Photo by Jimmy McCarthy Patrick E. Swanson is sworn into office as Chautauqua County district attorney by County Court Judge David Foley on Sunday at the Mayville Courthouse. Swanson was joined by his wife, Natalie, and two children. Family and friends filled the seats to witness the special moment.

MAYVILLE — Joined by his wife and children, Patrick E. Swanson was sworn in as Chautauqua County district attorney Sunday at the Mayville Courthouse.

Who better to swear in Swanson than his predecessor David Foley, Chautauqua County Court Judge, who returns to the courthouse after spending time last year in Erie County.

Family, friends and supporters filled the benches to witness Swanson be sworn in as the next district attorney. Upon taking the oath of office, Swanson expressed gratitude to his family, friends and campaign staff for their hard and dedicated work throughout the race.

Swanson said it was an interesting year between the duties of being acting district attorney and running a campaign. As 2017 begins, Swanson said much work lies ahead.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do in Jamestown. We’re about to announce a plea policy on gun cases given the recent rash of shootings,” Swanson said. “We’ve got our hands full and we have an office that’s focused and dedicated with an important job to do. I look forward to the next four years.”

Last January, Foley appointed Swanson as acting district attorney. A lifelong county resident, Swanson announced his candidacy in February in a bid to move from an interim role to a permanent position within the District Attorney’s Office. Swanson beat out Jason Schmidt, Republican candidate, in the November election to become the county’s top prosecutor.

Before becoming acting district attorney, he spent five years prosecuting cases in Western New York and Chautauqua County.

Leading off the ceremony, Foley issued a few comments about Swanson. Several speakers taking to the podium offered remarks about Swanson and the work that went in to develop a campaign.

“This was a critical campaign for the future of Chautauqua County,” said John LaMancuso, local attorney and Swanson’s campaign manager. “I knew that and recognized that and I was grateful that Patrick stepped up and took on that opportunity as district attorney at such a young age. I think that you don’t truly know that person until you know that person in private, away from the public eye and away from their professional lives. I know how deeply he cares about his family and the people of Chautauqua County.”

The family was always competitive, but Melford Swanson, father, noted they didn’t know much about politics.

“It was quite a process,” said Melford, who was part of his son’s campaign. “We (the campaign) had a diverse group, which I think helped throughout the county. It was huge group effort to get through this to deal with the stress of the campaign. It was nice to see on Election Night that we won.”

Overall, Swanson noted the job isn’t easy with a lot or responsibilities in hand, but he credited his staff for their hard work.

“Without them, our office doesn’t function,” he said.

As for Foley’s return to the Mayville Courthouse, Swanson said he thinks he’ll do a great job.

“We’re looking forward to having him back on our bench next week,” Swanson said.