The Democrat and Chronicle Endorses Mike Green for District Attorney

In the editorial page of the Democrat and Chronicle on October 22, 2007, the paper endorsed Mike Green for District Attorney.

You say Mike Green should remain the County's Chief Crime Fighter for the next 4 years? Why?

You say "The DA office's conviction rate is solid?" Let's recount Mike Green's year in 2007.

Kevin Lipford - Acquitted of Murder
Keon Anderson - Acquitted of Murder
Samuel Haile - Acquitted of Murder
Brian Smith - Acquitted of Murder
Brandon Daymon - Acquitted of Murder
James Stanford - Acquitted of Murder
Rosa Resto - Acquitted of Murder
Joshua Rivera - Acquitted of Murder
Charlie Scott - Acquitted of Murder
Frantina Smith - Acquitted of Manslaughter
Karen Greene - Acquitted of Vehicular Manslaughter
James Telban - Acquitted of Vehicular Manslaughter
Vincent Bermudez - Acquitted of Murder
Pierre Harris - Acquitted of Murder
Chazaray Green - Acquitted of Murder
Earl Nesmith - Acquitted of Murder

It is hard to say that this was a "solid" year for Mike Green.

You say "the management concerns are significant." I would say so when you consider that 48 DAs have left the office since he became District Attorney and of which 15 of those DAs have left since January 1, 2007. That's 15 DAs in 10 months. How can you possibly minimize the discontent of that office when more than one prosecutor a month leaves the office?

You say that "too much staff dissension can lead to losses in the courtroom." The above list is just a partial list and only represents 30 minutes of time researching homicide acquittals at the public library. That does not even take into account all other trial results. Ask yourself this simple question, if homicide prosecutions are supposed to be so important and yet there were so many acquittals, imagine his record on other crimes? Perhaps 15 prosecutors leaving the office this year may have something to do with it.

How can you turn a blind eye to hard facts in favor of an amorphous "tough on crime" claim? You can't just say you are "tough on crime," you have to be tough on crime and it is hard to be tough on crime when all of your back up (your prosecutors) are bolting for the door. How can you say Green is tough on crime when 13 people were acquitted of homicide charges?

You ask how Cara Briggs "would run the office, how she would deal with gun offenses and violent crime differently from Green?" The fact that you are choosing to not listen to her message does not mean she is not trying to get her message out. Read her campaign literature, review her newspaper and television interviews or, as a concerned voter here's a novel concept, ASK HER.

Let me close by asking you this difficult question, can you say that Mike Green's handling of the office, an office in which 48 prosecutors have left in his 45 months of office and his handling of violent crimes in which there have been 15 homicide acquittals this year REALLY entitle him to another 4 years in office? Please, the readers and the voters need an answer...