Two candidates step up to the plate in Cape and Islands district attorney race

As Cape and Islands District Attorney Michael O’Keefesteps away from a reelection bid in 2022, the race is picking up steam with two candidates announcing runs for the office.

On Wednesday, criminal defense attorney Robert Galibois, 52, submitted papers to the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance to run for Cape and Islands district attorney as a Democrat. He said he will formally announce his candidacy at 2 p.m. Monday at Barnstable County Superior Court.

Also, a private practice and criminal defense attorney, Republican John “Jack” Carey, of East Sandwich, will vie for the district attorney position and will formally announce his intention to run Tuesday.

After nearly 20 years in office, O’Keefe announced earlier this month that he would not seek a sixth term in this year's election. A Republican, O'Keefe served first as assistant district attorney under then-district attorney Philip A. Rollins, who held the position for 32 years, before O'Keefe was elected to the post in 2002.

Robert Galibois

With experience as an assistant district attorney at the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office from 1997 to 2003, Galibois worked for both O'Keefe and Rollins. With roughly 18 years of experience as a criminal defense attorney with a law office in Norwell, Galibois said the opportunity to run for district attorney “is refreshing.”

“O’Keefe happened to announce his retirement two weeks ago today. And since that announcement, my phone started ringing off the hook with people encouraging me to run,” Galibois said in an interview. “I’ve been lucky, I’ve had a great practice pretty much covering all of southeastern Mass. and I’ve thought really hard about making this move. I’m now in a position where I am winding down my practice and looking to do this (run a campaign) pretty much full time. I’m all in.”

Although Galibois currently lives in Norwell, he lived in Bourne from 1996 to 2014 and said he will "be moving back to his roots," on the Cape by February.

John Carey

A member of the armed forces for roughly 30 years, Carey is a U.S. Navy veteran and worked as an attorney within the armed forces and in private practice since 2001.

“It’s time to offer my range of experience to the Cape community and I’m passionate about the Cape and keeping the community safe,” Carey said in an interview. "I believe it's necessary to have a smooth transition from the office of Michael O'Keefe to a new district attorney's office with somebody that has experience across the board, which I have. We need to ensure that it's someone that can work with the police departments and the community, and can provide that service to the communities so they can feel basically safe."

Carey said there are a host of issues surrounding the role of district attorney like the opioid crisis and racial justice. Despite his ability to handle “heavy, loaded issues,” he said his first priority is to “work with the various police departments” to help people on the Cape.

“I want to maintain law and order and fair justice for everybody. I know there is an opioid epidemic, and these are all important issues,” he said. “However, I have a good handle on all this stuff. I understand it. I know how to stop it. With 30 years of military experience, I was involved in the biggest drug bust in the history of the world when I was in Afghanistan."

According to papers filed with the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance on Jan. 10, Carey initially sought to run for state senate — eventually withdrawing his candidacy to run for district attorney instead.

'Absolutely thrilled'

Galibois, who began his legal career as a volunteer prosecutor in Barnstable District Court, eventually became a full-time prosecutor at the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office in 1997 before opening his own private practice in 2008.

Speaking about issues facing the Cape, he said, “Justice is pursuit over many paths – some traditional, others more innovative.

“As district attorney, I will explore innovative approaches and integrate them with existing practice to arrive at the most effective means of achieving justice for victims and accountability for offenders,” he said. “I welcome both the attention and the scrutiny of my background and I truly feel I am the best situated candidate. I really mean that. I’ve tried to start this campaign off right and I’m blessed to have the chance to run.”

Because Lou Cerrone of the Cape and Islands Democratic Council initially had “difficulty finding candidates” to run for district attorney, he said he’s “absolutely thrilled” Galibois stepped forward.

“Rob’s resume will show that he is qualified. He worked for O’Keefe and before that (Philip) Rollins in the DA's office — so he has that experience,” Cerrone said. “And then all the criminal defense work he’s done — with 13 murder trials under his belt. He has every bit of background you would want to have for a district attorney.”

For Jeanne Morrison, co-vice president of the League of Women Voters of the Cape Cod Area, it’s been “a long time” since voters had more than one candidate to choose from for Cape and Islands district attorney. With important issues surrounding “fairness, equity, and applying the laws that will keep the community safe,” she said voters should base their decisions on the “integrity of a candidate” at the polls in November.

“The community deserves to have a choice so they can elect the candidate that will do their jobs fairly and equally,” Morrison said. “It’s about the candidate and accountability to the community. It’s great we have a choice and we are hopeful that there will be candidate forums so the community can ask questions and make educated decisions at the polls.”

Should Galibois win the election, he said "all voices will be represented by the district attorney's office."

"The people of Cape Cod and the Islands deserve a well-seasoned attorney who has experience in all courtrooms across the district," he said. "My qualifications reveal that I am and will be engaged in our communities."