The political season is in full swing with primaries looming in the immediate future.
The race for Westchester County DA is not only one of the most interesting but also one of the most followed.
The three candidates represent diverse sections of the Westchester landscape.
Former Westchester County Judge, Susan Cacace is noted to have Conservative leanings. Cacace follows in the footsteps of her father, Judge Robert Cacace, who had a distinguished career as an administrative judge in Yonkers. He too was aligned with conservatives. The Yonkers Justice Center bears his name and is now known as the Cacace Justice Center, located in the Yonkers downtown area.
William Wagstaff, another candidate, is an African American civil rights attorney who has an arrest record. Wagstaff pleaded guilty in 2004 to one misdemeanor charge of unlawful use of a scamming device to obtain credit card numbers, and was sentenced to three years probation, six months house arrest, community service, and restitution by District Judge Lisa Margaret Smith of the Southern District of New York. Yet, Wagstaff persevered and started law school while on federal house arrest.
The third candidate is Adeel Mirza, who is a general practice lawyer in New Rochelle. Prior to that, Mirza worked as a Westchester County prosecutor. While employed there, Mirza was disciplined over his interaction with a female subordinate, eventually losing his job because of it, and still faces a federal lawsuit over the issue.
In February 2024, Mirza accused the chairwoman, Myra Saul, of the Scarsdale Democratic Party of Islamophobia, claiming she prevented him from presenting his credentials to the committee because he is Muslim. Other candidates were allowed the forum. In response to the allegation, Myra Saul, stated in a message to the Journal News/Lohud when asked for a reason.
"Based upon the press reports regarding the sexual harassment litigation concerning him, the Scarsdale Committee chose not to consider Mr. Mirza. He was informed that he was not on our agenda,"
Mirza also spoke about his religion in September, 2001, shortly after 9-11. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc911000172/
In the brief interview, Mirza, who was 26 at the time and a lawyer, stated the following in regards to US political policy practices in the Middle East and possible causes for 9-11. At that time, he stated he was a non practicing Muslim.
"We need to evaluate our policy in the Middle East. When you are supporting a tyrannical regime such as Israel who is oppressing the Palestinians. If you're supporting them, the people who are being oppressed are going to lash out against you."
Despite the differences, thousands of voters will let their experiences and their trust in the justice system determine who will get the job as Westchester District Attorney