US News

MORGY’S PICK HAS BIG PLANS

This is the second in a series focusing on the can didates for Manhattan district attorney — a job held for three decades by Robert Morgenthau.

When word got out that Robert Morgenthau was going to endorse Cyrus Vance Jr. to be his successor, it was a surprise choice to many.

The native New Yorker, whose father was secretary of state under President Jimmy Carter, had spent 16 years practicing law in Seattle, and many assumed Morgenthau would tap someone currently in his office. But Vance, who moved his family back to Manhattan in 2004, said he was honored to get his mentor’s endorsement.

“I believe I am the best qualified for this job because I’ve not only been a serious prosecutor, but I’ve also been a serious defense lawyer,” said Vance.

While working under Morgenthau as a prosecutor in the 1980s, Vance handled political corruption, white-collar crime and homicides, including the high-profile murder of Smith Barney employee Susanna Jiminez, who was killed by her ex-fiancée in the lobby of her office building.

He keeps a yellowed, 23-year-old copy of the New York Post with a front-page story of the tragedy — a gift from the victim’s sister.

“This was certainly one case I will never forget,” said Vance.

It’s his experiences with cases like Jiminez’s that has inspired him to make domestic violence a priority.

Calling it a “public-health crisis,” Vance is advocating for legislation that will allow judges to slap felony charges on repeat offenders who are routinely hit with misdemeanor abuse counts. “We are blessed to have violent crimes reduced overall, but domestic violence is one of those crimes that has resisted that trend,” Vance said.

Other issues he vows to prioritize if elected include prosecuting economic-fraud cases, reducing recidivism, and assigning prosecutors to specific districts.

“Sort of like police on a beat,” he said. “They’re going to work more closely in the community, which is key both in prosecution and crime prevention. It’s essentially about [assistant] district attorneys becoming better neighbors.”

jennifer.fermino@nypost.com