DA Race Campaign Financing Clear After Tuesday’s Filing Deadline

By David Brand

Queens residents got a clearer picture of the fundraising efforts of four Democratic candidates for District Attorney Tuesday when the state’s first campaign finance reporting deadline passed.

Retired Justice Gregory Lasak, has raised $813,667.69 and has $683,106.73 remaining in his campaign fund, according to the campaign finance report. Lasak left the bench in September 2018 to run for DA.

Borough President Melinda Katz has generated $558,321.23 in donations as well as funds transferred from other campaign accounts, according to her filing.

City Councilmember Rory Lancman, chair of the council’s Committee on the Justice System, has a total of $938,330.87 in contributions as well as money transferred from previous campaign accounts.

Incumbent District Attorney Richard A. Brown announced last week that he would not seek re-election to the position he has held since 1991. Brown did, however, have $3,239.17 in his pool, according to campaign finance reports.

Jose Nieves, a prosecutor in the state Attorney General’s Office raised $10,385.00 according to the state campaign finance report. Though, as of press time, Nieves has not officially announced that he was running for the top prosecutor position, he has held three fundraisers since registering with the Board of Election in December.

Public defender Tiffany Caban, a staff attorney at New York County Defender Services, has not yet raised money for her campaign, according to finance reports. Caban has also not officially announced her candidacy, as of press time.