Tony Castro joins race for Westchester DA

Some two dozen supporters joined Democrat Tony Castro in White Plains Thursday as he announced his latest bid for district attorney of Westchester County. "The district attorney's office is steeped in

News 12 Staff

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Mar 19, 2009, 11:13 PM

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Updated 5,738 days ago

Some two dozen supporters joined Democrat Tony Castro in White Plains Thursday as he announced his latest bid for district attorney of Westchester County.

"The district attorney's office is steeped in indecision, morale problems and constant turnover," Castro says.

Castro ran twice before for the post, first losing to former District Attorney Janine Pirro, and then to her successor, Janet DiFiore, four years ago.

DiFiore, who has since changed parties and become a Democrat, said in a written statement she is proud to "have already received the unanimous endorsement of the Westchester Democratic Committee."

Castro, however, is not giving that endorsement a lot of weight.

"I don't think those members of the committee really fully understand Janet DiFiore's record," he says.

Although DiFiore has not yet formally entered the race, her candidacy as a Democrat is already creating a schism within the party.

In February, Mount Vernon Democratic District Leader Samuel Rivers claimed that an aide to Mayor Clinton Young threatened him because he is backing Castro over DiFiore.

"When the facts do come out and Janet's record is revealed, you're going to have everyone behind Tony Castro," Rivers says.

Dan Schorr, the only Republican candidate in the race, believes the Democrats' squabble will not be a factor in the election.

"It doesn't change the issues that I'm talking about in this campaign," he says. "Obviously the Democrats are going to fight it out during the year. I'm unified on my side."