Pat Dugan brought his campaign for district attorney to last week’s Take Back Your Neighborhood meeting.
Dugan, former president judge of Municipal Court, is challenging DA Larry Krasner in the May 20 Democratic primary.
Dugan asserted that Krasner is acting on issues such as victims assistance funding and short dumping because it’s election time. Krasner recently held a news conference at Newtown and Godfrey avenues, near “Snake Road,” to announce the Cleaner and Greener Enforcement Unit.
“He didn’t prosecute anybody for seven years,” Dugan said of short dumpers.
The challenger was recently endorsed by Transport Workers Union Local 234 and IAFF Local 22, the firefighters and paramedics union, whose leaders said Krasner was not communicating with their members who were assaulted on the job and not prosecuting the alleged crimes.
“The transportation workers sought me out,” Dugan said.
Dugan said he believes the DA’s office should return to geographic prosecution, with assistant district attorneys in neighborhoods.
“I’m bringing that back,” he said.
If elected, Dugan will have all employees retake their oath. In 2022, the state Supreme Court named Dugan to the newly created Judicial Ethics Advisory Board.
“I want to bring ethics back to the DA’s office,” he said.
In general, Dugan said Krasner’s assistant district attorneys agree too often with defense arguments in court.
“Day in and day out,” he said.
Dugan asked TBYN members to go to their Rolodex and ask family and friends to vote for him.
In other news from the April 21 meeting:
• First Deputy City Controller Bill Rubin encouraged people to fill out a survey at controller.phila.gov. Results will help the office determine which audits to pursue. Rubin said an audit of the Department of Licenses and Inspections will be released in May. He also noted that Controller Christy Brady was recently elected chairwoman of the Philadelphia Gas Commission.
• The group listened to crime updates from 2nd Police District community relations officer Mark Mroz.
• State Sen. Tina Tartaglione will sponsor a paper shredding and e-cycling event on Saturday, May 3, from 10 a.m. to noon, at Wissinoming Park, 5773-5945 Frankford Ave. (Cheltenham Avenue entrance).
• A town hall to discuss possible changes to Castor Avenue will take place on Wednesday, May 14, from 5-7 p.m. at Northeast High School. ••
