STATEMENT FROM DAVID KELLEY, FORMER UNITED STATES ATTORNEY AND SINI CAMPAIGN CHAIRMAN
I am David N. Kelley, a Suffolk County resident, and someone who has served in law enforcement in a variety of capacities, and understands how important it is to elect a District Attorney who has unquestioned integrity and the ability to effectively serve as the chief law enforcement official of this County. It is no secret that the leadership in the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office is compromised, and the Office needs reform. It is also clear that this County, while safer than ever, faces many public safety challenges that must be addressed with effective leadership in the District Attorney’s Office. That is why I am supporting Tim Sini for Suffolk County District Attorney and have agreed to serve as the Chairman of his campaign.
I started my career in law enforcement with the Easthampton Town Police Department where I served as a Special Police Officer and then a Police Officer from 1977 until 1986, as I worked my way through law school. After leaving the Department I served as a clerk to a federal judge before being appointed as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. I prosecuted a wide variety of crimes, including many high profile cases, including members of the five mafia families and the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center. My career as a federal prosecutor culminated in one of the greatest honors of my life when I was appointed to serve as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York from 2003-2005.
Tim too served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York. But, I got to know him personally after he became Suffolk County Police Commissioner. As he led the Department out of a scandal, implemented numerous reforms, reduced crime to historic lows and provided effective leadership in the wake of a variety of complex public safety issues, I was proud that an alum of the Southern District was affecting so much positive change right here in Suffolk County. He evinced true leadership, restoring relationships with his federal law enforcement partners after the previous administration destroyed them, and establishing a leadership team of top-notch caliber, who have seen the Department through some of its toughest days.
He has invested in intelligence led policing, community policing and innovative crime fighting strategies resulting in significant reductions in crime and increased trust between the police and the communities they protect and serve. And he didn’t do it alone. He did it by engaging with, and providing a seat at the table to community and religious leaders, elected officials, other law enforcement agencies and most importantly the people of Suffolk County. In short, he has proven to be a strong and effective leader.
Tim has a vision for how the criminal justice system should operate in Suffolk — a vision that gives the taxpayers what they deserve; a transparent and effective criminal justice system that performs its duties with the highest ethical standards. But Tim and I know that this vision depends on a strong, effective District Attorney with unquestioned integrity. After all, the DA is the chief law enforcement official for the County, and has the ability to do a lot of good, or harm.
This is why after learning of Tim’s past performance as an AUSA in the most prestigious prosecutorial office in the Country and after seeing what he has accomplished in the Police Department, I told him he had to run for DA as he is the right person at the right time.
And that is why I am supporting Tim for DA, and serving as the Chairman of his campaign.
Tim and I and his supporters agree, however, that Tim needs to remain in the Police Department to continue his critically important mission of serving and protecting the residents of Suffolk County. So this will not be a conventional campaign. We are in the process of setting up a structure where he has limited involvement in the daily operations of the campaign so he can continue to provide an unimpeded focus on running the Police Department. He will not, for example, personally engage in fundraising activities of any kind. Nor will he engage in any campaign activities during the workday. The day to day operations of the campaign will be run by professionals, which will include a fundraising committee that will raise the necessary funding to operate an effective campaign.
The structure of this campaign is built on a foundation of legal review and approval that started when we sought a legal opinion from the United States Special Counsel, Hatch Act Unit. That opinion unequivocally states that he is permitted to run for office while serving as Police Commissioner. We also sought a secondary legal opinion from one of the top election lawyers in the country, Jerry Goldfeder of Strook Strook & Lavan LLP, who unequivocally stated that Tim running while serving as Police Commissioner is in accordance with New York State and County law. Goldfeder will serve as counsel to the campaign and ensure that this campaign will comply with all applicable laws and operate at the highest ethical standards.
I look forward to serving my County as Chairman of Tim’s campaign and helping to reform the criminal justice system here in Suffolk by electing Timothy D. Sini Suffolk County District Attorney.
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