A Democratic candidate for Nassau County District Attorney, Nicole Aloise, has sparked controversy with a job posting that openly invited individuals with criminal records to apply for a high-paying campaign role. The ad, offering up to $7,000 a month for a communications director position, has ignited a firestorm of criticism from her opponent, incumbent DA Anne Donnelly.
According to Fox News, the posting on Indeed.com explicitly encouraged applicants with past convictions to step forward for a role involving media and public engagement. The line was later removed, and the ad has since expired, but the damage to Aloise’s campaign image may already be done.
Incumbent Republican Anne Donnelly didn’t hold back in her critique, stating on Fox News, “I think that’s exactly what it says.” Her sharp response cuts to the heart of a broader concern about the direction of criminal justice policies under progressive influence, which she argues have veered too far from protecting victims.
Donnelly expressed frustration over what she sees as a trend of “criminal coddling” in policies like cashless bail and discovery reform. She believes these measures, often pushed by progressive agendas, sideline the needs of victims while prioritizing the rights of offenders.
“As the district attorney, my job is to prosecute criminals and to help victims, and nobody seems to care about the victims anymore,” Donnelly told Fox News. Her words resonate with a growing sentiment that law enforcement’s core mission is being undermined by well-intentioned but misguided reforms.
While acknowledging that those who have served their time deserve a second chance, Donnelly drew a hard line at inviting individuals with criminal histories into sensitive campaign roles. For a position tied to the highest law enforcement office in the county, trust and discretion are non-negotiable, and she finds Aloise’s approach dangerously naive.
Aloise’s campaign manager, Ellen McCormick, attempted to deflect the criticism by framing the job ad as a minor glitch on a third-party website. She argued that the focus on this issue is a distraction from Donnelly’s own record, claiming crime in Nassau County has surged 44% under the incumbent’s watch.
McCormick also boasted that Aloise has outraised Donnelly by nearly $100,000 and secured endorsements from law enforcement unions. But these claims seem more like political posturing than a substantive defense of a decision that raises serious questions about judgment.
Let’s be clear: a job posting isn’t just a clerical error when it targets a demographic unfit for roles handling confidential material. If Aloise’s team can’t vet a simple ad, how can they be trusted to vet the integrity of their inner circle in a DA’s office?
Donnelly fired back, calling McCormick’s statement the most “disingenuous” she’d ever heard, and she brought receipts to the table. She clarified that crime in Nassau County is down in every major category, as confirmed by the police commissioner, and the county was recently named the safest in the nation by US News and World Report.
She also debunked the fundraising claim, stating she has outraised Aloise by $500,000, not the other way around. This kind of factual slap-down exposes a troubling lack of honesty in Aloise’s camp, which Donnelly argues is incompatible with the role of a district attorney.
Trust in a DA hinges on transparency and truthfulness, qualities that seem in short supply when a campaign resorts to inflated stats and deflections. If Aloise’s team is this loose with the facts now, what would governance under her leadership look like?
The debate over employing individuals with criminal records isn’t black-and-white, and some municipalities do bar discrimination against them, as noted by other reports. But there’s a vast difference between offering a job at a local business and placing someone with a questionable past at the heart of a campaign for a top law enforcement post.
Donnelly’s point about handling sensitive, confidential investigations isn’t just rhetoric; it’s a practical concern for public safety. A communications director isn’t a peripheral role, and entrusting it to someone with a criminal history risks more than just optics risks real breaches of trust.
This incident with Aloise’s campaign ad isn’t just a misstep; it’s a window into a mindset that seems out of touch with the gravity of the DA’s responsibilities. Nassau County deserves a leader who prioritizes victims and public safety over trendy social experiments, and voters will likely remember this controversy when weighing their options.
