County Attorney

[357 mag]

I've heard 2 that want to try and come back after he leaves. The 3rd probably won't because she is going to the FBI.

[moody cyst]

Has anyone seen any campaigning for the county attorney position? I have only seen some small articles in the globe for Malone but that's all. I would like to see information from all the canidates before making a decision.

[Made in the USA]

Originally Posted by moody cyst

Has anyone seen any campaigning for the county attorney position? I have only seen some small articles in the globe for Malone but that's all. I would like to see information from all the canidates before making a decision.

I heard that Terry Malone is out going door to door. Other than that, I haven't seen or heard anything.

[BATMAN]

also Malone was the only one to get the required number of signatures on his petitions. The others had to pay the $700 filing fee. I am hoping it will be a landslide for Malone, but even Daniels would be fine. Anybody but the incompetent John Sauer.

[banyon]

Experienced attorneys seeking prosecutor’s job

By Eric Swanson
Dodge City Daily Globe
Posted Aug 02, 2008 @ 10:09 AM
Dodge City —
Three experienced attorneys are competing for the right to be Ford County's top prosecutor, but only two will face off in Tuesday's primary election.
The race for the Republican nomination pits incumbent Ford County Attorney John Sauer against Dodge City prosecutor Terry Malone. The winner in the primary election will face the only Democrat in the race, defense attorney Larry Daniels, in the November general election.
The Globe recently interviewed all three candidates about their relevant professional experience, any changes they would make if elected and other issues. Here are questions and answers from those interviews, which have been edited for length.


John Sauer
Daily Globe: What is your previous relevant experience?
John Sauer: I have done criminal work for 23 years — prosecution 16 years, defense seven years.
DG: Where else besides here?
JS: Hamilton County, Kansas, as county attorney from '97 to 2001, then assistant county attorney here from 2001 to 2005. County attorney since January of '05.
I did both prosecution and defense work in the United States Army Judge Advocate General Corps. I was in the Army doing criminal work from '72 to '77. I served also as the assistant Finney County Attorney, and I served also as city attorney for Garden City.
In 1981, I was recalled back to active duty in the Army and served 13 more years.
DG: Why are you seeking re-election?
JS: Of the 105 counties in Kansas, Ford County consistently ranks as the fourth, fifth, sixth or seventh highest crime rate in the state, depending upon the category considered. No way with a crime rate that high can Ford County survive with a part-time prosecutor, part-time county attorney.
All of my 23 years of practicing criminal law have dealt with felonies — serious offenses, including several murder cases. Mr. Malone's experience is with traffic infractions and misdemeanors — nearly all, anyway.
I, like Mr. Daniels, am not soliciting or accepting any contributions. ... My job is to do justice, and that's what I try to do. Not paying off favors.
DG: What, if any, improvements would you make to the office if re-elected?
JS: I guess my goal would be to bring the pay into line with what other prosecuting attorneys make. It might enhance retention for attorneys and staff. We can't survive without the support staff.
DG: Has turnover been a problem in this office?
JS: If you go back and look, it's just turnover in this area. Southwestern Kansas doesn't grow many attorneys. People come here to get a little bit of trial experience and then leave.
DG: Do you think bringing the pay into line with what other attorneys make might help address this problem?
JS: Yes. It's some tie to the office, because they don't have any geographic ties. We have the same trouble as the doctors, the schools, the dentists, the optometrists — they just don't grow many of them in southwest Kansas.

