After the Oneida County District Attorney announced he would not seek reelection in 2023, an assistant district attorney is now vying for the seat.
Todd Carville, 45, of Utica, announced his candidacy Thursday, seeking to run on the Republican and Conservative lines.
Carville has spent nearly 20 years as a prosecutor in the district attorney's office, and currently serves as chief of the homicide bureau. As a candidate, he is running on that record, noting cases such as the prosecution of John William Hopkins for the murder of Joanne Pechone - a suspect who also confessed to the murder of Carville's cousin, Sherrie Carville.
"For the past 20 years, I've served as a prosecutor and have handled some of the most violent crimes that our region has faced - murders, assaults, rapes, robberies, gun violence, burglaries and more," he wrote in an emailed statement to the Observer-Dispatch. "I have the experience and commitment needed to lead the District Attorney's Office into the future."
Oneida County District Attorney will not seek reelection
Oneida County District Attorney Scott McNamara said last year he would not run for reelection in 2023, a decision he had come to in 2019, he said. He started as acting district attorney in 2007 before being elected to the office that November. Carville described his current boss as both a mentor and a friend to him.
On Thursday, McNamara said as the sitting district attorney, he cannot endorse a candidate.
Oneida County:District Attorney Scott McNamara won't seek re-election after completing term
Crime:Pecheone case prompts police to look at unsolved '74 murder
"But I would say this much: I strongly support his candidacy and I hope he replaces me," he said.
McNamara noted Carville has served in various leadership roles in his office, including as a bureau chief and overseeing pilot programs.
"I strongly believe that he possesses the ability to handle the job as district attorney," he said, adding, "You can't do this job unless you have a vast amount of experience as a prosecutor."
Challenges facing Oneida County
In a statement, Carville said he was a proponent of incarceration alternatives such as drug court, but called out recent legislation on bail, discovery law and raising the age of criminal responsibility as massive challenges in the criminal justice system. He also named fentanyl as a major threat to public safety in an interview with the Observer-Dispatch.
"I've been in the trenches working to make the Oneida County District Attorney's Office operate effectively and efficiently through these changes," he said. "And I'm prepared to handle the new challenges that lie ahead."
H. Rose Schneider covers public safety, breaking and trending news for the Observer-Dispatch in Utica. Email Rose at hschneider@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Oneida County DA seat: Prosecutor Todd Carville announces candidacy
