After fighting his way through the 2004 Democratic primary and eventually to the district attorney’s office, P. David Soares is asking voters for another four years.
As Albany County District Attorney, Soares said he has made good on his promise to voters four years ago, but that more still needs to be done.
Four years ago I promised the folks of Albany County that I would be tough on crime, Soares said. `And we’ve proved that.`
Soares said that his campaign this year is just as aggressive as his first one when he was an assistant district attorney and beat out his old boss, former District Attorney Matthew Clyne.
He also won against Roger Cusick on the Republican line, who is running against Soares again this year on the newly formed Integrity Party line.
`There’s several challenges ahead of us in the next term.
The first challenge, of course, is reducing the amount of gun violence,` Soares said. `There’s going to be budget cuts, and that’s going to be a challenge. We’re going to have to do more with less.`
But that is exactly what Soares said he intends to do.
The first-term district attorney said that gun violence in the inner city of Albany is of particular concern and that he wants to continue programs to help prevent violent crime before it occurs.
Soares, 39, was born to Lucas and Lidia Soares in Brava, Cape Verde, an island off the coast of West Africa. His family moved to the United States and settled in Pawtucket, R.I. He is the youngest of five children.
Soares received a bachelor’s degree in communications from Cornell University and then attended Albany Law School before receiving his law degree in 1999. He later became an assistant district attorney under Sol Greenberg after working at the district attorney’s office.
Some of his top priorities for the next term, in addition to targeting gun violence, include getting tough on DWI and continuing initiatives to curb domestic violence. Soares said law enforcement needs to take the lead of the private sector when it comes to technology, and he wants to set up an interactive network where anonymous tipsters can contact police and residents can receive mug shots and other information.
`I think deep down in all of us there’s a crime fighter in there,` Soares said about community involvement in law enforcement.
Soares lives with his wife, Tina Pantuso, and their two sons in Bethlehem.“