Former Rep. Michael McMahon is going to be Staten Island's next district attorney. The Democrat beat out a career prosecutor who turned the race into a battle of resumes. NY1's Grace Rauh filed the following report.
Michael McMahon has never prosecuted a case, but he is about to become Staten Island's next district attorney. He argued to voters that his political experience meant he would be best at managing the office and getting the funding he argues it needs from government.
"Tonight, we certainly have cause to celebrate," McMahon said.
McMahon beat out a career prosecutor and political newcomer, Joan Illuzzi, to win the seat. Heading into Election Day, many observers felt Illuzzi, a Republican, had the momentum.
The victory is a political comeback for McMahon. He represented Staten Island in Congress but was voted out of office after just one term. Before that, he was a member of the City Council.
McMahon says there is much work to be done in his new job.
"We have an incredible drug crisis here on Staten Island. We are going to tackle that," McMahon said. "We have young men and women who are dying because of gun violence. We are going to tackle that. We are going to go after the domestic violence rates that have been increasing on Staten Island at an unacceptable level. And we are going to build bridges between the law enforcement community and all the communities on Staten Island.
The Staten Island DA's office is most famous for empaneling the grand jury that declined to indict the police officers involved in Eric Garner's death. The police chokehold case drew national attention, but in this race, it was barely mentioned at all.