Mike Pacifico is running for a seat on the Buffalo City Court Bench.
Mike cares deeply about the city of Buffalo and its residents, which is the primary motivator for his decision to run for election.
During his 17 years as an attorney he has learned about the importance of City Court in the lives of regular Buffalonians. Typically, a person’s first (and oftentimes their only) experience with the court system occurs at Buffalo City Court. He has learned that when people feel rushed through the court system with the legal process not clearly articulated to them, they come away from that experience cynical and sometimes with deep distrust of the courts and government as a whole. In addition, Mike recognizes that sometimes the harshest criminal justice responses are inappropriate and ineffective, particularly when the underlying causes of crime are substance abuse, poverty, and mental health issues.
If he is elected, he will ensure each and every person who comes before him understands the proceedings and feels their voice is heard.
He hopes to earn your vote. He would be honored to serve the city he loves.
About Mike
Mike has been a practicing attorney for 17 years, click here for his resume. He started his legal career as a public defender in Buffalo City Court. He then served as an assistant Erie County attorney, before taking a position as an attorney in the Criminal Investigations Division of the NYS Department of Taxation and Finance. Currently, he is the confidential law clerk to NYS Supreme Court Supervising Judge John B. Licata.
During his time as a public defender, Mike defended over 4,000 people accused of committing crimes in Buffalo City Court. He has appeared on cases in Buffalo City Court, Erie County Court, The New York State Supreme Court, The Western District of New York, and The U.S. 2nd Circuit. He has tried both non-jury and jury trials at both the misdemeanor and felony level. In his current position as a confidential law clerk for the Supervising Civil Judge for the 8th Judicial District he has written decisions that have been upheld by the 4th Department, conducted thousands of court conferences, successfully mediated dozens of cases to settlement, and assisted in the administrative functions of the court.
He is a lifelong resident of Western New York and has lived in the city of Buffalo for the last 20+ years. He has also served the Buffalo community by sitting on the Board of Directors of several not-for-profit organizations including, Buffalo Reuse, The Clean Air Coalition of WNY, Grassroots Gardens, the Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo, and the Buffalo Community Improvement Fund, Inc. He has volunteered for Peaceprints, a local reentry organization and he is a regular blood donor.
Mike lives in the Parkside neighborhood with his wife, a Criminology Professor at the University at Buffalo, and his daughter, an 8th grader in Buffalo Public Schools. When not working, you are likely to find him in Delaware Park, at the rock climbing gym, or gathering ingredients at local markets for his next homemade pizza recipe.
Mike’s experience as a trial attorney, working in both civil and criminal courts, as well as his experience as a law clerk makes him well-suited for a position on the Buffalo City Court bench, and his longtime work in the community make him a strong candidate for this position. We hope you agree and humbly ask for your support.