LETTER: Manny Nneji deserves our vote

Published in Hudson Valley One on November 1, 2023

Ulster voters will soon elect our next county district attorney. Manny Nneji, the Democratic candidate, deserves our vote. A skilled and dedicated prosecutor for 32 years, in both the county and the state government, he has been sought out and promoted as an assistant DA by both Republican and Democratic district attorneys.

Today, he stands ready, if elected as Ulster DA, to advance four major priorities that promote justice for all:

1. Tackling violent crime: Manny has prosecuted hundreds of cases, including hate crimes, domestic violence, gun violence, assaults and robberies. He aims to support a hate crimes unit in the department.

2. Preventing crime: Communities are safest when crime is stopped before it happens. Manny’s years of volunteer coaching kids’ soccer teams makes him determined to help young people especially. They need to understand the finality of gun violence. He aims to create a juvenile justice bureau and to partner with community groups and schools. Senior residents also need help: to avoid fraud, exploitation and violence.

3. Delivering justice with compassion: As chief Assistant DA, he is already training staff in trauma-informed prosecution, to avoid re-traumatizing victims and witnesses in trials. He will expand diversion programs and resources for nonviolent offenders, including restorative justice, drug courts and mental health services. And he will strengthen the conviction integrity unit to prevent, identify and remedy false convictions.

4. Building a next generation DA’s office of attorneys who share these values, are eager to put them into practice and collaborate in this spirit with local law enforcement.

These goals are not just political slogans. Manny Nneji has walked this walk for many years — because, as he says, “Justice, in the end, is the only way to guarantee our safety and the enjoyment of our freedoms.” He deserves our vote.

Bob Gelbach

Saugerties