Nassau District Attorney Madeline Singas says she deserves another term due to her record, while her Republican challenger says it’s time for a change.

Singas calls herself an experienced prosecutor who during her first term has tackled gang violence, the opioid crisis and public corruption.

“I am proud to say, on all three of those fronts, we have made significant strides,” she told News 12. “Crime is down in Nassau County by 25%. It’s at historic lows right now. We are the safest large county in the state.”

Republican challenger Frank McQuade, a former police officer and Roman Catholic priest who practices as an attorney in Long Beach, has dedicated a good part of his campaign to minorities in Nassau County because he feels that is where he will get the vote out.

“It’s a historically disenfranchised community,” says McQuade.

The challenger says more must be done to combat those who terrorize certain communities.

“The gangs, the opioid traffickers, the sex traffickers – they have to be accountable for their actions,” says McQuade.

Both candidates agree Nassau County needs a prosecutor, not a politician, in the top law enforcement spot.

“Since I graduated from Fordham Law School in 1991, I stepped into a courtroom and said ‘Madeline Singas for the people’ and never looked back,” she told News 12.

“I want to be district attorney because I feel I can do a better job, a more balanced job, a fairer job,” says McQuade.