LETTER: Manny is the right person for the job of Ulster County District Attorney

Published in Hudson Valley One on October 25, 2023

I am voting for Manny Nneji for Ulster County District Attorney. Here are a few reasons why:

• Manny is conscientious, experienced and deeply committed to Ulster County. He has been in the DA’s office for 30 years. He took a position in the NY State Attorney General’s Office during the Cuomo administration but returned to Ulster County after only a couple years, when the (Republican) DA beseeched him to come back. He took a large cut in pay and forfeited a potential career in state government when he came back. And he’s still here.

• Manny has served the community for most of his life. His entire career as a lawyer has been in the public sector. He has worked with youth for decades as a soccer coach and by speaking in schools about crime prevention.

• Manny did not come from a privileged background. He emigrated to our country from Nigeria as a child and has earned everything he has on his own. This includes his education. He worked his way through college as a dishwasher, janitor and at McDonalds. He almost left law school because he lacked the funds, but was helped by his teachers and friends, because they thought so much of him. He then earned a fellowship which enabled him to complete school.

• These challenges have ingrained in Manny a compassion and sense of fairness that underlie his work as a prosecutor. He cares about crime victims and is dedicated to victim safety. He is deeply committed to helping teenagers understand the impact of gun violence. He believes in alternatives to incarceration where appropriate, such as rehabilitation for drug offenders, treatment for the mentally ill, and restorative justice for nonviolent offenses.

Manny is the right person for the job of Ulster County District Attorney.

Wendy Rudder

New Paltz