Acting DA Michael Langey announces he will run for District Attorney in Elizabethtown on Monday. (Enterprise photo — Grace McIntyre)

ELIZABETHTOWN — Long-time county prosecutor Michael Langey stood on the steps of the old Essex County Courthouse Monday to announce that he will be running for District Attorney in November.

Langey has been serving as the acting DA since the former DA, Kristy Sprague was sworn in as Essex County Court Judge at the beginning of January. Sprague had one year left in her term when she was elected to be county judge.

Langey’s 26-year career as a prosecutor has been spent in service of the Essex County District Attorney’s Office. He plans to run on the Republican Party line and Essex County Republican Committee Chair John Gereau confirmed that the committee endorsed him at a meeting on Jan. 15.

Ronald Briggs, a Lake Placid attorney who served as Essex County DA from 1994 to 2005, first hired Langey as an intern while he was still in law school. After graduating from Albany Law School in 1998, Langey returned to the Essex County DA’s office and has been there ever since.

Briggs spoke at the announcement on Monday, expressing confidence in Langey’s ability to do the job while emphasizing that fairness is “critically important” to the DA role.

“Michael has this grasp of how every case should turn out. He has this underlying wisdom in how he applies the law,” he said. “We couldn’t be more blessed by having Michael Langey as our next District Attorney. I think the world of him.”

Langey’s first role at the DA’s office was as an assistant district attorney. Four years later, he was promoted to first assistant district attorney. He served under three different DAs: Briggs, Julie Garcia and Sprague.

“I have learned something from each of them and I am a better attorney today because of that,” Langey said, adding that building trust with law enforcement has also been key to his success.

In his announcement speech, Langey said one of his priorities is to address the issue of drugs in Essex County. He said it is important to prosecute those who bring illegal drugs into Essex County communities, but to also provide help for addicts.

Langey was one of the founding members of the Essex County Drug Treatment court and a member of the Essex County Veterans and Mental Health Treatment Courts. These are examples of “problem-solving courts” that the state has established over the last few decades to help address “the underlying issues that bring people into the court system, and employ innovative approaches to address those issues,” according to the state Unified Court System website.

These courts are often under-utilized, Langey said. He promised to work to get more people into those courts so that they can benefit from the treatment.

Langey cited his career as a public servant and prosecutor in the DA’s office as his primary qualification for this role. He also said he recognizes the responsibility that the role carries.

“Those decisions about who should get probation, who should get treatment, who should be in jail and who should go to prison are heavy decisions that take thought, justice and fairness,” Langey said. “I’ve always tried to do that during my time here and I will continue to do that.”

Maggie Bartley, chair of the Essex County Democratic Committee, said they have not yet chosen a candidate to endorse for the role. Candidates can begin circulating petitions in late February, so they have until then to choose a candidate.