Erie County, N.Y. — The seat for Erie County District Attorney is on the ballot for the county’s voters. Current DA and Democrat Mike Keane is challenged by Republican James Gardner.

Keane had been the first deputy DA since 2017 until he took over after former DA John Flynn resigned to go into private law practice in March of this year. Keane said it was a smooth transition.

“We got 200 people that work for us, including 110 lawyers," said Keane. "And, you know, we've really just been able to hit the ground running.”

Gardner brings 14 years of experience as an Erie County prosecutor and current law clerk.

“I think people — voters — are anxious for a change. Anxious to vote for somebody who they know and can trust to prosecute crimes and hold criminals accountable,” Gardner said. “To me, there's nothing more important than our community safety. There's nothing more important to me than making sure that my kids have a safe place to go to school, to grow up and hopefully, God willing, work and live here for the remainder of their lives.”

Gardner’s platform includes putting criminals behind bars, supporting law enforcement and upholding the U.S. and New York Constitutions. Keane brings his current experience as DA and takes the lead on cases as big as the Buffalo mass shooting. He said his office is already making communities safer, citing a decline in vehicle thefts this year compared to years past.

“We added more lawyers to our bureaus that handle those cases. And we've also locked up some of these young kids that are, that were, you know, at the forefront of it; some of these groups of kids that were out stealing cars in neighborhoods are now in jail,” Keane said. “I think the people of this county want to know that we're working hard for them and that we care about public safety.”

Early voting is underway until Nov. 3. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5.