With just several days before the November general election, Robert D. Siano, a Republican in the race for Bronx District Attorney, and his Democratic opponent, former state Supreme Court Justice Darcel Clark, have spent the last campaign days dropping by any venue to espouse their platforms.

For Siano, it’s subway stops on every line, public forums and scheduled debates. For Clark, it’s appearances at local Bronx political clubs, senior centers, civic organizations and, as Siano also noted, “anywhere where they would have me.”

Campaigning is tough work, both candidates admit. But in the Bronx, a borough whose registered Democrats overpower Republicans, a win for Siano is slim, albeit a long shot.

Still, Siano, a practicing private attorney who also worked for the New York City Administration for Children’s Services, has been making a noble, if not quixotic run for Bronx DA with a spark of grassroots efforts and backing from the Bronx Republican Party.

“If I was afraid I wouldn’t have put myself in this position,” Siano told the Norwood News. In the two weeks Siano’s shared face-time with the public, he has found some unlikely allies–Democrats.

“It’s been surprising to see how many Democrats have said, ‘I would never vote for a Republican, but I’m upset, I want something different, I want a choice.’”

The online presence is enormous, according to Siano. In the two and a half weeks he’s campaigned, several Facebook pages were created, with names such as “Democrats for Siano” and “Animal Advocates for Siano.”

Criminal Justice Reform
His platform mirrors Clark’s, in that it would decrease the buildup of court cases that’s stymied any progress in court cases impacting suspects awaiting trial or a delay in justice for victims. Siano’s reform agenda isn’t as formalized as Clark’s, who unveiled her own system of accountability dubbed the VISTA Plan.

The internal system seeks to streamline the caseload by assigning one case to an assistant district attorney instead of being shuffled around from one case to another. The plan also evaluates which cases have been on the docket for very long and how fast they’ve been cleared. Clark, in an interview with the Norwood News, does not intend to share the tracking data with the public.

“It will make people more accountable,” said Clark of the program. “They know that they just can’t sit back and wait for something to happen and then look into what’s going on behind it,” said Clark, telling the Norwood News she wants changes implemented across the board.

“As a new district attorney I’m willing to take a leadership role in trying to get this done and bringing these stakeholders to the table and really try to study what the problem is, what the causes are, and how we can alleviate them and make the system more efficient.”

Both have pledged to evenhandedly approach cases of corruption from Democratic or Republican elected officials. For Clark, that goal comes in the form of a Public Integrity Unit that would handle cases of corruption among elected officials. For his part, Siano noted he is “not beholden to anyone but the law” and would prosecute any Republican lawmakers with the same fervor as Democrats.

Background
Clark and Siano were both born and raised in the Bronx. Clark of Soundview was compelled to practice law for disturbing personal reasons: on a bus ride home, she witnessed the driver stab a friend of hers after he roughhoused inside the bus.

“I had to testify before the grand jury as a witness. And after testifying in the grand jury the bus driver was not indicted, and I thought that was an injustice,” said Clark. “So I made up my mind; not only did I want to do criminal law, but I wanted to be a prosecutor to make sure that victims of crimes were protected.”

She spent years as a prosecutor before ascending to judge. Among the cases she heard was the recently high-profile incident of Kalief Browder. Browder had languished in Riker’s Island for three years as his case lumbered through the court system. He was ultimately released, though he later killed himself in a conclusion many attributed to his time at Riker’s Island. Clark has consistently noted she had no recollection of the case.

“I think what’s most important is that it’s a tragedy that should never happen again. And as the incoming district attorney, if elected, I’m going to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

Political Chicanery?

Clark, who has longed for the district attorney spot, accepted the nomination to run for Bronx District Attorney under a cloud of electoral suspicion.

The nomination came a week after longtime DA Robert Johnson, a Democrat who had just won the September Primary, decided he would step down to pursue a run for State Supreme Court judge. As state law stands, judicial delegates can nominate a replacement of a candidate should the initial contender vacate the nomination. Clark resigned from her prominent position as an associate judge at the state appellate court, a decision she knew would be risky. “Sixteen years I have to be serving, and I had to step down in order to run for district attorney so it was a sacrifice on my part.” Should Clark win, she would be the borough’s first-ever female district attorney.

Many have criticized the timing of Clark’s nomination since it came days after Johnson won the September Primary, permanently etching her name as the Democratic nominee without taking it to voters. Citizens Union, a good government watchdog group, called the timing of Johnson’s win and subsequent withdrawal from the race suspect. With Johnson skating to a Primary win and vacating the nominating spot shortly after winning the Primary, Bronx politicians had effectively picked a successor without much input from Bronx voters. Political observers noted the machinations were pulled by former BDCC chairman and now Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (the Norwood News interviewed Clark just several doors down from Heastie’s office).

“There’s a procedure set up to fill those vacancies and as said in state law,” said Clark. “It happens in every level of government, whether it’s executive or judiciary. Do I think that there’s room for reform there or improvement, yes. But I didn’t create the vacancy here, and I didn’t create that system that filled the vacancy.”

Siano didn’t comment on claims of a political cabal among the BDCC, saying any comment would be rooted in speculation.

The 2015 political season was supposed to be a quiet one after a raucous 2014 election cycle. But several key changes in the Bronx political landscape has made the year anything but quiet.

The most critical change was Assemblyman Carl Heastie, a Democrat from the borough’s 84th Assembly District, rising to the state government’s third most powerful position as Assembly Speaker. The ascension was made possible after his predecessor, Sheldon Silver, was indicted on corruption charges.

Shortly afterwards Heastie stepped down as Bronx Democratic County Committee chairman, a position soon held by Assemblyman Marcos Crespo.

The general election will be held Nov. 3. More details can be found in the New York City Board of Elections website.