Westchester DA Mimi Rocah won't run for re-election next year
Westchester District Attorney Mimi Rocah announced Thursday afternoon that she would not be seeking re-election to a second term next year.
The former federal prosecutor and MSNBC legal analyst notified her staff of the decision shortly before announcing it publicly.
She said the decision was the right one for her and her family at this time and emphasized that she had not found or was seeking a new job. She is expected to serve out the final 14 months and the timing of her announcement was to give potential candidates the time to prepare campaigns.
She took pride in implementing changes in the office that were geared towards being tough on violent crime and corruption but “flexible and creative” about non-violent crime to reduce recidivism, racism and inequality in the criminal justice system.
“I do not know what my next role will be,” she said in a statement. “But I do know that I will work to raise public awareness for the extremely necessary ethical reforms for our county, continue to fight for truth and justice and work on pressing national and world-wide issues.”
Rocah easily defeated one-term incumbent Anthony Scarpino in the 2020 Democratic primary and then ran essentially unopposed in the general election when the Republican candidate Bruce Bendish opted not to run a formal campaign.
Rocah created new units in the office to address conviction integrity, law enforcement corruption and cold case homicides to address.
Her 2020 campaign for office focused on greater police accountability and her tenure involved several high-profile clashes with law enforcement unions over prosecutions of police officers.
“We didn't agree on some things,” noted Det. Keith Olson, president of the Yonkers Police Benevolent Association. Olson referenced, as an example, Rocah's decision to prosecute Michael Vaccaro, an off-duty New Rochelle detective who punched a Black man.
Vaccaro was later acquitted of the attempted assault charges. His case exemplified some of the tensions with the law enforcement community that boiled over during her tenure.
Nevertheless, Olson said he wishes her “the best of luck” and credits her for declining crime in Westchester County.
“For the most part, I think she did a good job,” he said. “She’s got a lot of hard-working people. Westchester’s been a pretty safe place, and she’s been a part of that.”
Rocah, a Scarsdale resident who is Jewish and the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, did not say when she made her decision. But she suggested it included consideration of the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel and its aftermath, which she said "has profoundly and personally impacted me in ways that I did not expect."
There was widespread speculation in recent months that Rocah would not seek a second term but she had not informed Democratic Party leaders of her decision until Wednesday, said Suzanne Berger, the chairwoman of the Westchester Democratic Committee.
Last month, Adeel Mirza, a former Westchester prosecutor, registered a campaign committee to run for DA with the state Board of Elections.
Other Democrats who have been discussed as possible candidates include Westchester County Judge Susan Cacace and civil rights lawyer William Wagstaff.
But Berger said the field could grow now with Rocah not running.
Democrats enjoy a huge advantage among registered voters in Westchester and have won the DA's race each year since 2009 when Janet DiFiore, a Republican-turned-Democrat, won her second of three terms.
Douglas Colety, the Republican party chairman, could offer no potential GOP candidates but said he had no doubt some would surface in the coming months, particularly now that it's an open seat.
Staff writer Asher Stockler contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Westchester District Attorney Rocah won't run for re-election in 2024
