DiFiore resigns state post

Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore has resigned as chair of the state’s Joint Commission of Public Ethics (JCOPE) to run for re-election this November, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office annuonced.
DiFiore will be replaced by Daniel Horowitz, a New York City attorney, who was appointed to JCOPE in December 2011. DiFiore had been chair for 16 months.
JCOPE, formed in 2011, is an independent ethics and lobbying regulator with oversight of elected officials and various state employees. The commission provides information, education, and advice on current ethics and lobbying laws and promotes compliance through required disclosure filings, audits, investigations and enforcement proceedings.
JCOPE has jurisdiction to investigate and impose penalties on executive branch employees and lobbyists. It also is empowered to investigate potential violations of state ethics laws by legislators and legislative employees. 

DiFiore, who was first elected district attorney in 2005, does not have any announced opposition in her bid for a third term.