A Review of 2022 Sheriffs' Races |
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New York’s 2022 General Election carried more Sheriffs’ names on the ballot than in recent years. This edition of File 25 provides a recap of election results. |
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Ten races where incumbent Sheriffs ran - AND ALL TEN WON! |
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Nine races where a new Sheriff will replace a departing Sheriff. |
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One Sheriff's race where votes are still being tallied. |
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Three counties where key appointments were made. |
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Ten Incumbent Sheriffs Reelected |
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Cayuga County - Sheriff Brian Schenck won, running unopposed.
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Chautauqua County - Sheriff James Quattrone won, running unopposed.
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Clinton County - Sheriff David Favro won in a contested race against former Clinton County Sheriff’s Deputy Chelsea Warick, who ran as a write-in candidate.
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Essex County - Sheriff David Reynolds won, running unopposed.
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Montgomery County - Sheriff Jeffery Smith won, running unopposed.
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Oneida County - Sheriff Robert Maciol won in a contested race against Jim Scarchilli, a police officer from Whitestown, NY.
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Oswego County - Sheriff Don Hilton won, running unopposed.
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Otsego County - Sheriff Richard Devlin won, running unopposed.
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Tompkins County - Sheriff Derek Osborne won, running unopposed.
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Ulster County - Sheriff Juan Figueroa won, running unopposed.
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Newly Elected Sheriffs Join the Ranks |
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Meet the eight new Sheriffs-elect who will assume office on January 1, 2023 after winning races in their respective counties. |
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Scott Cicirello, Allegany County |
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Scott was elected Sheriff, unopposed, and will replace retiring Sheriff Rick Whitney.
Scott has served as Allegany County Undersheriff since August 2021 when he was tapped by Sheriff Whitney to serve as second in command.
Scott’s law enforcement career has included serving as Chief of Police in the Village of Alfred and in the City of Salamanca, as well as working for police departments in Andover, Cuba and Wellsville, where his father, the late Jim “Jac” Cicirello, was Wellsville Chief of Police. Jac made an unsuccessful bid for Allegany County Sheriff in 1983. A young Scott made his Dad a promise he would be Sheriff someday. On Election Day 2022, he was able to fulfill that promise.
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Fred Akshar, Broome County |
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Fred Akshar won a contested race against Broome County Sheriff’s Captain Kate Newcomb. Both sought to replace retiring Sheriff David Harder.
A graduate of Broome Community College, Fred joined the Broome County Sheriff’s Office in 2002. He was a graduate of the 247th Session of the FBI National Academy in 2012 and supervised every major criminal investigation as Captain of the Broome County Sheriff’s Office Law Enforcement Division. He was promoted to Undersheriff by Sheriff Harder.
He left the Sheriff’s Office in 2015 when he won a special election for New York State Senate. Fred served seven years in his Senate position, representing the State’s 52nd Senate District, where he was the ranking Republican on the Crime and Corrections and Civil Service committees.
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Kirk Imperati, Dutchess County |
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Kirk was elected to his first four-year term as Sheriff in a contested race against retired Dutchess County Sheriff’s Deputy Jillian Hanlon. He has been serving as Acting Sheriff of Dutchess County since the untimely passing of former Sheriff Adrian “Butch” Anderson in September 2021.
Imperati is a 29-year veteran with the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office. After serving in various roles — ranging from D.A.R.E. Instructor, to SRO Program Coordinator, to Detective — he was appointed to the position of Undersheriff in 2007 where he oversaw the day-to-day operations of the Sheriff’s Office, including the Corrections, Civil and Road Patrol Divisions.
He is a graduate of Marist College where he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice and is currently working on his Master’s Degree in Public administration. Imperati is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy.
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Jay Cook, Franklin County |
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Jay Cook was elected as Sheriff after running unopposed in the General Election, having defeated current Sheriff Kevin Mulverhill in the Republican primary earlier this year. Jay is a 24-year veteran of the New York State Police, retiring in 2018.
While with the State Police, Cook served as a Road Patrol Trooper, a firearms instructor, Traffic Incident Management Team leader, and a 9/11 Responder in New York City in 2001.
Jay received national acclaim as the officer who shot and captured David Sweat after the Dannemora prison escape of June 2015.
