BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Michael Flaherty, who will take the reigns of the Erie County District Attorney's Office on Jan. 1, says he will launch a new Public Integrity Unit when he takes over.
Flaherty, currently the first assistant district attorney and a prosecutor, on and off, for 19 years, has been running the office for his boss, Frank Sedita, since 2009. Sedita is stepping down to become a State Supreme Court judge.
"I worked with Frank Sedita on the Robert Smith capital murder case. He killed Henry and Eugene Kaminski. I worked with Joe Maruzak on the James Kopp, Dr. Slepian murder case," Flaherty said.
Flaherty says one of his first actions when he takes charge will be to form a new investigative division called the Public Integrity Unit to prosecute cases of public corruption.
"Could be theft. Could be bribery. Could be undue influence. It could be election law violations. There's a whole range of offenses that, perhaps not headline-grabbing as murder or assault, but still anything that tarnishes the public office to the level of crime should be addressed."
Flaherty, a registered Democrat, says he plans on running for the post in the 2016 election. Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has the power to appoint Sedita's replacement for the final year of his term, will likely decide not to do so as he traditionally has done when vacancies occur for elected positions.
"I've spent most of my adult life working for the district attorneys, D.A. Dillon, D.A. Clark, now D.A. Sedita," Flaherty said. "It's not just a job to me, I'm passionate about it, I'm committed to it, that's why I do it, and having the opportunity to lead this office would be the culmination of my dedication to public office and law enforcement."