for some in the D.A.’s office, from the holdovers from DiFiore, and from Scarpino, who favors Prisco. There also may be some bad blood between the former DA and the current DA, or perhaps it is just that the former DA and husband are trying to hand their daughter a County Court judgeship.
“The man in the middle of all of this is Chairman LaFayette, who appears surprised at the pressure Glazer is putting on both him and the local party chairs; and he is also surprised that Prisco is allowed to keep working if he is truly running for County Court judge. LaFayette and other West Dems believe there is something wrong with all of this,” writes our Democratic source, who we thank for the information, which we once again confirmed with more than one local Democratic Chair.
Another problem with the efforts of DiFiore and Glazer for their daughter is the new progressive, indivisible movement within the Democratic party. “The new indivisible voters in the democratic party don’t want anything to do with Dennis Glazer or Chief Judge DiFiore. Remember, Janet was a republican for a long time before she switched parties. The progressive-democrats of today don’t believe in nepotism for Judges,” said one Indivisible Westchester member.
There is a way for both DiFiore and Scarpino to be happy – if the Westchester Democratic Party endorses both DiFiore-Murphy and Prisco for the two vacancies on the County Court. The problem would be for the other interested candidates listed above, and others, would be shut out and would have to challenge both in a democratic primary in September. The Democratic convention in May will also decide who the party’s nominee is.
And what about the republican candidates for judge? Last November, republicans were shut out as democrats won all the State Supreme Court seats up for election, and look to win all of the County Court seats up this fall and in the future.
