District attorney candidates clash over Vassell case
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NORTHAMPTON — Debate between the two Democratic candidates vying to become the region’s next top law enforcement official became testy at times Wednesday night, with David Sullivan charging that the Northwestern district attorney’s office displayed racial bias in a case overseen by his opponent, Michael Cahillane.
Referring to the 2008 case of Jason Vassell, an African-American and then-student at the University of Massachusetts who was charged with stabbing two white men after they allegedly berated him with racial insults, Sullivan said the district attorney's office had wasted resources on prosecuting Vassell and exercised "an absolute lack of judgment." The case was dismissed earlier this summer.
Cahillane countered that Vassell was held after the district attorney's office filed a motion for a dangerousness hearing, in which it is decided whether a person should be held or released. That motion was upheld by a judge, he noted.
"The job of the district attorney is to stand up for victims," he said, "and in this situation I made the decision based on the facts that I know at that point. What I knew is that there were two people in the hospital who had been stabbed."
That marked the most contentious exchange in a debate that saw the two candidates agree on a majority of policy issues while taking at the other's resume. Sullivan, the current Hampshire County register of probate, argued his experience as an administrator and manager made him the best candidate to lead the Northwestern district attorney's office while Cahillane, a former first assistant district attorney, said his time as a prosecutor left him best suited for the post.
"Every good attorney knows both sides of a case," said Sullivan when asked about his lack of experience as a prosecutor. He noted he had worked as a civilian trial attorney representing the U.S. Army and Air Force, a trial attorney and legal advocate, trying both criminal and civil cases over the course of his 23-year career.
"To just say 'I'm a lawyer' doesn't get you to being district attorney," responded Cahillane, who has worked for the past nine years in the Northwestern district attorney's office.
Their roles reversed when the subject turned to managerial experience. There, Sullivan sought to highlight his time as an administrator and Cahillane's relative inexperience in that area. He said the current district attorney, Elizabeth Scheibel, has tried only three cases in her 17-year tenure.
"I think leadership skills are something I have developed over the course of my career ... That skill that Mike has not developed is going to be necessary over the next four years for an effective district attorney," Sullivan said.
Cahillane cited his time as Superior Court prosecutor in defense. "My responsibility was to supervise the victim advocates and work with them throughout the process. In addition, my responsibility was to supervise and manage large-scale investigations, including the state police unit that is assigned to the office," he said.
Both candidates said they supported legalizing casino gambling, but acknowledged it would lead to an uptick in crime and then outlined plans to combat such an increase. Cahillane said he would rely on a plan drafted by the attorney general's office and the Massachusetts District Attorneys Association to prevent the appearance of organized crime at the state's proposed gaming institutions. Sullivan said he supported the Western Massachusetts Casino Task Force's recommendation to establish a community mitigation fund to help finance police and additional prevention programs.
Both men said they support the state's new law decriminalizing marijuana, but also favor reforms that would make it possible for law enforcement to assess individual fines. And on the subject of civil rights, both said they would establish a human rights panel to examine and combat issues of discrimination.
But the most pointed exchange came in response to questions about Vassell. Cahillane defended his office and argued that it is the duty of the prosecutor to apply the facts of the case regardless of race or ethnicity. That had been done in relation to Vassell, he said.
Sullivan said the district attorney's office made a series of bad judgment calls, first holding Vassell - who had no prior criminal record - without right to bail, then bringing lesser charges against the two white men, and finally waiting for two years to settle the case instead of settling quickly. Cases should be settled within six months so as not to waste resources, he said.
The two men also differed on Scheibel's tenure, with Cahillane praising his former boss and Sullivan arguing that the district attorney's office had become isolated from the community and the media. He said the current administration has refused to provide even the most basic information about investigations. "Our community needs this information for its own safety and knowledge," Sullivan said, promising to establish a press liaison.
Cahillane disagreed. "It is something that has to be done on a case-by-case basis," he said, arguing that speaking to the press could compromise the integrity of an investigation.
Wednesday's debate served as the latest chapter in a race that has attracted considerable attention in recent weeks. Approximately 200 people packed into the steamy JFK Middle School auditorium to listen to the two candidates press their respective cases while, outside, supporters of both men rallied by the road, waving lawn signs in a bid to boost their respective candidates.
Wednesday's debate was sponsored by the Daily Hampshire Gazette, The Recorder, Northampton Community Television and WHMP.
Television viewers will have another chance to hear the district attorney candidates in a debate recorded last month for WGBY in Springfield, which will air Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 10:30 a.m. The primary election is Sept. 14.
