joint Press release: Judge Grasso, Candidate for Queens DA, and Paul Graziano, Candidate for City Council, Cross Endorse and Discuss Public Safety
In a press conference today at the Douglaston LIRR Station, Judge George Grasso and Paul Graziano endorsed one another in their respective races for Queens District Attorney and City Council (CD19). Judge Grasso and Mr. Graziano have both ensured their positions on the Democratic Primary ballot this June. They also filed well in excess of the required number of signatures last week for their independent Public Safety line.
“Paul and I completely see eye to eye when it comes to public safety,” said Judge George Grasso. “I know that once Paul is elected to City Council, he will do right by our communities. His experience fighting for our neighborhoods is unmatched in this race. His most recent successful fight against Governor Hochul’s elimination of single family neighborhoods proves Paul’s ability to get things done, even when working against institutional powers and the party machine."
“As the father of a first grader in a local public school, and as a lifelong northeast Queens resident, I am disturbed by the public safety trends we have been experiencing over the past few years,” said Paul Graziano. “We need a District Attorney with decades of unparalleled experience to help turn the tide and bring back quality of life in our borough. I know Judge George Grasso will be that District Attorney. He is a centrist, common sense Democrat. Our communities can’t afford to have a career politician as District Attorney for another four years. We need an independent thinker, beholden to no one but his constituents, who has a comprehensive, proven strategy to make our streets safer.”
At the press conference, Judge Grasso and Mr. Graziano discussed how, when elected to their respective positions as Queens District Attorney and City Council member, they will work in conjunction on bills and plans to improve public safety in the borough as a whole.
Four specific topics of legislation have altered the way the criminal justice system operates in the city:
Judge Grasso pointed out that the City Council has effectively gutted the Nuisance Abatement law, which was previously an extremely effective tool in enabling the NYPD to close establishments engaged in ongoing illegal activity. With a gutted Nuisance Abatement law - due to the misguided efforts of the City Council - the number of illegal smoke shops and modern crack houses, which bring crime, disorder, and death to the neighborhoods they inhabit, has increased. Judge Grasso and Mr. Graziano pledged to work to restore the viability of the Nuisance Abatement law, so that landlords are confronted with real consequences when they rent to illicit tenants. Judge Grasso and Mr. Graziano will work to create a statutory presumption of immediate closure of these establishments after specific investigative findings of ongoing illegal activity. For example, three instances of selling illegal substances to undercover police officers.
Judge Grasso and Mr. Graziano believe that the current City Council plan to close Rikers by 2027 is implausible based on the current inmate headcount of over 6,000, which has actually been rising. Coupling the current inmate headcount with the current plan’s artificially low daily headcount of 3,300, it is obvious that the city will not be able to close Rikers by 2027. Working together, Judge Grasso and Mr. Graziano will come up with plans to make Rikers as safe as possible for the inmates and correction officers, since the facility will not realistically be able to close by 2027 or in the foreseeable future.
In order to restore public safety in our city, Judge Grasso and Mr. Graziano understand that the City Council must reinstate qualified immunity for NYPD officers. For safer streets and a safer city, the NYPD needs to recruit, train, and hire the most professional, qualified young people available. “Top notch talent will only join the NYPD if they know they are getting fair treatment and are not thrown under the bus when they are performing their duties under complex and difficult circumstances in good faith,” said Judge George Grasso. “Qualified immunity is essential to maintaining a world class police department.”
Quality of life has been drastically impacted by the proliferation of unlicensed mopeds, motorcycles, and e-bikes. These vehicles recklessly drive at high speeds, often going against traffic, on our highways, streets and sidewalks, sometimes with unhelmeted small children on the laps of drivers. They contribute to an overall atmosphere of lawlessness and danger. “When elected, I will work tirelessly to ensure legal accountability for drivers when these vehicles are used unlawfully,” said Paul Graziano. “Quality of life enforcement means addressing, head on, the issues that lead to crime and disorder, so that our neighborhoods and communities remain safe.”
Judge Grasso was most recently the Administrative Judge of Queens Supreme Court, Criminal Term. Prior to his judgeship, he served in the NYPD for 30 years, most recently as First Deputy Police Commissioner. He stepped down from the bench on August 31, 2022, with over two years remaining on his term, to run for Queens District Attorney.
Paul Graziano has worked as an urban planner, land use expert, and historic preservationist for over three decades. His most recent efforts include leading “Save Flushing Meadows Corona Park,” a coalition of civic and environmental groups opposed to the commercial encroachment of the area. He is also the leader in the successful state-wide effort in opposing Governor Hochul’s war against single family neighborhoods and home rule.
The Democratic Primary election is June 27th.
