Saratoga County DA kicks off re-election campaign
MALTA, N.Y. » Saratoga County District Attorney Karen Heggen, surrounded by family and friends, chose her native Malta to announce her campaign for re-election to a new four-year term on Thursday.
Heggen, the first-ever woman ever to hold the $193,000-peryear job, was appointed acting district attorney in September 2014, when former DA James Murphy III resigned to become a county court judge. She ran unopposed two months later and was elected to a full term in office.
To date, no Democrats have announced their candidacy, but Saratoga Springs attorney Gerard Amedio, a former Rensselaer Police Department “Officer of the Year,” plans to challenge Heggen in a September GOP primary.
“I’m going to work very hard to show the citizens of this community why I’m the best choice,” Heggen said. “I’ve got the background, I’ve got the experience, I’ve got the knowledge. I’m not just sitting back and letting things happen. I’m actively looking for new initiatives and programs for us to do.”
Nearly 100 people including Heggen’s husband, Rev. Peter Klotz; her mother, Marilyn; Sheriff Michael Zurlo and county Clerk Craig Hayner turned out for the kick-off event at the Hyatt Place Hotel, near Exit 12 in Malta.
Heggen, who has been with the office for 25 years, oversees 21 other attorneys and a $4 million budget. She cited continuation of a 95 percent conviction rate, the same as her predecessor’s, as one of her major accomplishments the past four years.
Cases have included major crimes such as sexual abuse, rape, vehicular manslaughter and murder. A Hadley man, Michael C. Norton, was sentenced last month to 20 years to life in prison for the May 2017 ax murder of his wife, Sherry. Ear-
lier this month, Joseph A. Broscko, 17, of Clifton Park, pleaded guilty to his role in the shooting death of Mechanicville resident David J. Feliciano last August.
Heggen credited cooperation from law enforcement for making such convictions possible.
However, she said she’s also established four new bureaus within her office to deal with specific types of crime — vehicular assault, general felonies, drugs, plus sexual abuse and domestic violence. In addition, Heggen said she’s obtained grant money that’s made it possible to target revenue-related crime, such as people collecting unemployment insurance while working. This program has returned more than $125,000 to government coffers, she said.
When pursuing justice, Heggen said it’s important to consider the best interests of offenders, too. Recently, for example, 11 people who might have been incarcerated instead graduated from an alternative sentencing Drug Treatment Court program.
“Justice is the outcome and result we look to achieve in every case our office handles,” she said.