Dave Sullivan, Democratic candidate for Northwestern District Attorney and the only candidate on the ballot this fall, is ready for the upcoming elections, and wants to fight for the betterment of the criminal system.
Having beaten opponent Michael Cahillane in the Sept. primaries, Sullivan, 50, is looking forward to the November elections.
As district attorney, Sullivan will represent the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in prosecutions and criminal offenses.
Sullivan will take the place of current DA Elizabeth Scheibel, who is retiring after 18 years in office. He says he plans to base some of his own actions upon work already done by Scheibel.
“Elizabeth Scheibel has a very strong domestic violence and prosecution office, and I plan to build up on that,” he said.
Sullivan will continue the works of Scheibel, who, according to the Northwestern District Attorney’s website, “has created community education and outreach programs for these populations, particularly in the areas of domestic violence, juvenile justice, consumer protection and abuse committed against children, elders and persons with disabilities.”
Sullivan said his motivation is based on his desire to contribute to the community.
“My primary motivation is to improve the criminal justice system and to serve the public, because I care about the community and protecting people,” Sullivan said.
A graduate of the University of Massachusetts in 1981, Sullivan graduated with a degree in law from Northeastern University School of Law in 1986.
Sullivan was elected to serve as Register of Probate for Hampshire Probate & Family Court in 2002. According to his website, since he took that position, Sullivan has helped in “establishing a probate court website, founding a national award-winning parent education program, establishing a community outreach program, providing on-site mediation services for families, expanding pro bono attorney assistance, and increasing assistance to unrepresented litigants.”
Sullivan said he believes his experience in the court system is his primary qualification for office.
“I emphasize my extensive leadership qualities, not only as a trial attorney for 16 years, but my experience in certain cases,” he said.
Sullivan is also planning out which steps he will take first, as well as overall goals through his work.
“My top priority is to make sure we have top-quality prosecutions in a fair way and good accessibility and outreach in the community,” he said.
“I also intend to have a community prosecution program to get the community involved in crime fighting,” he added.
Tim Jones can be reached at [email protected].
