Politics

Cy Vance And The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Month

Meet the write-in candidate hoping to unseat Cy Vance.

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A couple of months ago, Cyrus Vance Jr. was sitting in the cushiest of jobs in New York politics, staring unopposed at a November re-election to a job so secure that his predecessor actually papered up the deal when the Dutch bought the island of Manhattan for 60 guilders. Any criticism of his tenure as Manhattan DA was mostly whispered among legal nerds.

Let’s just say life comes at you fast. Now a write-in candidate has emerged to challenge Vance, so get used to the name “Marc Fliedner” in case you want to spell it yourself on November 7th or something.

But first, what happened to Vance? It seems to have started when PBS broadcast “Small Enough to Jail,” a documentary about Vance’s failed and disturbing prosecution of Abacus Bank that’s now receiving Oscar buzz. Then came the bombshell report that top prosecutors in Vance’s office had built what they felt was a strong criminal case against Ivanka and Don Jr. that was quickly dropped after Vance received a visit from campaign donor Marc Kasowitz. While many cast aspersions of “bribery,” the donations really had nothing to do with how shamefully handled this was. Then we learned that Vance’s office declined to go after Harvey Weinstein years earlier, even though police had audio evidence from an accuser wearing a wire. Throw in another prosecutorial whiff on the quixotic effort to get jail time for someone — nay, anyone — from Dewey & LeBoeuf, a cause that seemingly only their bankers really care about, and people started remembering that Sergey Aleynikov guy who Vance doggedly pursued against every obstacle to appease Goldman Sachs. It all came together to paint an unflattering portrait of a DA’s office that routinely makes questionable decisions to protect the wealthy and powerful.

Luckily for Vance, this all broke long after the deadline to file to had run. Had this all broke in January, we’d likely see a very different race developing. But there’s still an alternative for those interested in an alternative: Marc Fliedner, a civil rights attorney and former prosecutor with years of experience in the Brooklyn DA’s office prosecuting sex-crimes. It’s that experience that makes the Weinstein revelations so galling to him. From an interview with New York Magazine:

“Most sexual-assault cases come down to the credible testimony of the victims who come forward,” he said. “In this case, she was not only willing to come forward but to work with law enforcement on it. I don’t understand the decision not to prosecute.”

While Fliedner — who currently rents in Brooklyn — has already checked with the Board of Elections to ensure that they will accept his name as a write-in candidate for Manhattan DA, Vance’s camp is already pointing to a New York Public Officers’ law provision requiring office-holders to be residents of the political subdivision they serve. It looks like it comes down to the meaning of “at the time he shall be chosen [to hold office].” Is that election day or the day an officer is vested with the authority of an office?

Whatever the answer, it’s interesting to see Vance’s people demanding such literal adherence to statutes.

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Maybe if we sent Kasowitz over there they’d loosen up on this.

Scandal-Plagued Cy Vance Suddenly Has a Write-in Challenger [Daily Intelligencer]

Earlier: Ivanka And Don Jr. Avoided Indictment The Old-Fashioned Way: By Being Rich
No Jail Time For Convicted Dewey CFO
‘Small Enough To Jail’ Looks At The Only Bank Prosecuted Over The Housing Crisis
Cy Vance Is Manhattan’s Dumb Hamlet
Which Bank Deserves Criminal Prosecution? The Smallest One, Obviously!

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