One race to keep an eye on in this year’s June 25th Primary is for Westchester County Court Judge. There are four candidates vying for two openings. After evaluating the resumes and qualifications of all of them, one stood out as far superior to this author.
Robert Prisco has over three decades of experience in the Westchester County Court. The other three candidates, while they might be qualified, have little to no experience in the court they are seeking a Judgeship in.
The position of Westchester County Court Judge is an important one. The County Court handles the most serious cases in the county. Robert Prisco has handles and litigated thousands of cases in the Westchester County Court. He has successfully tried to verdict the most violent felony offenses there are, including armed robberies, kidnappings, home invasions, assaults and murder cases. This experience makes him uniquely qualified and gives him a keen insight into the inner workings of this complicated court.
As impressive as Mr. Prisco’s over thirty-year career of public service in the County Court is, his participation in initiatives to advance alternatives to incarceration were equally impressive to me. He views this reform to the Criminal Justice System as long overdue. He has served as the Mental Health Court Coordinator and as a member of the Criminal Justice Advisory Board, the Chief Judge DeFiore Excellence Initiative, the Bail Reform Initiative and the Raise the Age Committee.
“I know that criminal convictions have lifelong
consequences and, in most instances, treatment and supervision are far more
effective against criminal behavior and recidivism than incarceration”, said
Prisco.
There is, in my opinion, nothing more important
than achieving the delicate balance of compassion and Justice in this
particular court and Mr. Prisco has led a career demonstrating the ability to
master both.
Westchester organizations and unions agree. It
appears Mr. Prisco enjoys the most endorsements of the four. He is the
Westchester County Democratic Committee nominated candidate and has been
endorsed by the Hudson Valley Stonewall Democrats (LGBTQ), and the Hispanic
Democrats of Westchester. He has received the endorsement of Westchester/Putnam
Central Labor Body AFL-CIO, the Building and Construction Trades Council of a
Westchester and Putnam Counties, the Yonkers Firefighters Union (Local 628),
Yonkers Uniformed Fire Officers Association, MPACnow (Mediterranean Political
Action Committee), Westchester Hispanic Law Enforcement Association,
Westchester County Probation Officers Association and has been rated 100%
pro-choice by the WCLA – Choice Matters. These are only some of the
endorsements Mr. Prisco has received but the broad range of people represented
by these groups demonstrates the diversity and strength of the support Mr.
Prisco has earned.
In addition, he has been rated 100 percent pro-choice by the WCLA-Choice Matters. These are only some of the endorsements Prisco has received, but the broad range of people represented by these groups demonstrates the diversity and strength of the support Prisco has earned.
There are two seats on the Westchester County Court up for election. The Democratic Party has endorsed Prisco and Ossining Town Justice Michael Tawil. The other democrats, Peekskill City Court Judge Melissa Loehr and attorney Alex Eisemann, are also running and all four are on the ballot June 25.
