16 THE QUEENS COURIER • JUNE 6, 2019 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
politics
Katz slams Lasak attack fl yer as ‘sexist’
BY MARK HALLUM
mhallum@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Queens Borough President Melinda
Katz and other high-ranking offi cials are
calling out Gregory Lasak’s campaign
for not only the factual inaccuracies of
a recent mailer sent out, but also alleged
sexism behind the claim that Katz, a candidate
for district attorney, is unqualifi ed
for the offi ce.
In Lasak’s fl yer, it claims that Katz was
rated as “unqualifi ed,” but the Judiciary
Committee of the Queens County Bar
Association gave her a thumbs-up. Lasak
was rated as “well qualifi ed” by QCBA.
A spokesman for Lasak said their campaign
was not attempting to attribute the
information in the mailer to the bar’s
rating, but that it was their independent
assessment of Katz’ ability to lead as top
prosecutor.
“Th e facts are the facts. Greg Lasak
has a proven record of reforming the
Queens DA’s offi ce, starting a domestic
violence unit and freeing the wrongfully
convicted,” Rasheida Smith, Lasak’s campaign
manager said. “Melinda Katz’s lack
of criminal justice experience speaks for
itself and no press release will ever distract
voters from that fact.”
According to a document from the Bar
Association, there were only two individuals
in the crowded, seven-candidate
fi eld for DA who were not regarded
as qualifi ed: Tiff any Cabán and Betty
Lugo, the latter failing to show up for the
interview.
“As a woman, I’m used to having conservative
men like Greg Lasak dismiss
my qualifi cations and sling Donald
Trump-like attacks. We deal with this
all the time. But the Bar Association
says Lasak is wrong,” Katz said. “Greg
should keep his man-splaining to himself,
and let those of us truly interested
in fi xing his mistakes as a mass-incarcerating
prosecutor do the work that needs
to be done.”
Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul
sounded off on Katz’s claim that the fl yer
echoed the tone of President Donald
Trump’s attacks on political rivals, which
has been widely condemned.
“Sounds like a page right out of
Donald Trump’s playbook, relying on a
dismissive and claimless attack to denigrate
a woman who has spent her life
using her legal expertise to fi ght for the
people of Queens. Just this past week
Melinda was rated qualifi ed by the NYC
Bar Association. At every level of government
I’ve served in, I’ve encountered
implicit bias and sexism like this – many
in the ‘old boys club’ are threatened by
women in power and feel entitled to lash
out. Melinda Katz is impeccably qualifi
ed, and Greg Lasak should apologize
immediately for such a blatantly false
and negative attack,” said Hochul.
Katz provided a copy of a letter from
the bar association informing her that
they had deemed her worthy of the
seat left vacant by Richard Brown who
recently died due to complications from
Parkinson’s Disease aft er 28 years in
offi ce.
мTh e Lasak campaign released a series
of stats Monday regarding the former
state Supreme Court judge’s record in
the fi eld of criminal justice for which he
claims four decades of experience.
“I spent the better part of four decades
working in the criminal justice system
— as a prosecutor, a bureau chief and an
executive and a Supreme Court Judge.
During that time, I was both prosecuting
violent criminals and exonerating
the innocent. Th rough it all, I always
tried to do the right thing,” Lasak said.
“I hope that my career-politician opponents
will join me in doing the right
thing by releasing stats from their ‘time’
in the criminal justice system. Voters
deserve to know who among us has the
experience to actually do the job of district
attorney.”
Th e primary for Queens DA will be
held on June 25 with Katz, Lasak, Cabán,
Lugo, Councilman Rory Lancman and
Jose Nieves on the ballot.
Illustration via QNS from fi le and Twitter photos, @GregLasak
Queens County Bar says yea to Lasak and nay to Caban for DA
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Th e Judiciary Committee of the
Queens County Bar Association interviewed
six of the seven candidates for
Queens district attorney and found that
only Judge Greg Lasak deserved its
highest rating of “well qualifi ed.”
