[StBernard] St. Bernard Parish Division C judicial race: two assistant DAs and a now-familiar female rival

[Westley Annis]

St. Bernard Parish Division C judicial race: two assistant DAs and a
now-familiar female rival

Print Benjamin Alexander-Bloch, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune By Benjamin
Alexander-Bloch, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune 
Email the author | Follow on Twitter 
on October 01, 2014 at 4:50 PM

Two assistant district attorneys and a now-familiar judicial candidate are
seeking the St. Bernard Parish Division C judicial seat in the Nov. 4
election.

The race for the 34th Judicial District Court, Division C, post features Kim
Cooper Jones, R-Meraux; Gregory Noto, R-Meraux; and Darren Roy, D-Chalmette.


All three of the candidates admit that they were surprised when the judicial
seat was vacated by Perry Nicosia, who resigned in August to run for
district attorney.

Jones, 45, lost the Division B judicial race last year to Jeanne Nunez
Juneau by only 38 votes. Juneau became the first female judge in St.
Bernard's history.

Jones said she has more diverse legal experience than her two rivals, who
both mainly are highlighting their criminal, prosecutorial experience.

Noto and Roy each said they decided to run for public office after learning
that current long-time District Attorney Jack Rowley would not be seeking
re-election. 

Noto, 61, said he first considered a run for district attorney, when the
Division C seat opened up he decided that would be a better fit. 

"At the end of the day, I thought 'Where can I best serve the citizens of
St. Bernard?'" Noto said.

Roy, 47, said being a judge is "a calling," something "I always knew I
wanted to be after serving as a prosecutor."

"I consider being a judge a calling not a political consolation prize," Roy
said, referring to Noto's initial uncertainty about which race to run in. 

Noto pointed out that he initially ran for the Division C seat in 1999,
losing to former Judge Wayne Cresap by only about 1,500 votes. In 2010,
Cresap was sentenced to five years in prison for taking part in a judicial
bribery scheme.

"I thought at that time that I could be a great judge for the citizens of
St. Bernard and I think at this point I could probably be an even greater
judge, because I have 10 years of D.A. experience under my belt now," Noto
said. "I think, in my humble opinion, that makes me a better candidate than
I was 15 years ago."

Roy points to his longer, 20-year tenure as a parish prosecutor making him
in the "most experienced prosecutor in the race."

Noto meanwhile said his 12-year career, from 1973 to 1985, as a New Orleans
police officer makes his "experience unmatched by anyone in the race" by
giving him firsthand knowledge "from arrest through conviction."

Meanwhile, Jones cited her extensive civil experience along with her two
years interning with the New Orleans District Attorney's Office as making
her a well-rounded candidate.  

Jones joined the Law Firm of Tonry & Ginart in 1993. She now is a partner in
the firm, Ginart & Jones, where she says she cover "all aspects of civil
law."

"Since all five judges must deal with civil and criminal matters, my diverse
experience is a perfect fit for this parish judgeship," Jones said.

She added that her life experience, including being the mother of a special
needs child and her civic involvement, help her understand the challenges
that families go through, and the need "to continue to make the parish a
safe place to raise our children."