Assistant DA Mike Cahillane Lands Prosecutor’s Job in Bristol County

NORTHAMPTON – Assistant Northwestern District Attorney Michael A. Cahillane, who lost his bid to become DA here in a September Democratic Party primary, has landed a new job as a superior court prosecutor with Bristol County DA C. Samuel Sutter.

A spokeswoman for Sutter’s office confirmed to Northampton Media that Cahillane has been hired, and will be sworn in Jan. 5. She said Cahillane will prosecute cases in Bristol Superior Court.

After his primary loss to Hampshire County Register of Probate David Sullivan, Cahillane told reporters he would not work for Sullivan.

Although Cahillane had quit his ADA job here in June to campaign full-time, outgoing DA Elizabeth Scheibel rehired him to his $73,000-a-year position, and he resumed working on high-profile cases for the office. (See “Cahillane Back in the Saddle; Sullivan Poised To Take Reins.”)

Earlier this month, Sullivan – who takes office on Jan. 5 – announced that he had hired Steven E. Gagne as his new First Assistant DA. Gagne, 36, had worked for the Bristol District Attorney’s office since 2002, and since 2007 had served as head of the Major Violators Unit. (See “Bristol County Prosecutor Picked as 1^st Assistant Here.”) Gagne was the last in a string of office outsiders Sullivan hired as his leadership team.

Cahillane could not be reached for comment.

But Bristol DA Sutter issued a statement on Cahillane’s hiring.

“I am very pleased that Mike Cahillane has accepted my offer to join our Superior Court prosecution unit at the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office,” Sutter’s statement reads.

Cahillane, Sutter said, “was the 2010 recipient of the William C. O’Malley Award for Prosecutor of the Year, and has had an extremely impressive career as an assistant district attorney in the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office.  I look forward to his arrival in Bristol County next week.”

© 2010 Northampton Media

David Reid can be reached at dreid@northamptonmedia.comcould