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By
featured writer Marty Schwartz
For this column I have interviewed Democratic
candidate Tom Spota for Suffolk D.A.
BACKGROUND Age 60; married with 3 children. Resident of Mt. Sinai
for 30 years. Law Degree from St. John's University and an attorney in
private practice specializing in personal injury and representing police
unions.
ON THE ACTUAL CAMPAIGN It will be a fair campaign. The primary
issue will be ths intermperate use of the grand jury system and whether
Catterson has used his office to go after his enemies and looked aside
when his friends were in trouble.
POSITIVES OF THE D.A.'s OFFICE There are great attorneys and
prosecutors. The homicide bureau has a lot of good talent and does a
great job on the environment.
FUNCTIONS OF THE D.A.'s OFFICE/PLANS WITH THE OFFICE, IF ELECTED
To prosecute crime where crime should be prosecuted and protect the
rights of the innocent. We need to convert this office into a level
playing field. If elected, I plan to restore confidence to the office
and not to micro-manage the staff. I will review personnel in the office
and make personnel evaluations. We need to bring people into the office
who are former prosecutors, with defense experience. These people have a
better perspective on what a case is all about.
RE: SHERIFF PAT MAHONEY Catterson over-indicted the Sheriff and
under-Sheriff. There is no question that we've discovered that they used
the office for political purposes. The level of their actions never rose
to a 90-count indictment. There is too much personal animosity in this
case.
HOW THE RACE WILL BE WON OR LOST By reviewing the Catterson record
and getting the message throughout the County. I need to raise quite a
bit of money and peak to people in all the Towns.
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