Howard endorsement seems tainted from company doing traffic diversion program

Editor:

I read a letter from Lou Piccone supporting Susan Howard for DA recently. It touts her abilities related to her involvement in the Traffic Diversion Program.

In a December 23, 2010 article in the Batavia News, alongside a picture of her and Joe Cardone, the initial impressions of the Traffic Diversion Program in Orleans County are outlined. In a November 13, 2018 article in the Orleans Hub, it is explained that the Traffic Diversion Program in Orleans County will be expanded to include other violations in addition to handling routine traffic tickets.

It is important for voters to know that Lou Piccone is the President of NY Diversion Management Co. That is the company that oversees the Traffic Diversion Program in Orleans County. His company profits from the district attorney’s office use of the traffic diversion program.

What else is important to know is that sometime toward the end of 2009, a position entitled TDP (Traffic Diversion Program) Coordinator was created by the Orleans County Legislature.  In January 2010, Susan Howard, then Third Assistant District Attorney, got that position. I understand no one else was ever considered for that newly created position. It is further my understanding no other assistant district attorney has handled responsibilities directly associated with administering the TDP program since its inception in 2010.

Similar to the contents of a letter to the editor making readers aware of the optics of an endorsement by a former judge whose son is slated to get a job at the DA’s office if Susan Howard is elected, the endorsement by Lou Piccone is similarly tainted. Why wouldn’t Lou Piccone endorse the only person in the DA’s office who benefited from a position created specifically for her and who administers the diversion program his company profits off of?

We voters in Orleans County know when something seems sketchy. Please consider the trustworthiness of this information when you cast your vote in this crucial election for district attorney. The outcome of this election will determine who will be the leader of law enforcement in Orleans County.

The endorsements of John Sansone by Senator Rob Ortt, Sheriff Bourke, and both unions in the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office, in my opinion, speak volumes about who that person should be. Please carefully consider who is the most qualified candidate to lead us into the future. The safety and welfare of our communities depend on it.

Corie Strickland

Gaines