Madeline Singas is the clear choice for district attorney

District attorney is the single most important job in Nassau County when it comes to keeping families safe and ensuring that our criminal justice system is smart, fair and just. It requires years of experience, a comprehensive understanding of the complexities of the criminal justice system and the toughness and courage to take on the violent criminals who threaten our communities.

There’s only one candidate in the race for D.A. who I trust to carry on the county’s legacy of tough and aggressive prosecution: Acting District Attorney Madeline Singas.

I haven’t ventured into the public sphere often since I retired from Congress last year. It takes a lot for me to get back into politics. This race is that important.

Many readers know my story. Believe it or not, it was 22 years ago that we experienced the terrible tragedy on the Long Island Rail Road in which my husband was killed and my son was injured. Like so many victims, I became an active fighter for my cause, so that no one else would have to go through the same tragedy.

Singas is a partner in this fight. She has worked for over two decades to prevent these tragedies from happening.

She’s in our schools, with the Not My Child program, which educates parents and children on the evils of heroin. She co-chairs the Heroin Prevention Task Force and works with police officers, treatment providers, health professionals and families who have lost loved ones to combat this epidemic.

Singas works with the community to prevent violent crimes before they happen, reducing the tension that can lead to tragedies. She works with community partners to crack down on the violent criminals and gangs bringing illegal guns into our communities. And her gun buyback programs have taken thousands of illegal guns and assault rifles off our streets.

What impresses me about Singas is that she has actually held the hands of victims, and fought for them in their darkest hours. She understands how to work with an open ear and an open heart, to seek justice and make victims whole.