Maybe it came as a surprise, relief or disappointment, but current St. Lawrence County District Attorney Mary Rain's announcement that she would not seek re-election meant there would be fresh blood in the county's prosecutor office.

Republican candidate Gary Pasqua and Democratic candidate Jim Monroe are vying for the open seat. 

Each of them agree on a few issues: They want to reform how the county deals with opioid use, along with hiring and retaining strong staff in the office -- something their predecessor had trouble doing.

"My goal is to make that whoever works in that office truly wants to be a prosecutor, and it's not a stepping stone to something else," said Pasqua.

"To retain a lawyer, you need someone who has the experience; not just eight or nine years, but someone who has had more than 20 years," said Monroe. 

The road to election day hasn't been a smooth one. Former Chief Assistant District Attorney David Haggard bowed out of the race before the primary, leaving just Pasqua and Monroe. Monroe has faced controversy throughout the campaign, with alleged Facebook comments emerging at the end of October. 

"People want to talk about the issues. People want to talk about people dying on the streets of a heroin overdose; they don't want to talk about these other silly issues," said Monroe.

In a press conference, Monroe suggested that Pasqua was responsible for the Facebook comments emerging. 

"Two individuals approached me and said 'listen, we have this information, this is what he did to us,' and I told them at that point, 'it's your story to tell. If you want to tell it, go ahead,' " said Pasqua.

Of course, both candidates find themselves fit to serve the role. 

"When someone asks me what I do, I don't say that I'm an attorney or a lawyer, I tell them I'm a prosecutor, because that's what I am, that's what the people need and that's what the people deserve," saids Pasqua.

"I have 26 years in the legal system working as a justice, a judge, a prosecutor and a defense attorney," said Monroe.

Each candidate is focusing on opioid use in the county -- Pasqua hoping to arrest and prosecute dealers; meanwhile, Monroe wishes to improve drug court programs in the county.