RUNNING FOR OFFICE
Spa City resident kicks off campaign for Saratoga County district attorney
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » On Thursday, Republican Gerard Amedio announced his candidacy for Saratoga County district attorney.
“We need a change in this office, and I stand ready to deliver. I’m ready to bring my unique combination of experience — as a police officer and as an attorney — to serve the people of Saratoga County as your new district attorney,” Amedio said in a release. “I’m a public servant who has dedicated my life to improving the safety of those in our community and helping to protect those who are most vulnerable.”
Amedio is looking to challenge the current District Attorney, Karen Heggen — who is also a Republican — in 2018.
Amedio owns and operates a law office in Saratoga Springs, where he focuses on defense work on felonies, misdemeanors and violations across 12 counties.
Before he became a lawyer, he served as a police officer with the Rensselaer Police Department for 17 years. He was named “Police Officer of the Year” in 2000 and earned the Mark Goca Memorial Award for Leadership in 2001.
Amedio, 59, said his experience with both sides has given him the best training for serving as district attorney.
“When I was a police officer I investigated crimes and I discovered how people commit crimes, so now as a defense attorney I’m able to see why people commit crime, which is so important today because you need both perspectives to really solve this problem,” said Amedio.
Amedio, a resident of Saratoga Springs, gave his thoughts on the current heroin/opioid epidemic after his announcement Thursday.
“Through my practice, what I’ve discovered when any of my clients have been arrested for possession of drugs, same pattern: They were injured, they were prescribed medication, they became addicted to that medication. [Then the] prescription ran out, so they had to go out in the street and get pills at $20 to $30 a pop — a $200 a day habit — so they had to make a choice to get help, which nobody ever does, or start stealing from family and friends and strangers to feed their addiction; or they will turn to heroin, which is a cheaper alternative. So that person, in my eyes, isn’t really a criminal,” said Amedio. “They really are a victim of what happened to them, so they need help. They need treatment, because if you just put them in state prison without giving them an opportunity to get better, to be a productive member of society, they are going to go into prison, they’re going to keep on doing drugs because there are drugs in prison, and they’re going to come out and they’re going to continue to do everything they did before. It’s a cycle.”
Amedio said something needs to be done to break that cycle.
“I would offer treatment for people with drug possession charges in special circumstances, if it warrants it,” said Amedio. “For drug dealers, I think you have to lock them up and throw away the key because they are the ones who are perpetrating and taking advantage of the situation.”
Primary elections are scheduled to take place on Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2018, while the General Election will be Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018.