Nassau District Attorney Candidates: Meet Frank McQuade

LONG BEACH, NY — Nassau County voters on Nov. 5 will decide whether to give incumbent Democrat Madeline Singas a second term as the county's top prosecutor or hand over the reigns to Republican challenger Frank McQuade.

Singas, who defeated former Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray in 2015, seeks a second four-year term as the county's district attorney. As the chief law enforcement official for the county, the district attorney manages more than 350 attorneys, investigators and support staff who prosecute and investigate about 30,000 criminal cases every year.

Patch reached out to both candidates via email and/or Facebook to hear where they stand on important issues affecting the community.

Here are the responses for those who participated. The answers have been lightly edited for clarity.

Frank McQuade

• Age (as of Sept. 1): 65
• Town of residence: Long Beach
• Position sought: Nassau County district attorney.
• Party affiliation: Republican, Libertarian, Tax Revolt
• Family: Wife, Mercy McQuade, an immigrant from Ecuador. Sons: Max, a naval doctor; Francis, an administrator at University of Oregon; and John, campaign manager.
• Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? Son is in the Navy. One sister and one brother in the Navy, Annapolis graduates. One brother a former Marine and retired secret service agent.
• Education: Doctor of Jurisprudence from St. John's University School of Law (1991-1994). Exposure to substantive law of the United States and New York State, and development of the legal method to spot the issue and apply the law. Developed lifetime friendships with classmates who shared the challenge of studies and the success of legal practice. Bachelor of arts in History from Cathedral College (1972-1976). Liberal arts education with a major in history. Curriculum steeped in classics and value-oriented education, encouraging service and leadership futures for the graduates.

• Occupation:
  • Law Offices of Francis McQuade, Long Beach/Brentwood sole proprietor of private law firm 1997 to present.
  • Rule 36 Referee and Receiver
    • New York State Supreme Court, Mineola 2007 to present.
  • Counsel
    • Long Beach Housing Authority 2004 to present.
  • St. Nicholas Human Support Corporation Director of Field Operations of Neighborhood Development and Home Health Care agency 1989-1997
  • Diocese of Rockville Centre
    • Associate Pastor 1981-1987
  • Ocean Beach, NY Police Department
    • Police Officer 1975-1978
• Previous or current elected or appointed office: No Previous or Present Office Held
• Campaign Website: FXMcQuade.com

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Legislation being handed down by New York State. These new judicial processes are borderline unconstitutional and dangerous to our safety. With cashless bail, there will be an opportunity for criminals to walk away less than 24 hours after committing a crime which can vary from petty to extreme. These laws were designed to protect those in the system from being treated unfairly. We don’t need laws which dismantle how we go about prosecuting criminals. With the right people handling the judicial process, like me as district attorney, crime will be handled the right way without baseless reprieve.

See also: Nassau District Attorney Candidates: Meet Madeline Singas

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I am politically independent and have a more varied background to understand the issues of crime and punishment, balancing street safety and civil rights. She ran on the basis of “prosecutor, not politician,” which was a "clever" motto running against Kate Murray. However, that message doesn't hold. My opponent protects her political interests by placing politically connected personnel (without commensurate qualifications) into key bureau positions. She is another cog in the Democrat machine who approaches justice with special interest and progressive ideological agenda's in a self preserving bureaucracy. She has received funding from the Soros Family. I have not, nor would I accept it.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)?

There have been many questionable decisions made by the district attorney which should be seen as alarming for both sides. She has been overly lenient on child abuse cases involving teachers. She has created redundant bureaus designed to tackle specifics, which only spreads out case work and loses focus on investigations. She has politicized the office through indebtedness incurred through her millions of dollars in solicited donations. Questionable decisions in campaigning methods, such as having the guidance counselor for Locust Valley High School email students with a promotion to sign up as a campaign volunteer which included Ms. Singas' email at the bottom. She has been inconsistent in investigations of political corruption, expediting those relating to her rival party and stalling on cases involving members of her own party. Finally, she has created a strained relationship with the police, demeaning their input through redundant case evaluation bureaus superseding the police informations.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Other issues which are important to me include gangs, opioids and sex trafficking. These three issues are interrelated. Gangs bring in drugs and profit off the sex workers they pimp out. I know gangs. Having litigated hundreds of asylum cases involved gang persecution. I know how they think and operate. I speak Spanish fluently which allows me to personally and intimately understand the growing and largely affected members of the county’s Latino community. I will greatest have the greatest communication advantage of any district attorney this county has ever had.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I have accomplished and earned a multitude of civic recognition throughout my life, which I believe is indicative of what my success will be as district attorney. Not only have I spent a quarter of a century practicing law and litigating, but I have received multiple honors being an attorney over that time. I am admitted to the United States Supreme Courts based on my character and court record. I have received multiple accolades from different cultural organizations which validates my understanding of different people. Being a police officer prior to going into law also gives me experience on "both sides" of the law.

The best advice ever shared with me was ...

The best advice given me was from Professor Conrad Dietz, from Thomas Aquinas: "Never deny, seldom affirm, always distinguish." I believe this is a firm foundation for addressing any question and ultimate solution.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I want to be a prosecutor not a persecutor. I do not go into the position under a "just win," mentality. With the crime rate in Nassau County at a historic low, there is opportunity to be sure that civil liberties are protected in the criminal justice systems. This does not mean I would be "easy" on violent and dangerous criminal. It means I will charge fairly and not allow professional ambition and bureaucratic self-preservation to influence my decisions. There is no doubt that any ideas I present I will be able to fully implement with my extended knowledge of law and understanding of procedures.