MALONE — Two local attorneys, one Democrat and one Republican, are running to fill a seat on the Franklin County Court, a seat which comes with a 10-year term and was opened up by the pending retirement of Judge Robert G. Main Jr.

Voters across Franklin County will weigh in on contest, Tuesday, Nov. 2, and select the next county judge from two candidates, Craig Carriero and Elizabeth Crawford.

Carriero, Franklin County district attorney, is running as a Democrat, and defeated Thomas Soucia, a county public defender, to receive the party’s nomination in June.

Crawford, a principal court attorney, is running as a Republican and defeated Peter Dumas, a private practice attorney, in a June primary.

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Craig Carriero

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Carriero, of Malone, was elected DA in 2015, after working as an assistant district attorney in the county for 11 years, from 2004 to 2015.

During his time as an ADA, Carriero said he worked on the adult treatment court team, and said his time as ADA helped get him into the courtroom.

“This got me into the courtroom,” Carriero said. “My experience before that hadn’t given me that opportunity so it really, I think, balanced my practice and my experience pretty well.”

According to Carriero, during his 17 years with the district attorney’s office, he has handled cases ranging from simple misdemeanors to violent crimes such as burglaries, sexual assaults and homicides, gaining extensive experience in multiple aspects of criminal law.

“I’ve been in front of judges for almost the last two decades, and I think it is a really important position within our county and we have a long tradition in this county of having a very strong group of judges,” Carriero said. “The position of district attorney is truly the most rewarding and fulfilling job I have ever had, as stressful as it is at times. I enjoy giving back to the community and hopefully have a good impact on the community in which we live, hopefully making it a better place for everyone to live.”

According to Carriero, he feels he has been able to do that as DA.

“Sometimes there are people that need to go away that are truly a scourge on our community, and getting sentences on those individuals, significant sentences, gives you a lot of job satisfaction,” Carriero said. “At the same time, some of those people you see, you give a chance to, give them a chance at probation and see them turn their life around. To be honest with you, it is equally satisfying.”

Carriero said he is excited by the opportunity to join the county court.

“I think it is a way to give back to the community and serve the community as I have been doing, it would just be in a different role,” Carriero said. “Whether you are an assistant district attorney or a district attorney, you serve the public, you are there to protect the public, and this is just a different way to serve the community.”

According to Carriero, he thinks he will bring fairness, experience, and integrity to the county bench.

“I think people, when they come into that courtroom, need to know they will be given an opportunity to be heard, both sides, and they are going to get a fair shake,” Carriero said. “I grew up my entire life playing sports — you go into a game, you want a fair referee — and that is essentially what you are doing here with the law, you want people to feel they are going to get a fair shake.”

Carriero said his time as DA has helped prepare him for the county bench.

“I think DA is a natural progression to become a judge. I think it prepares you as much as any possible position because as DA you are an elected official who has some really tough decisions, some stressful decisions, some decisions that have a huge impact on people’s lives and it is ultimately your decision,” Carriero said. “At the end of the day, it is your decision and you have to stand behind it. As DA, I have had to make the decisions, had to defend the decisions, and I think people have seen how I’ve performed in the last six years.”

Prior to his time with the DA’s office, Carriero worked in private practice with his late father-in-law Paul M. Cantwell Jr. in the law firm of Cantwell & Cantwell, focusing primarily on real estate, trusts, estates, municipal law, small business and corporate matters.

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Elizabeth Crawford

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Crawford, of Chateaugay, started her 17-year legal career as an ADA in Franklin County, holding that position from 2004 to 2014.

As an ADA, Crawford said she became well versed in criminal law and the rules of evidence and maintained the mindset of doing what is fair, right and just for each case — from traffic tickets to homicides. She wants to bring that mindset to the county bench.

“You have to be fair, you have to have integrity, have to be able to assess situations independently,” Crawford said. “A judge needs to be able to maintain control of a courtroom, and the biggest thing for a judge is they have to be able to understand each case is different and the parties for each case are unique. There is no one-size-fits-all, you have to be able to listen to both sides and figure out the best resolution in the fairest way possible.”

Crawford also served on the Franklin County Northern Border and Narcotics Task Force.

“I’ve always worked for Franklin County — I was the prosecutor for 10 years and I have worked side-by-side with the judges and I have seen the good that judges are able to give forth from bench,” Crawford said. “That is what I want to do.”

In 2015, Crawford was appointed court attorney for the state Unified Court System. In 2017, she was promoted to principal court attorney, working directly with judges.

Crawford said she has dealt with family court, county court and state Supreme Court matters through her current position.

“I am constantly now, for the last seven years, looking at every case that hits my desk with the mindset of a judge, fair and impartial,” Crawford said. “I have had the mindset of a judge and have been able to work with so many judges and see how they handle their calendars and their caseloads.”

Crawford said she works with Judge Derek Champagne, an acting state Supreme Court judge, and other area judges through her position with the Office of Court Administration.

“My day-to-day activity, my first priority is assisting the judge with anything that happens on the bench,” Crawford said. “If something comes up where he needs research, I do that immediately and get him an answer. I review all the emergency petitions that come in and prioritize the order they should be heard in. I sit in on his hearings and trials and through family court; I am allowed to listen to his hearings and trials and draft all of his decisions and orders for his review.”

Additionally, Crawford said she conducts conferences on the judge’s behalf to keep cases moving.

“I like to describe it as I work side-by-side with the judges, and although I’m assigned to Judge Champagne, I assist Judge Main, I assist judges in Clinton County, judges over in St. Lawrence County,” Crawford said. “I can assist any judge that needs any help at any time.”

Crawford said she appreciates how she has been able to assist judges over the past several years.

“If a judge truly doesn’t know which way to rule on the bench, I get to look up the case law to see how other judges in the past have done it and then discuss the topics with the judge, go back and forth, and I kind of act as a bounce-off for the judge, and I can see that as very helpful,” Crawford said. “I feel that I can sometimes help a judge make up their minds. That is where the rewards come for me, helping the judges.”

Crawford said if elected, she is looking forward to being out in front of the community.

“I’m looking forward to being up front again, I am behind the scenes right now. I am still able to help from behind the scenes, but I can be better for Franklin County from the bench,” Crawford said. “I have gained all of the skills and all of the knowledge necessary to be a judge, and I want to do this for the people of Franklin County, in the fairest way possible.”

Crawford said she attended law school with the intention of joining the Federal Bureau of Investigation, but after the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, the bureau shifted away from attorneys to language specialists and other areas of expertise, leading her to look at becoming a prosecutor.