VOTE411 Voter Guide

As the Ada County Prosecuting Attorney, I am responsible for handling all felony prosecutions within Ada County and misdemeanors in multiple local jurisdictions, as well as providing civil legal support to Ada County elected officials and departments. Our community is not immune to the challenges presented by our rapid growth, particularly in the civil and criminal divisions. My approach to managing the workload and resource demands involves attracting and retaining a high-caliber team dedicated to serving our community. My record underscores my dedication to safeguarding our community by fostering strong partnerships with stakeholders and providing the highest quality of civil legal services to Ada County.

Since 1994 when I began my career as a deputy prosecutor, I have handled a wide variety of criminal prosecutions from child abuse, domestic violence and sexual assault to robbery and homicide cases. I have held various leadership positions in my office and played an instrumental role in the creation of the Ada County Victim Center, which provides essential resources and services to vulnerable crime victims since 2006. The partners who are co-located at the Victim Center assist victims of child abuse, sexual assault, domestic violence, elder abuse and stalking. Having dedicated nearly thirty years to keeping my community safe and having successfully led my team of approximately 180 people for nearly ten years as the Ada County Prosecutor, I am uniquely qualified to meet any challenge.

In addition to my community speaking engagements, I have expanded my efforts to engage with the community on a broader level. In order to accomplish improved community outreach and engagement, I hired a public information officer several years ago. This has allowed me to share information about our office, the role of the prosecutor, case outcomes and the work we are doing for our community. I have increased our presence through social media and other community engagement efforts, such as law student internships, job shadows for students, and speaking about the role of the prosecutor from middle school to law school. Other examples include hosting the 4-H Know Your Government students as they learn about all branches of government. By combining direct interaction with educational initiatives and transparent communication, we have significantly strengthened our relationship with Ada County constituents, building trust and accountability within the community.