Albany DA meets with Legislature over controversial bonus

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -Over $20,000 was what District Attorney David Soares gave himself in a one-time bonus in the fall of 2023 along with 11% bonuses for some members of his office. Soares said this was from the Aid to Prosecution Grant.

“The only career in my life that I have ever had is that of a prosecutor. I am proud to speak for myself and my office and for the institution because we take great care to ensure that while we are doing our job that we are also providing due process to those who stand accused,” stated Albany County District Attorney, David Soares.

His decision has fallen under criticism as his salary is set at over $200,000 a year by law. Soares said the DA’s Office was notified that the Aid the Prosecution Grant would be five times its previous amounts at almost $950,000.

“Compensation of the District Attorney shall be as provided in Section 183A of the New York judiciary law. It doesn’t say salary, it says compensation. Which I think is fairly a broader and more encompassing term that includes bonuses,” explained County Legislator, Jeffrey Kuhn.

Each member of the Legislature had an opportunity to ask Soares questions about the bonus or give a statement. Some say the situation involving the bonus came about recently so they wouldn’t have to give the District Attorney a political endorsement.

“On day one, those democratic leaders found the DA in essence guilty before anybody had an opportunity to respond,” described County Legislator, Paul Burgdorf.

Soares says the Albany County Comptroller’s Office requested a legal opinion on the bonus on January 8 and he didn’t hear from the comptroller, Susan Rizzo, until January 30 that there was an issue. He and other colleagues asking Rizzo and other departments such as Human Resources, who Soares says gave him the codes to distribute grant pay in November, need to attend future meetings.

Deputy Chairwoman, Wanda Willingham, attended the meeting via Zoom and sent NEWS10 a statement in part:

“The Legislature serves as the primary oversight entity in the County, and as such, it is the job of the Legislators to ensure accountability and effective governance. Tonight’s joint meeting is important as it allowed our committee chairs, committee members, and counsel to publicly address the concerns surrounding the District Attorney’s use of grant funds as personal compensation.”

David Soares said at the meeting that he will be returning his bonus. There may be a follow-up discussion if needed by the Albany County Legislature when it comes to the next steps.