Suffolk District Attorney Ray Tierney makes pitch for 4 more years
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney speaks Tuesday at The Suffolk on East Main Street in Riverhead where he announced his relection campaign. Credit: Newsday/James Carbone
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney announced his bid for reelection Tuesday before dozens of supporters inside a Riverhead concert hall, kicking off a campaign that will likely see him run unopposed.
Tierney, flanked by his wife and children, emphasized a commitment to public safety initiatives if elected to a second four-year term in November. He highlighted the task force approach used to make an arrest in the Gilgo Beach homicide investigation as the type of effort his office aims to apply to prosecutions across all bureaus.
"The thing that sort of annoys me when we talk about Gilgo is a lot of people think that's a ... singular accomplishment," Tierney, 59, told the audience of politicians, law enforcement personnel and members of the legal community. "It’s not. This is the approach that I envisioned when I started this job. This is how we're going to treat not only cases such as Gilgo, but all of our cases."
Tierney said a similar collaborative investigative effort across law enforcement agencies has led to arrests and convictions for retail and auto thefts, and quality-of-life and public safety issues such as illegal dumping and street racing. After being welcomed on stage by the parents of an opioid overdose victim, Tierney said his office intends to put an emphasis on combating the opioid epidemic.
The event at the historic art-deco theater The Suffolk offered a stark contrast to Tierney’s announcement as an upstart challenger when he ran for district attorney in 2021. At that time, the former federal prosecutor introduced his candidacy in the company of about a dozen masked and socially distanced supporters outside the Alfonse M. D'Amato U.S. Courthouse in Central Islip.
Tierney, in his initial campaign against incumbent Tim Sini, said as district attorney he would reinstall ShotSpotter technology in the county and lobby the State Legislature to overturn bail reform laws. On Tuesday, he shared statistics regarding a reduction in shootings in 2024 that he said points to the success of the ShotSpotter program and vowed to continue pushing for tougher bail standards.
Suffolk County Democratic Chairman Rich Schaffer said his party has not heard from any potential candidates to challenge Tierney in his bid for reelection. Schaffer said he will likely recommend that his nominating committee either throw its support behind the district attorney or decline to nominate an opponent. Schaffer noted the way Tierney has collaborated with Sheriff Errol Toulon, who won election as a Democrat.
"In 40 years [in politics] I have never seen this type of law enforcement coordination and professionalism in Suffolk County," said Schaffer, who also serves as Babylon Town supervisor. "He’s doing a terrific job."
Tierney, who was not backed by the Suffolk PBA in 2021 and then returned monetary contributions after he was elected, said he would welcome support from law enforcement unions during the campaign. He said he has not yet accepted financial contributions and the campaign will have to determine how to address the issue of the top prosecutor receiving monetary support from law enforcement.
Republican Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine said Tuesday that Tierney has done what the public wants from a district attorney.
"We need people who are going to make sure the laws are enforced, that criminals pay a price and the public is protected," Romaine said.
As an assistant U.S. attorney for more than a decade, Tierney prosecuted several high-profile MS-13 gang cases and corruption cases against former Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano, his wife, Linda, and former Oyster Bay Supervisor John Venditto. He also helped prosecute former Suffolk Conservative Party leader Edward Walsh, who was convicted in 2016 of pocketing hundreds of thousands of dollars in pay from the Suffolk sheriff's department while golfing, gambling and politicking on county time
Tierney, a graduate of Brown University and St John's University School of Law, first worked as a Suffolk assistant district attorney from 1992 to 1999 and later served as a prosecutor in Kings County.
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney announced his bid for reelection Tuesday before dozens of supporters inside a Riverhead concert hall, kicking off a campaign that will likely see him run unopposed.
Tierney, flanked by his wife and children, emphasized a commitment to public safety initiatives if elected to a second four-year term in November. He highlighted the task force approach used to make an arrest in the Gilgo Beach homicide investigation as the type of effort his office aims to apply to prosecutions across all bureaus.
"The thing that sort of annoys me when we talk about Gilgo is a lot of people think that's a ... singular accomplishment," Tierney, 59, told the audience of politicians, law enforcement personnel and members of the legal community. "It’s not. This is the approach that I envisioned when I started this job. This is how we're going to treat not only cases such as Gilgo, but all of our cases."
Tierney said a similar collaborative investigative effort across law enforcement agencies has led to arrests and convictions for retail and auto thefts, and quality-of-life and public safety issues such as illegal dumping and street racing. After being welcomed on stage by the parents of an opioid overdose victim, Tierney said his office intends to put an emphasis on combating the opioid epidemic.
The event at the historic art-deco theater The Suffolk offered a stark contrast to Tierney’s announcement as an upstart challenger when he ran for district attorney in 2021. At that time, the former federal prosecutor introduced his candidacy in the company of about a dozen masked and socially distanced supporters outside the Alfonse M. D'Amato U.S. Courthouse in Central Islip.
Tierney, in his initial campaign against incumbent Tim Sini, said as district attorney he would reinstall ShotSpotter technology in the county and lobby the State Legislature to overturn bail reform laws. On Tuesday, he shared statistics regarding a reduction in shootings in 2024 that he said points to the success of the ShotSpotter program and vowed to continue pushing for tougher bail standards.
Suffolk County Democratic Chairman Rich Schaffer said his party has not heard from any potential candidates to challenge Tierney in his bid for reelection. Schaffer said he will likely recommend that his nominating committee either throw its support behind the district attorney or decline to nominate an opponent. Schaffer noted the way Tierney has collaborated with Sheriff Errol Toulon, who won election as a Democrat.
"In 40 years [in politics] I have never seen this type of law enforcement coordination and professionalism in Suffolk County," said Schaffer, who also serves as Babylon Town supervisor. "He’s doing a terrific job."
Tierney, who was not backed by the Suffolk PBA in 2021 and then returned monetary contributions after he was elected, said he would welcome support from law enforcement unions during the campaign. He said he has not yet accepted financial contributions and the campaign will have to determine how to address the issue of the top prosecutor receiving monetary support from law enforcement.
Republican Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine said Tuesday that Tierney has done what the public wants from a district attorney.
"We need people who are going to make sure the laws are enforced, that criminals pay a price and the public is protected," Romaine said.
As an assistant U.S. attorney for more than a decade, Tierney prosecuted several high-profile MS-13 gang cases and corruption cases against former Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano, his wife, Linda, and former Oyster Bay Supervisor John Venditto. He also helped prosecute former Suffolk Conservative Party leader Edward Walsh, who was convicted in 2016 of pocketing hundreds of thousands of dollars in pay from the Suffolk sheriff's department while golfing, gambling and politicking on county time
Tierney, a graduate of Brown University and St John's University School of Law, first worked as a Suffolk assistant district attorney from 1992 to 1999 and later served as a prosecutor in Kings County.
Grant Parpan covers Suffolk County courts and federal courts for Newsday. A Long Island native, he joined Newsday in 2022.
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