MONTICELLO – Brian Conaty was raised in a public service family. 

His father Phil spent some time as an assistant district attorney for Sullivan County in the 1980s, has been active with the Monticello Fire Department and as an EMT. His mother Betsy, who was a collegiate soccer national champion, has since organized soccer and tennis camps, and has been active at St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Monticello. 

“They were always going somewhere to help someone. That was very inspiring,” said Conaty of his parents’ community involvement. “I knew from a young age that I always wanted to give back to the community, too.”

Conaty, a high honors graduate of Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center at Touro College, was hired in 2018 by then Sullivan County District Attorney (DA) Jim Farrell. He had been named Chief Assistant DA this past December, before being sworn in as Acting DA a month later, following his predecessor Meagan Galligan’s ascension to the State Supreme Court’s Third Judicial District.

Conaty, a Democrat, is running for DA against Deputy County Attorney Tom Cawley, who recently switched parties to Republican. 

Some people, including his opponent, have questioned Conaty’s level of experience.

However, since joining the DA’s office in 2018, he has served as lead prosecutor in connection with serious offenses involving guns, drugs, assaults, sex abuse and driving while intoxicated. He’s also advocated before Sullivan County’s local criminal courts and County Court, as well as before the New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Third Department.

“I am young, but the thing is, I’m not inexperienced,” said Conaty. “I’ve handled just about everything the DA’s office is expected to handle. And I’ve done it zealously with tenacity and with successful and just outcomes.”

Hybrid vertical system

Both Conaty and Cawley expressed support for the vertical prosecution DA office model at a recent forum hosted by the Sullivan County Democratic Committee. 

In a traditional vertical model, which the office used under longtime DA Steve Lungen, attorneys handle all crimes out of their assigned jurisdiction, whether it be disorderly conduct, petit larceny or something more serious such as a vehicular assault. 

Conaty explained that under Farrell, it’s his understanding that there was an influx of new attorneys that didn’t necessarily have the training to handle the more serious crimes, so the office was switched to a horizontal prosecution model, which meant new attorneys handled misdemeanors and less serious offenses in their jurisdiction. Then there’d also be a more experienced attorney handling felony cases within that jurisdiction.

Conaty said every system has its issues and must adapt. The office has also had to adjust to unplanned circumstances like the COVID-19 pandemic which resulted in a significant backlog of cases.

Since being sworn in as Acting DA, one major change Conaty has made is switching the office to a hybrid vertical prosecution model. He explained that attorneys he and Galligan (in her tenure) have brought on are not new, but “seasoned” so he can trust them to handle more serious offenses.

Conaty’s hybrid model differs from the traditional vertical model because in cases involving certain serious offenses such as homicides, fatalities, firearms, domestic violence, etc., ADAs can’t make an offer without his approval. 

‘The natural fit’

When asked why he felt he was the best candidate for DA, Conaty’s answer was simple: “Because I’ve been here. I’ve done this for the past four years and I’m doing [the job] now.”

He noted that there has been more development with the State law in the past five years, than the 30 prior, and referenced how his current opponent has not been in the DA’s office in decades. 

Conaty added that he has the support of the local police chiefs, the personnel in the DA’s office, and many of his peers in law enforcement.

“I’m going to be leading this office for the next 10 months, regardless of the election,” he said. “I am the natural fit for this office, and I have the support of many people that want me to continue to do this.”