Manhattan District Attorney Race: Dan Quart Profile

NEW YORK, NY — Voters in Manhattan will see eight names on the Democratic ballot and one on the Republican when they vote in the June 22 primary election for Manhattan District Attorney.

One of those names will be Dan Quart, who serves as the state Assemblymember for Manhattan East Side and previously worked as a criminal defense attorney.

He is running to succeed Cyrus Vance Jr., who said in mid-March that he will not seek reelection.

The Manhattan District Attorney's race is not ranked-choice voting.

Patch reached out to all candidates in the election to create these profiles. Quart's responses are below.

Dan Quart

Age (as of Election Day)

49

Position Sought

Manhattan District Attorney

Party Affiliation

Democrat

Neighborhood of residence (i.e., East Village, Astoria, etc.)

East Side

Family

My wife, Miriam, and I have two children, Sam and Gabby.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

I went to SUNY Binghamton for undergrad and St. Johns for law school.

Occupation

23 years as a practicing lawyer and 10 years in the Assembly

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Assemblymember

Campaign website

danquart.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

I'm running to ensure one standard of justice for all Manhattanites and as District Attorney, I'll prioritize reforming our criminal justice system, holding the police accountable, and keeping all Manhattanites safe. Our current system too often criminalizes poverty, mental health, and homelessness, an approach that does nothing but trap New Yorkers in a cycle of incarceration and doesn’t make communities any safer. I’ll continue my lifelong fight to reform this system by providing more alternatives to jail, declining to prosecute low-level charges that pose no public safety threat, and holding police officers who abuse their power accountable. Finally, I’ll prioritize keeping Manhattanites safe. I will prosecute violent crime and gun violence, get justice for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence and stand up against hate crimes.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

We must reform this office to focus on providing fairness and safety to all Manhattanites. As DA I won’t prosecute low-level charges and instead focus on prosecuting gun violence and other violent crime, standing up against hate crimes, and holding the NYPD officers who abuse their power accountable.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

Of the eight lawyers running to Manhattan’s district attorney, I am the only person who has achieved real criminal justice reform and decarceration. I fought alongside Legal Aid for years on a number of criminal legal reforms including successfully repealing the racist ban on gravity knives that was used to incarcerate Black and brown New Yorkers, getting compensation for exonerees, and repealing 50-a, one of the worst police secrecy laws in the country. For me, my legislative record demonstrates my longstanding commitment to criminal justice reform and while I've been a community lawyer for 20 years and have extensive courtroom experience, I believe that to build an office rooted in fairness and justice we need a leader who is not part of the existing system.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

The current DA has failed to keep Manhattanites safe, get justice for victims, and build a fairer system. Whether it’s the failure to hold wealthy and powerful people like Harvey Weinstein or Jeffrey Epstein accountable or a reliance on racist databases that fuel mass incarceration with no public safety benefit, we must build an office that gets justice for victims and treats every New Yorker with fairness and dignity.

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

There are numerous lessons to be learned from how New York handled COVID-19. One area related to the DA’s office is how we handled the pandemic in jails and prisons. We know, without a doubt, that the most dangerous place to be in a pandemic is in a congregate setting. Social distancing is impossible in prison, as are good sanitation and ventilation practices. We should have reduced the level of pretrial incarceration as much as possible during the pandemic to save lives because risking someone's life who hasn't been convicted of a crime by unnecessarily incarcerating them is the height of callousness.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

I am running because for far too long, we’ve been offered the choice between a fairer and a safer city. In reality, we can-- and we must-- choose both. As DA I will work to end mass incarceration, hold the NYPD accountable, and keep every Manhattanite safe.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I am the only candidate who has an actual record of reforming this system. In addition to 23 years as a practicing lawyer, I’ve been fighting for a fairer and safer New York for 10 years in the legislature. Whether it’s repealing racist laws used to arrest Black and brown New Yorkers or passing some of the strongest gun control laws in the country, voters can trust that I’ll get the job done, because I have a decade-long track record of delivering.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Be charitable with the faults of others as you hope they are with yours-- everyone is imperfect and makes mistakes, and that quote reminds me to extend grace in work and life wherever possible.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I was born and raised in subsidized housing in Washington Heights by a teacher and a social worker who taught me the importance of public service. I’m a community lawyer, a dad, and a husband who cares deeply about Manhattan. And as DA, I’ll go to work every day to make it a fairer and safer place for everyone.