Local attorney to fill Cohoes City Court vacancy

COHOES, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Local attorney Francisco Calderon has been selected to fill an upcoming vacancy on the Cohoes City Court, according to Mayor Bill Keeler. Calderon will fill the opening created by the November election of outgoing City Court Judge Thomas Marcelle to the state Supreme Court. Both are being sworn-in on December 30.

“Judge Marcelle’s elevation is a source of great pride here at City Hall, and his shoes will not easily be filled," Keeler said. "That said, Frank Calderon spent nearly two decades prosecuting felony drug and firearms cases with the Albany County District Attorney’s Office. His more recent turn in private practice and as a Public Defender indicates he’ll be a well-rounded and fair-minded jurist."

A Cohoes resident, Calderon is a 1994 Siena College graduate who went on to receive his Juris Doctor from Western New England College of Law in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1997. He began his legal career the following year as an Assistant District Attorney assigned to the Street Crimes Unit in Albany County District Attorney David Soares' office. There, he was responsible for felony cases involving firearms and drugs.

He would go on to serve as Bureau Chief of that Street Crimes Unit until he left the DA's office in 2014 to open his private practice, the Law Office of Francisco Calderon. In addition to his private practice, he also represents indigent clients as an Albany County Deputy Assistant Alternate Public Defender.

In November 2020, Calderon was appointed to the Cohoes Police Reform and Reinvention Committee where he worked collaboratively with public officials, law enforcement, and community members to draft recommendations regarding rules, regulations, and operating procedures for the police department. In September 2022, he was appointed to the Albany County Convention Center Authority.

A swearing-in ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. on December 30, in the Common Council Chambers at Cohoes City Hall. The public is welcome to attend, Mayor Keeler said.