patch: Meet George Grasso, Candidate For Queens District Attorney
George Grasso hopes to unseat Democratic Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz in the Nov. 7 election.
Grasso is running on the Public Safety line against Katz and Republican Michael Mossa.
Patch has sent out questionnaires for candidates to tell voters about themselves.
Here's what Grasso had to say:
Name
George Grasso
How old will you be as of Election Day?
66
Does your campaign have a website? If so, include the URL here.
https://GrassoforQueens.com
What New York City neighborhood do you call home?
Douglaston
What office are you seeking?
Queens District Attorney
If you are running in a district, you can specify the district here.
Queens County
Please give us your party affiliation.
Public Safety
Education.
Juris Doctor
What is your occupation?
Judge 12+ years (ret. 8/31/22); NYPD (30 years, foot cop to First Deputy Police Commissioner)
Do you have a family? If so, please tell us about them.
Yes. Wife, Regina(41 years),2 adult sons and 2 grandchildren.
Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?
Yes.
What other public offices have you held?
NYPD: Police Officer; Deputy Commissioner, Legal Matters: First Deputy Police Commissioner. NYC Criminal Court Judge and Administrative Judge Queens Supreme Court -Criminal Term
Now we'd like to ask a few questions about your reasons for running and your general views on politics and government. First, why are you seeking this office?
To improve Public Safety in Queens and throughout NYC
Please complete this statement: The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is \\_\\_\\_, and this is what I intend to do about it.
Rising crime. I will restore accountability for unlawful behavior and speak out against poorly constructed laws, such as bail reform.
How would you address ongoing concerns about people seeking asylum in New York City?
This is a federal issue, I am running for a NYS Office.
Do you believe the NYPD is funded appropriately? Please explain your answer.
No. The NYPD headcount is down by at least several thousand police officers. In a time of rising crime and disorder this is totally unacceptable.
What is one policy you would support to make housing more affordable in New York City?
N/A
What has Mayor Eric Adams gotten right and what is he doing wrong?
He has correctly raised serious concerns about the defects in the current plan to close Rikers Island. On the downside, he opposes Federal Oversight of Rikers Island which I believe is a necessary in order to make the changes needed to make conditions on Rikers substantially better for both detainees and Corrections Officers.
What work would you do for commuters in 2024?
N/A
What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?
I have unparalleled experience working effectively in the Criminal Justice System and a solid plan to bring back Quality of Life enforcement strategies that are crucial to substantially bringing crime down restoring public safety. My website lays out my experience and my platform in very specific detail.
What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?
I am intensely focusing on the failures of the Governor, the NYS Legislature and the NYC Council with respect to Criminal Justice Reform and the dangerous “plan” to close Rikers Island that is based on an artificially low Rikers headcount. These issues must be publicly called out and I will continue to do so.
What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?
I was in the upper echelon of NYPD leadership (Deputy Commissioner of Legal Matters and First Deputy Police Commissioner) during the time that NYPD innovation and policies brought crime down to record lows. I played an integral role in those achievements, including the development of NYPD’s first comprehensive Quality of Life strategy in 1994. As a Judge, I was responsible for driving down Arrest to Arraignment times to record lows, creating novel court programs to help young people and individuals with serious substance abuse, breaking major case backlogs in Bronx Criminal Court as well Citywide backlogs in felony gun cases during the pandemic and getting Jury trials up to 10 per week in Queens Supreme Court after months of pandemic driven stagnation.
What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?
Be prepared.
Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?
I am not an ideologue. My positions on public safety are based on what I believe is fair and effective. Some times those views are considered to be conservative and other times liberal. Labels don’t matter to me. What matters to me is doing the right things for the right reasons and making our communities safe.
You're hungry and you have $10 — where do you go?
To a pizza place.
Written by Matt Troutman, Patch
https://patch.com/new-york/queens/meet-george-grasso-candidate-queens-district-attorney
