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What is one life experience you have that voters should know about?
I served in the Army and Army Reserve as an enlisted airborne infantryman and Army JAG officer. He enlisted in 1981 as a Nuclear Biological Warfare Specialist and airborne infantryman until 1989. Following the September 11 attacks in 2001, I reenlisted at the age of 43 at the onset of the Iraq War and served in Iraq and Afghanistan. I earned over two dozen awards, including the Bronze Star, Combat Action Badge, and Expert Infantryman’s Badge. After 23 years of dedicated service, I retired honorably as an Army Captain.
What would be your top three policy priorities in office?
1. Gun Crime Prosecution: Substantially reduce case dismissals involving gun offenses and drastically increase successful prosecutions of violent offenders.
2. Community Accountability: Restructure the District Attorney’s Office (DAO) into six geographic divisions, each focused on localized issues.
3. Recruitment and Training: Hire and mentor attorneys from our local law schools—Temple, Drexel, Penn, Villanova, Delaware Law (Widener), and Rutgers—ensuring they have strong community connections and proper training.
What strengths do you have that set you apart from other candidates?
My biggest strength is my proven leadership, strong ethics, and ability to collaborate with others. In 2019, I was elected President Judge by 27 of my peer Judges. During this time, I guided the court through the challenges of the 2020 pandemic and authorized the Eviction Diversion Program. This program helped over 46,000 families remain in their homes and secured nearly $300 million in rent payments during the crisis; it was made permanent law by the City Council in 2024. In 2020 when the world shut down and I couldn't even see my grandchildren, I established Covid Court in prison and personally went to preside over hearings to help people with their cases, so they were not stuck in prison. I also led Municipal Court through a debilitating cyberattack and the civil unrest of 2020. In 2022, I served as one of nine judges appointed on the newly established PA Supreme Court’s Judicial Ethics Advisory Board. I founded the Philadelphia Veterans Court in 2010, which effectively reduced recidivism to under 10% and was instrumental in the success of other diversion programs such as Project Dawn’s court, Drug and Alcohol court, and Mental Health court.
How do you plan to work across ideological lines to achieve shared goals?
I plan to work with anyone with the common goal of making Philadelphia a safer place to live and work. Like I have done for years in Municipal Court as President Judge, I will invite subject matters experts, community leaders, and community stakeholders to the table to share ideas and collaborate. I believe we need to listen more to people we disagree with. I have found you will find common ground and shared values when least expected. I believe we can do restorative justice and hold people accountable at the same time. I have done this for years in my courtroom and I will do the same thing in the District Attorney's Office.
