NORRISTOWN >> The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office has a new second-in-command.
Edward F. McCann Jr., a former Philadelphia prosecutor, was selected Tuesday by newly-elected District Attorney Kevin R. Steele to be first assistant district attorney for the county.
Steele said McCann, a former first assistant in the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, has 26 years of trial and administrative experience.
“He brings to us a tremendous amount of experience to our prosecutorial team as well as strong leadership and managerial skills that will benefit Montgomery County and our law enforcement community,” Steele said in a phone interview. “We are excited to have him join our team.”
Steele, the Lower Merion Democrat who was elected district attorney in November’s election after spending eight years as first assistant district attorney, announced the selection of McCann to his staff members on Tuesday afternoon.
McCann’s hiring and salary must still be formally approved by the county salary board, which includes the county commissioners, but Steele said he expects McCann to begin his duties Feb. 1.
The selection of McCann ends weeks of speculation about who would act as Steele’s primary assistant, the person who typically oversees the day-to-day administration of the office. Since Steele took office Jan. 4, rumors were running rampant throughout the courthouse and it was the No. 1 question on the minds of judges, defense lawyers and prosecutors.
In recent history, incoming county district attorneys had their first assistants in place on their first day in office. Since the new year began, courthouse observers were left wondering if Steele would promote someone from within the office or select someone from outside the office to the post.
Steele kept his decision close to the vest until Tuesday.
“Ed most recently was overseeing an office with more than 300 attorneys and 200 support staff and is known for his work against child abuse,” said Steele, referring to McCann’s role as first assistant in Philadelphia for the last four years. “He’s also a person recognized statewide for both his trial skills and his experience in managing units like the homicide unit.
“He has worked on a number of initiatives that have led to success in Philadelphia,” Steele added.
McCann, whose tenure with the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office dates to 1989, left the office in November. A 1989 graduate of Temple Law School, McCann previously served as deputy of the trial division in the Philadelphia office and for seven years was the chief of the homicide unit.
Steele noted that McCann, while in Philadelphia, oversaw the long-term grand jury investigation and prosecution of nine defendants in the 2006 starvation death of 14-year-old Danieal Kelly, a disabled girl who was just 46 pounds when she died.
“That case led McCann to become active in child abuse causes, including serving as an original member of Philadelphia’s Act 33 Team overseeing a multi-disciplinary review of all child abuse fatalities and near fatalities in the city and serving as a member of a statewide advisory board on child abuse,” Steele said.