Terry Malone
DG: What is your relevant professional experience for this position?
Terry Malone: I was an intern in the office in 1974. I was assistant from August of '75 to January of '76, when I was appointed as Ford County attorney. Then I was elected in '77 and served until July of that year, when I went into private practice.
I also have been hired as a special prosecutor in Ford County, Gray County and Meade County in murder cases and violent felony cases to prosecute those. Plus 17 years of my work as a city prosecutor.
Additionally, litigation work is what I do for a living and have for over 30 years. I've tried, counting civil cases and felony cases and DUIs — all these are jury trials — about 100 jury trials. Only half of those were DUI cases before juries. I've probably tried about 25 serious felony cases and then civil litigation cases involving personal injury and products liability, things of that nature.
I think I've handled over 4,000 DUI cases in city court and a couple thousand domestic battery cases. Additionally, I have supervised the court staff at Municipal Court.
All that experience, I believe, would give me the skills necessary to be an effective county attorney.
DG: Why are you seeking this position?
TM: First of all, prosecution is what I like to do. In legal work, it's always been what I prefer to do as far as trial work.
About two and a half years ago, members of the legal community, law enforcement personnel, business leaders and others had expressed concerns about the direction of the Ford County Attorney's Office, where it's heading. After reviewing the situation and realizing that there was a need for a change, I began considering a return to the office.
I believe I owe the community that. The community's been awfully good to me, and I think that the Ford County Attorney's Office is an extremely important position for the safety of our community and the well-being of our community.
DG: What changes would you make to the office if elected?
TM: I think most importantly, that we need to restore the confidence of the people and law enforcement in the office. I intend to do that by working together with law enforcement, public officials, business leaders, the public to ensure that we're all on the same page and that we work toward making this a safe community and a just community.
I would plan on trying to keep and attract good assistant prosecutors and develop them, hopefully, into career prosecutors. I think we need to work with the county commissioners and making that possible so that an individual can remain in prosecution and look to it as a career choice. Right now, that's really not possible with the pay level.
DG: The county attorney's office has had a fairly high turnover rate in recent years. What would you do to address that if elected?
TM: One, to mentor and guide the younger assistants, help develop their talents and skills. So that would be one thing.
The other thing would be, I think we have to set up a salary schedule that would enable them to remain in our community, raise a family here and be able to do that with enough financial assistance to make that possible.



Lawrence Daniels
DG: What is your relevant professional experience for this position?
Lawrence Daniels: I've been in the practice of law for 34 years in various capacities. Especially the last 14 years, I've done a lot of criminal defense work. There was a period in my history when I was younger that I was an assistant county attorney for a couple of years. That was in Crawford County, I think in the early '80s.
I've done a lot of criminal jury trials, including serious cases like murders, aggravated indecent liberties, drug cases, things of that nature. So I've got a lot of experience in the legal field that's relevant to the county attorney's office, including juvenile cases, child in need of care cases, care and treatment cases. All of which fall under the purview of the county attorney's office.
DG: Why are you seeking this position?
LD: I think I have some experience that I can give to the community. I'm toward the end of my legal career, and I'd like to serve a stint or so as county attorney, give something back to the community.
DG: If elected, what improvements, if any, would you make to the office?
LD: One of the things I would do is I would start regular meetings with the sheriff and the chief of police. Those used to go on; they were discontinued, and I think they were valuable tools to improve the coordination between the three offices.
I would increase supervision of the new attorneys and try to provide some training where I see that's needed. There's some young attorneys there, and I think they could use a little help.
I also would like to institute kind of a "buddy system" in the office so that the less experienced attorneys, if they have problems or questions, have another attorney in the office they can go to to get advice and assistance. ... I just want to improve the training and knowledge of the young attorneys, and the clerical staff if it's needed.
I want to make the office more user-friendly. The number one thing is to make improvements in the phone answering arrangements so that people have more ready access to the attorneys, specifically victims. That would be my primary goal, to make it so the victims have somebody they can contact when they have issues or problems that are of concern to them.
DG: The county attorney's office has had a fairly high turnover rate. If elected, what would you do to address that?
LD: Hopefully, I would be able to do something to improve working conditions. Make kind of a career track so they have some expectations that if they stay for a while, they would be promoted or have an increase in salaries, that they would have access to training so they could go to seminars and improve their skills. And try to produce an environment in the office where they like being there, they like working there. And that's true also of clerical staff.

[K C Muffin]

Interesting read. Thanks for posting it!

[banyon]

Originally Posted by K C Muffin

Interesting read. Thanks for posting it!

Well it wasn't exactly Woodward or Bernstein asking the questions, but it had some helpful information I thought.

[BATMAN]

Well, in re-reading this, Sauer told at least one lie. He said the assistants are leaving because of no geographic ties. That is not true. They are leaving because they no longer want to work for an a$$hole. I know of one former assistant (and a damn good one) that has remarked SAUER is the ONLY reason he left. Also he terminated another one for no reason and she informed the county she would be suing. They eagerly paid her off hugely. It will be a great day for Ford County when the height-impaired dickwipe is gone.

[Bubba]

Tell us how you really feel about him! LOL

[BATMAN]

LOL, that would take too long. Just glad I can vent Bubba, lol.