Lasak served as a prosecutor in the
Queens district attorney’s office for
25 years where he was chief of the
Homicide Bureau and executive assistant
district attorney in charge of the
Major Crimes Division before he was
elected a Justice of the New York State
Supreme Court in 2003.
“We’re glad that the Bar Association
saw what we know to be true: that
Judge Lasak is, bar none, the most
qualified candidate in this race,” Lasak
Campaign Chairman Bill Driscoll said.
“He’s the only candidate who can keep
Queens safe while reforming the criminal
justice system in a responsible way.”
The Queens County Bar Association
released the ratings on May 30 without
commentary. Queens Borough
President Melinda Katz, Councilman
Rory Lancman and former prosecutors
Mina Malik and Jose Nieves were all
found to be “qualified.”
“I have been an attorney for over 30
years, working in some of the city’s top
law firms and using my legal expertise
every day to serve the people
of Queens as an Assembly member,
Council member and borough president.
I’ve written laws and
shaped policies that have
changed thousands of
lives across our city
and state,” Katz said.
“The district attorney’s
office has
immense responsibility
and our
next DA will need
the sound judgement
that only
comes with decades
of legal experience
to steer it in the right
direction.”
Malik was proud to
receive a “qualified” rating.
“Their approval rating is demonstrative
of my passion for giving a voice to
the voiceless, my depth and breadth
of experience in both the defense and
prosecution sides, and my over two
decades of work in criminal justice and
reform,” Malik said. “I pledge to continue
my life’s mission as Queens district
attorney.”
As chairman of the City Council’s
Committee on the Justice System,
Lancman has oversight of the city’s five
district attorneys.
“My 19 years practicing law in state
and federal court, holding wrongdoers
accountable for sex harassment, wage
theft , and worker safety violations, combined
with my 11 years as a public offi cial
overseeing the criminal justice
system, has prepared me
to be the district attorney
Queens needs to
bring real reform that
improve public safety
and ensure equal
treatment under
the law,” Lancman
said.
But following
his interview with
the Queens County
Bar, he questioned
the committee’s diversity
on Twitter.
“Purported gatekeepers
for most
diverse county in USA. About 40 lawyers.
Every single one white. Not a person
of color in room. Eyes roll when I
discuss #racism in criminal justice system,
no surprise,” he wrote.
A spokeswoman for the Queens
County Bar Association would not
comment on Lancman’s tweet.
Tiffany Cabán, the only public
defender in the race, was rated as “not
approved.”
“Tiffany has spent her career as a
public defender in daily contact with
defendants, assistant district attorneys,
law enforcement officers, court
and correctional personnel and judges,”
Cabán spokeswoman Monica Klein
said. “She has deep familiarity with
the complexities of practice under
New York’s Penal Law and Criminal
Procedure Law, as well as extensive
work on carceral policy issues, unlike
Melinda Katz, a career politician who
hasn’t spent a day in criminal court.
This is clearly a statement about the
kind of candidates and issues the
association want to promote, political
insiders who are desperate to preserve
the status quo rather than bring
real reform to the DA’s office and to
the county.”
The committee did find José Nieves,
a career prosecutor and Army combat
veteran, to be qualified.
“I would like to than the Queens
County Bar Association for taking the
time to carefully evaluate my professional
experience, leadership qualities
and administrative experience and
determine that I was qualified to serve
as the next Queens County District
Attorney,” Nieves said. “As a progressive
prosecutor with over 18 years
of experience, I am ready to lead the
office on day one and will continue to
bring real criminal justice reform to
Queens County while ensuring public
safety.”
Betty Lugo, the seventh candidate
running in the June 25 Democratic primary,
was “not rated due to failure to
appear for interview.”
QNS reached out to Lugo’s campaign
and is awaiting their response.
Photo by Mark Hallum
/WWW.QNS.COM
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