'As a violent felon myself'
Dem GOPer's tough pitch for Qns. DA
Republicans’ hopes for winning the Queens district attorney race are riding on a former NYPD cop and amateur boxer — who happens to be a registered Democrat.
Joe Murray is a card-carrying Democrat, though voters on Tuesday will find his name next to an “R,” as he aims to best the borough president and on-the-ballot Dem Melinda Katz in Queens’ first DA race in nearly 30 years.
But Murray’s platform is underpinned by traditional conservative stances on criminal justice — and a bluntly articulated plan to keep Queens safe.
“I want [criminals] to think, ‘That guy’s f--king crazy!’ ” Murray, 52, told The Post. “‘Let’s go to Brooklyn, let’s go to Manhattan. Don’t do this here because he’ll hang you.’ ”
Murray’s take-all-prisoners style includes support for keeping Rikers Island open and vigorously prosecuting quality-of-life offenses at a time when many are moving toward greater leniency.
“I’m definitely prosecuting that stuff because broken windows works,” said Murray of the policing theory widely credited for reversing New York’s fortunes in the 1990s.
His opponent — a veteran politician now in her secondterm as Queens borough president — countered that a DA doesn’t have to be fire-andbrimstone to be effective.
“The first time the community sees the DA’s Office shouldn’t be when we’re prosecuting them,” said Katz, 54, addressing how the northern part of her borough can fight a recent spike in gun violence. “The first time should be when we’re working . . . to send a clear message to young people that it’s safer not picking up a gun.”
While Katz is a seasoned political hand, Murray’s view of the criminal-justice system is the product of having experienced it inside and out.
He’s now a private attorney, but previously worked as a cop, where he starred on the
NYPD’s boxing team.
In 1993, Murray’s pugilistic prowess was put to the test and he shattered a department detective’s jaw with a straight right in a stationhouse scrap, leading to his playing another role in the system: defendant.
“There’s supposed to be a balance,” said Murray of his vision for the criminal-justice system. “That’s what I really bring to the table: I can affect that balance both as a defense attorney and a prosecutor and as a violent felon myself. I have that unique experience.”
A grand jury declined to indict Murray for the fisticuffs and he ably defended himself in a civil case — pulling off an upset against the detective’s seasoned legal team.
Murray will again need to beat the odds to beat Katz.
“It’s almost as if my whole life of fighting for things I believed in led me to this spot,” said Katz. “I know my leadership skills could bring the District Attorney’s Office into the new wave while . . . keeping the borough safe.”