Mangano appoints two to District Court
Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano on Wednesday appointed two attorneys from Oyster Bay to serve as District Court judges.
Colin O'Donnell, counsel to Republican Supervisor John Venditto of Oyster Bay and a former Nassau assistant district attorney, and Douglas Lerose, a deputy bureau chief for the county attorney's office, will face election for full six-year terms in November.
They replace former District Court judges Margaret Reilly and Angelo Delligatti, who were elected in November to State Supreme Court and County Court, respectively. The appointments require legislative approval.
"Colin O'Donnell and Douglas Lerose are two highly qualified and distinguished individuals who will serve our residents well from the bench at district court," Mangano said.
O'Donnell has worked for the Town of Oyster Bay since 2006 as general counsel and Venditto's liaison to the Department of Public Safety, making just under $136,000. He also serves as legal counsel to the Locust Valley Fire District.
From 1995 to 2006, O'Donnell worked in the district attorney's Special Investigations Bureau, prosecuting bribery and public corruption cases. As a special assistant U.S. attorney in Brooklyn, he prosecuted a $70-million county health insurance fraud case that led to the conviction of 11 people, including former Nassau Chief Deputy County Executive Robert McDonald and former Suffolk GOP chairman William Michael Blake.
Lerose has served as a deputy county attorney since September 2010, earning a salary of $29,000. From 1995 through 2010, he was general counsel to state Sen. Carl Marcellino (R-Syosset). Lerose has maintained a private law practice in Melville since 1999.
Both appointees have contributed small amounts to Mangano, a Republican. O'Donnell has made three contributions totaling $750 since 2009 while Lerose gave one contribution of $125, according to state elections data. Asked whether the contributions influenced the appointments, Mangano replied, "I will not dignify that question with an answer."
District Court judges earn $122,700 a year.
Out East with Doug Geed: Wine harvests, a fish market, baked treats and poinsettias NewsdayTV's Doug Geed visits two wineries and a fish market, and then it's time for holiday cheer, with a visit to a bakery and poinsettia greenhouses.
Out East with Doug Geed: Wine harvests, a fish market, baked treats and poinsettias NewsdayTV's Doug Geed visits two wineries and a fish market, and then it's time for holiday cheer, with a visit to a bakery and poinsettia greenhouses.