Before joining the State Police, Cook spent four years as a New York State Department of Correctional Services Officer and nine months as a Deputy Jailer for the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office.
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Peter Barnett, Jefferson County |
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Sheriff-elect Peter Barnett ran uncontested after winning a three-way primary. He will replace current Sheriff Colleen O’Neil, who declined to seek reelection.
Barnett retired from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office in 2013 after 26 years of service. During his tenure, he spent time as a Deputy Sheriff, Detective, Drug Investigator, Juvenile Aid Officer, D.A.R.E Officer and Court Security Officer. After leaving the Sheriff’s Office, Peter worked as an Investigator for both the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office and the Public Defender’s Office.
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Votes are still being tallied in the closely contested race for Onondaga County Sheriff between Esteban Gonzalez and Toby Shelley. An update will be provided in an upcoming issue of File 25. |
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David Cirencione, Ontario County |
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David Cirencione won a contested race for the Office of Ontario County Sheriff. The post became available when incumbent Sheriff Henderson resigned and former Ontario County Sheriff Phil Povero was pressed into service as Acting Sheriff through the end of 2022.
David is a 20-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office and currently serves as Lieutenant, overseeing the Criminal Investigation Division.
A graduate of SUNY Oswego, Cirencione joined the Sheriff’s Office in 2002 as a Deputy and was promoted through the ranks to Sergeant and eventually Lieutenant in 2016. He has served as Commanding Officer of the Road Patrol, Crime Scene Unit, Underwater Search & Recovery Team, Field Training Officer Program and Eastview Mall Patrol. He has also helped train the next generation of law enforcement officers as an Instructor at the Finger Lakes Law Enforcement Academy for the past 16 years.
Aside from his extensive law enforcement background, Cirencione has served as a volunteer firefighter with the Nester Hose Company of the Geneva Fire Department for 28 years. He is also a member of the Sons of the American Legion Winnek Post 396 and Our Lady of Peace Parish. Before starting his law enforcement career, David served for several years as a Caseworker and Case Supervisor for Child Protective Services in neighboring Seneca County.
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Paul Arteta, Orange County |
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Sheriff-elect Arteta won a contested race after incumbent Sheriff Carl DuBois declined to run for a sixth term. A 28-year veteran of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Arteta began his career in 1992 as a Correction Officer assigned to the Orange County Jail, and in 1994 was promoted to the Patrol Division as a Deputy Sheriff. He has been assigned to the Courts Division, Road Patrol, and the Identification Unit, earning the title of Certified Fingerprint Expert.
During his tenure with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, he advanced through the ranks of Sergeant, Lieutenant, and then Captain, where he had oversight responsibilities for over 200 civilian and sworn members handling road division activities, including Civil, Investigations, Marine Patrol, Bike Patrol, and Narcotics.
Paul was responsible for the creation and development of, and then commanding, the Orange County Drug Task Force. Additionally, Paul helped to achieve law enforcement and jail accreditations for the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. He is a graduate of the 248th Session of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia.
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David Linder, Wyoming County |
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Dave Linder was elected Wyoming County Sheriff in an unopposed race.
The Sheriff-elect started in law enforcement with the Warsaw Police Department and the Arcade Police Department, joining the Wyoming County Sheriff’s Office in 1993. He advanced to Sergeant on the Road Patrol and then as Captain overseeing the Civil Division and the Patrol Division. He served as Undersheriff to Sheriff Greg Rudolph, and became Acting Sheriff upon Sheriff Rudolph’s resignation in July 2022.
He holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Buffalo State College in Criminal Justice.
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Recently Appointed Sheriffs and Commissioners |
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Anthony La Rocco, Nassau County |
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Anthony La Rocco was appointed the Sheriff of Nassau County by the Nassau County Executive in the fall of 2022. Sheriff La Rocco has served the residents of Nassau County for nearly 40 years, including 28 years as a uniformed member of service with the Nassau County Sheriff’s Department.
