504 Democratic Club: Questionnaires (Candidate for District Attorney Leslie Crocker Snyder's 2009 response)

Candidate Name: Leslie Crocker Snyder

Contact Person: Benjamin Geyerhahn

If there is a Campaign office, is it wheelchair accessible? Yes.

Campaign Address: 321 West 44th Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10036
Phone: 646-827-6378
Fax: 646-417-7315
Email: lsnyder @ snyderforda.com
Website: snyderforda.com

Endorsements:

Assemblyman Micah Kellner
Hon. Karen Burstein
Sean Patrick Maloney, Esq.
EMILY's List
Women's Campaign Forum
Lenox Hill Democratic Club
McManus Democratic Association
National Latino Officers Association
Lin Sing Association
NYC Uniformed Fire Officers Association
NYC Detectives' Endowment Association
NYPD Captains Endowment Association
NYPD Lieutenants Benevolent Association
NYPD Hispanic Society
Policewomen's Endowment Association
New York State Court Officers Association
New York State Supreme Court Officers Association
New York State Court Clerks Association
Metropolitan Transportation Authority PBA
Port Authority DEA
Port Authority PBA
Port Authority SBA

Action Shows Commitment!
1. While in public office/or private life prior to this campaign, what have you accomplished in regard to advancing disability rights? This can include work towards accessible housing, transportation, employment, health care, education, and including people with disabilities in the judicial and political process?
  
  Throughout my career, I have focused on the rights of victims of violent crime and other serious crime. The issue of disability has been at the forefront of our own family because my husband, a pediatrician specializing in developmental disabilities, was pediatrician to Unified Cerebral Palsy, dealing with seriously physically and mentally disabled children for a number of years. He was also the pediatric consultant to the LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired for a number of years. As a family, we often discussed issues affecting the lives of people with disabilities.
2. Historically, the courthouses in which you work and offices of staff of District Attorneys are not all accessible to people with all kinds of disabilities. How have you addressed this issue to date? What is your strategy for implementation of complete accessibility? Please be specific as to time and dates.
  
  I am committed to working with the city, local authorities and independent advocacy groups to insure action is taken on issues relating to courthouse accessibility for people with all kinds of disability.
3. What implementation strategy do you have for your future programs and legislation to help constituents with disabilities?
  
  I will assign a dedicated liaison within the Manhattan District Attorney's office to communicate directly and regularly with the disabled community's organizations and leaders to work on issues affecting people with disabilities. I will personally meet with a committee from the disability community on a regular basis.
4. Will you commit to only attend or sponsor events that are accessible to people with disabilities?
  
  As District Attorney, I must make myself accessible to all of my constituents so I cannot commit to only meet with people who can use facilities that are accessible to people with disabilities, but I pledge that any event that I arrange will be accessible to all of our citizens.
General Questions
1. What personal and professional experience have you had with people with disabilities in your personal life and in the workplace?
  
  I have had a number of cases with people with different kinds of mental disabilities and I always factored in these disabilities in the handling of the case and considered all treatment options. As I've mentioned, my husband's work as a pediatrician in the disabled community made the issue a personal one for me.
2. What special accommodations do you believe/think are needed in the workplace/courtroom? Have you hired/will you hire persons with disabilities at all levels of responsibility in your office?
  
  We will hire the most competent people to fill roles in the Manhattan District Attorney's office as well as the courtroom, at all levels, considering people with disabilities with all others.
3. Are you willing to hire and use flex-time and job-sharing for people with disabilities? Will you make this a police of your office?
  
  Yes, I am in favor of these policies, and the office will make accommodations for flex-time and job-sharing for all people, to the extent that it is possible.
4. How do you propose your active involvement/availability to the disability community? Will there be a specific person in your office responsible to this community? Will have regular office agenda items and meetings on disabled community issues? Do you/or will you, have an active Disability Advisory Committee? Explain its duties, responsibilities and powers.
  
  A liaison within my office will be appointed to meet regularly with the leaders in the disabled community. I will form an advisory committee to keep me informed of the needs of the community and attempt to implement the changes required.
5. Has a person with a disability appeared in court as a defendant, juror or litigant? If so, please indicate what, if any, problems arose? And how were they handled?
  
  Yes, people of disability appeared in court in all roles, most often as jurors with hearing and visual disabilities, in which case the juror was moved as close to the witness stand as possible and allowed to remain as a juror.
6. Do you believe that a person who is deaf / hard of hearing or one who is blind / has low vision can serve as a juror?
  
  Yes indeed, please see my answer to question "e" above.
7. What is your position on making marijuana available for medical purposes?
  
  I believe it should absolutely be made legal for medical purposes.
8. Do you believe that defendants with mental disabilities should be treated in a different manner than others? If so, how? If not, why not?
  
  We need a mental health court so we can evaluate every defendant with a mental disability and act accordingly.
Civil Rights

Has/will your office prosecute personal care attendants who abuse their charges (disabled/ seniors)? Please cite case, and provide any advice on how to successfully prosecute these cases?

I will vigorously prosecute these cases as we would any serious case and I will work with my disability community liaison to bring these cases to justice.

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For other candidates running for District Attorney positions, go to the Questionnaires section