POUGHKEEPSIE – Republican Dutchess County District Attorney William Grady is being criticized for asking for the resignation of one of his top prosecutors, a Democrat who is considering a campaign to be the county’s next DA.
Grady, who is serving in his 10th term as DA after being re-elected in 2019, is not seeking re-election. Chief Assistant District Attorney Matt Weishaupt is seeking the Republican nomination to succeed his boss.
Anthony Parisi, the Bureau Chief for the Violent Crimes Bureau, is seeking the Democratic nomination. Both men were hired decades ago by Grady. The two men could potentially run against each other and Grady does not want that added stress in his office.
When he learned of Parisi’s ambitions in December, Grady admitted to meeting with Parisi to advise that the bureau chief would have to resign if he continued to seek the nomination to run for the office. Sources have told Mid-Hudson News that Grady also intimated that Parisi’s wife, Senior Assistant ADA Sinead McLoughlin, assigned to the Narcotics Bureau, would also have to resign.
Grady, in a leaked tape conversation, admitted telling Parisi that a campaign between coworkers would have disastrous effects on the office, including causing other ADAs to choose sides between the two candidates.
Parisi downplayed the concerns but Grady said, “I could not take that chance – I have an office to run. If he actually chose to run as the Democratic candidate, I would request his resignation.” Grady says that he is afforded that right under both Dutchess County and New York State law.
Grady has written a letter supporting Weishaupt’s candidacy. Chief ADA Weishaupt told Mid-Hudson News that Grady never asked him for a letter of resignation. At this time Parisi and McLoughlin are the only ones that Grady is forcing to resign.
When asked for a response, Grady told Mid-Hudson News that he was out of town and would respond to the reporter on Monday night.
While Grady is still the DA, he filed his retirement paperwork after he barely won his last election. A loophole allows Grady to collect his annual salary of more than $200,000 while also collecting his pension.
Grady credits Weishaupt with running the office on a daily basis.
