The Westchester Democratic Party has endorsed Robert Prisco and Michael Tawil, both picture above, for Westchester County Court
By Dan Murphy
Westchester voters need to be aware that the primary for local, county and state elected offices has been changed from early September to June 25, which is less than three weeks away. This year, and for the foreseeable future, all of the primary contests will be held in the democratic party in Westchester.
Three Westchester cities – New Rochelle, Mt. Vernon and Yonkers – all have democratic party contests, with mayoral primaries in Yonkers and Mt. Vernon. Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano is being challenged by democrats Ivy Reeves and Karen Beltran, while in Mt. Vernon, Mayor Richard Thomas is being challenged by Clyde Isley, Shawyn Patterson-Howard and Council President Andre Wallace. In New Rochelle, two City Council seats have democratic primaries. Former City Council member Shari Rackman is seeking her old seat against democratic nominee and Councilwoman Liz Fried.
Usually, judicial endorsements and nominations are decided by the respective party judicial committees. But this year there is a Democratic primary for County Court judge June 25. The Westchester Democratic party has endorsed two candidates for two upcoming vacancies in Westchester County Court.
Robert Prisco and Mike Tawil are the two endorsed candidates. Prisco has worked for 32 years in the Westchester District Attorney’s Office, where he has served as chief of Local Criminal Courts and Grand Jury Division, and served as chief of the Major Case Bureau and deputy chief of the Homicide Bureau. Prisco has prosecuted thousands of violent felony offenses and has spent four decades in the Westchester criminal courts, on the other side of the bench.
Prisco has also received the endorsement from the Westchester Law Enforcement Association, which said that Prisco will be “a judge that has the courage and integrity to do what is right, not what is expected or popular. A judge that can handle the workload associated with a County Court judge position. A judge with character.”
Tawil is an Ossining town justice, former Ossining town councilman and member of the Ossining Zoning Board of Appeals. He has been an attorney for 27 years and has served on the Ossining Town Court since 2012.
Tawil has also received the endorsement of County Legislator Catherine Borgia, who wrote: “The judicial branch is the last defense against the attacks on women’s rights, immigrants’ rights, and LGBTQ rights currently under siege in our nation. That’s why local judicial races are so critical to protecting our democracy. I am committed to voting for Judge Michael Tawil on June 25.”
The two democratic challengers for County Court are Melissa Loehr and Alex Eismann. Loehr is a sitting Peekskill City Court judge and a former public defender. Eisemann has devoted most of his career to protecting individual rights, including fighting for child care for Westchester families and protecting undocumented residents from deportation and providing free legal services to the homeless.
