The Albany County District Attorney's office appears to be on track for a change in leadership for the first time in 20 years.
Democrats backed Lee Kindlon over five-term Albany County District Attorney David Soares in Tuesday’s primary. In a rematch of 2012’s primary, Kindlon won 55% of the vote, 11,751 to 9,509, according to Albany County Board of Elections figures.
Soares’ run for reelection was expected to get the party nod, but was derailed when news surfaced about a $23,000 salary bonus he gave himself from a state grant — which led to calls for his resignation.
In February, Soares declared it "a political hit" and announced he would return the money. Kindlon soon entered the primary race.
The defense attorney and former Marine prosecutor received backing from Albany County Executive Dan McCoy, Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan, and local state Senator Neil Breslin. Kindlon declared victory just after 10:30 p.m.
“You know, I've been door to door throughout this county over the past couple of months," Kindlon said, "and I've learned that they want an end to the status quo. They actually want to do something about working within the law and figuring out how to drive down the violent crime rate, the guns, and everybody must understand tonight, as I declare victory in the Democratic primary for Albany County district attorney that I'm going to fulfill those promises and more. Tomorrow's a new day.”
Soares, who had the backing of Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple, former Governor David Paterson and a host of law enforcement agencies and officials, addressed a handful of backers just before 11 p.m. Soares emphasized that he's been campaigning on public safety, alluding to his opposition to Raise the Age and bail reform.
“I believe that message that we had, the message that we still have today, is a message that resonates and resonated with the vast majority of people in Albany County," said Soares. "The people of Albany County will eventually speak. I don't believe that they have spoken yet, and we will continue to await the results, and one way or the other, we will respect the results of the voices of the people of Albany County, and that's what going to say right now. Turn that music back on, and let's have some fun.”
Soares did not concede.
The supporters soon began trickling out and the TV cameras went dark as word spread that the DA would not be returning to the podium.
Wednesday morning, Kindlon tells WAMC he hasn't heard from Soares, and thinks "Soares fatigue" among voters factored into his victory.
“All the voters I talked to, and I went to 2,500 doors myself," Kindlon said, "the voters in Albany County thought, after 20 years, maybe it's time for a fresh set of eyes on a lot of the problems we just can't seem to solve. They were tired of David's scandals and his antics and his excuses, and I gave them the opportunity for a fresh perspective and some real, practical working knowledge of the criminal justice system and they bought into it.”
As victory sinks in, Kindlon says he'll continue in his law practice for now.
“I got a full work day today. I have to go to federal court in a couple of minutes, so I still need to make money and feed my teenage boys, so I'll be working for the next couple of months, wearing a couple of different hats, obviously still running for office, but I will probably shy away from taking any Albany County cases, because I don't want to put any of the ADAs in an awkward spot. And focus on other counties and also doing federal work,” said Kindlon.
The general election in November pits Kindlon against Republican Ralph Ambrosio. It’s not clear what Soares will do next, and his campaign has not responded to requests for comment.
Meantime, Kindlon has a game plan to hit the ground running should he win.
“I'm really looking forward to that first all hands meeting on January 2, 2025, where I can sit down with my staff and say, ‘OK, gang, this is how we're going to do it, and this is what we're going to do going forward.’ But I think it's really important right now for me to take a bit and, you know, spend some time with my family, who, who I unfortunately have not, who I've had to ignore the past couple months, and then we can figure out, going forward, some of the bigger moving pieces in terms of how we're going to help that office get its groove back," Kindlon said.
