Patrick Timmins will face off against Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg in the Democratic primary later this month, challenging the incumbent for his position as New York City’s top prosecutor.
If the former Bronx prosecutor wins the Democratic vote on June 24, he will go on to face Republican candidate Maud Maron in the general election on Nov. 4.
Here’s what to know about Timmins:
Hometown
Timmins was born in Washington Heights, Manhattan. He grew up in the Bronx and moved back to Manhattan after attending college, according to his website.
Education
Timmins received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Manhattan University. He got his law degree from the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, according to his LinkedIn page.
Family and religion
Timmins comes from a family of seven children and is part of the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal organization.
Occupations and experience
Timmins’s law career includes work across various offices in New York. He served as the assistant district attorney at the Bronx District Attorney’s Office from 1996 to 1999, where he tried several kinds of felony cases, according to his LinkedIn page.
He also served as a trial lawyer for Levy Konigsberg from 2005 to 2015, where he worked in personal injury litigation by helping retired union members and cancer patients, according to his website. Following that, he became a trial attorney for Maune Raichle Hartley French & Mudd, LLC in 2016, leaving to begin his campaign for district attorney in March.
Since 2004, Timmins has been an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, teaching law and police science.
Work and contributions
Timmins is a member of the New York City Bar Association.
Much of his previous work has focused on helping low-income New Yorkers access legal services. This included work for the Legal Aid Society, serving low-income New Yorkers, and Bronx Legal Services, which provides free legal services specifically to Bronx residents.
His website says he also serves as a civil litigator representing retired union members and others who have suffered illnesses from asbestos exposure.
Major policy positions
Timmins has branded himself “the common sense choice” to unseat Bragg.
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Among Timmins’s top policy priorities is cracking down on subway crime. If elected, he says he’ll ensure police officers are placed in subway stations and cars, as well as prosecute fare evasions, according to his website.
Timmins also wants to crack down on street crime by ensuring criminals are “prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” his website reads. “Alvin Bragg has neglected Manhattanites by allowing this to happen under his watch — something that must be reversed.”