He was sworn in as a Deputy Sheriff in 1986 and has risen through the ranks to supervisory positions of Sergeant, Lieutenant, Investigator Lieutenant, Captain and Deputy Undersheriff. He has led the Domestic Violence Unit, Civil Enforcement Unit and the Sheriff’s Warrant Apprehension Program. Sheriff La Rocco has earned several commendations for his devotion to duty which include the Nassau County Police Commissioners Award, the Nassau County Sheriff’s Department Meritorious Service Award, the Nassau County Medal of Commendation, and the Nassau County Executive Merit Award.
After a distinguished career, he retired at the rank of Captain in 2015 and returned to the Sheriff’s Department in 2022 as Undersheriff.
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Anthony Miranda, New York City |
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Anthony Miranda was appointed by Mayor Eric Adams in May 2022 to serve as New York City’s 123rd Sheriff.
Sheriff Miranda has served in various positions throughout the course of his distinguished career in law enforcement. He joined the New York City Police Department in 1982. He served as a Detective in the Organized Crime Control Bureau and Detective Bureau and later as a Sergeant in several areas, including the Street Narcotics Enforcement Unit, Community Policing, Internal Affairs Bureau, and Patrol Service Bureau.
Following his tenure with NYPD, Sheriff Miranda served as Chief of Police and Director of Security for the Administration of Children’s Services, where he directed and administered agency security operations and advised agency leadership on security matters, threats, vulnerabilities, and various methodologies to mitigate risks to staff and facilities. He later served as a private law enforcement consultant, providing expert guidance to justices, lawyers, and civilians on policing issues.
Sheriff Miranda, who is fluent in Spanish, holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, as well as numerous licenses and certifications. He has received the New York City Council’s Man of Courage Award and the Albert Einstein International Academy Foundation Peace Medal, among other honors.
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Terrance Raynor, Westchester County |
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Terrance Raynor was appointed Acting Commissioner / Sheriff of the Westchester County Department of Public Safety in June 2022, upon the resignation of Commissioner / Sheriff Thomas Gleason.
Terrance graduated from Virginia State University and joined the Mount Vernon Police Department in 1984. He served in Patrol, Uniformed Task Force and the Motorcycle Unit and was promoted numerous times serving as a Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain and Chief. He later accepted a position as Chief Criminal Investigator for the Westchester County District Attorney in 2006, but returned to the Mount Vernon Police Department to serve as Police Commissioner. Raynor then served as Deputy Commissioner of the Westchester County Department of Public Safety under Commissioner / Sheriff Tom Gleason.
He has received law enforcement training from the New York City Police Department, the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration. He is a graduate of the 201st Session of the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy.
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Louis Molina, New York City Department of Corrections |
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In New York City, corrections operations are independent of the Office of the New York City Sheriff and headed by a Commissioner appointed by the Mayor. On January 1, 2022 Louis Molina was appointed by Mayor Adams as Commissioner of the New York City Department of Corrections.
Molina is a second-generation decorated veteran of the United States Marine Corps, and has over twenty years of experience in the public and private sector.
He received his college degree from Chaminade University of Honolulu and was appointed in 2000 to the New York City Police Department. With the NYPD Louis reached the rank of Detective Criminal Investigator after serving as an Undercover Officer. He was assigned to a number of bureaus, including Patrol, Housing, Detective, Internal Affairs, Organized Crime Control, Counterterrorism, and the Police Commissioner’s Office of Management Analysis & Planning.
Louis continued his education, completing courses in international politics at University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, and earned two Masters’ Degrees: one in Public Administration from Marist College School of Management, and the other in Human Rights from Columbia University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. In 2020, he received a scholarship from the Harvard Business School Fund for Leadership and Innovation to attend Harvard Business School's General Management Program, and completed that prestigious management program later in the year.
Louis has served in many law enforcement positions, including a contract Senior Police Advisor and Instructor for the U.S. Department of State, Deputy Chief Investigator with the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, Senior Advisor to the Commissioner of the NYC Department of Homeless Services, Chief Internal Monitor and Acting Assistant Commissioner for the NYC Department of Correction, First Deputy Chief of the Enforcement Division for the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission, and First Deputy Commissioner for the Westchester County Department of Correction. He had also most recently served as Chief for the City of Las Vegas’ Department of Public Safety, where he oversaw the city’s jail, deputy city marshals and other public safety officials.
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