Farrell sworn in as DA

By FRITZ MAYER

MONTICELLO, NY — It was standing room only in the courthouse in Monticello on December 31, when the new district attorney, Jim Farrell, took the oath of office.

In remarks after the swearing in, Farrell heaped praise on the outgoing district attorney, Steven Lungen, who had served the office for 28 years. Farrell said that without Lungen’s support and guidance he would not be taking the office. He added to enthusiastic applause that Lungen will “go down in history as a legend in the law-enforcement community.”

Farrell thanked his family for their support during the grueling campaign. He read an essay written by his daughter Kelsey for school, which began with the line, “My problem is that my dad is running a campaign.” It ended with the sentence, “We are never home because we are going place to place every day. It’s not much fun.”

Farrell explained that the teacher wrote back, “November is coming. Things will improve,” which drew a sustained round of laughter.

On a more serious note, Farrell said that as the district attorney for Sullivan County, he promised “to never lose sight of fundamental fairness and to do the right thing, no matter what.”