Grant County Prosecutor

We have two candidates for prosecutor working together for the last year! Can you imagine that work environment? If it weren’t so destructive, it could be a TV sitcom.

Now it’s the last weeks of the campaign and desperation is setting in. The accusations or truth, depending on your perspective, are being reported by three main spokesmen. Each claims inside knowledge because they worked in the prosecutor’s office.

Albert Lin sought to be appointed prosecutor with Angus Lee and Robert Schiffner. The Grant County commissioners unanimously chose to appoint Angus. Albert decided to run against Angus in the election. That’s neither good or bad, but it does create tension and from that tension comes exaggerations.

Steve Hallstrom was let go when Angus became prosecutor. He is understandably angry and wrote to newspapers. He’d sought to be appointed prosecutor, but wasn’t a final applicant. There are important reasons why the commissioners didn’t place confidence in him at the time.

Teddy Chow works in the prosecutor’s office, has political aspirations, ran and lost his bid to be a judge. He has run a personal ad for several weeks in favor of one candidate from his office. That makes for great conversations at the watercooler!

We also have defense attorneys weighing in. They want the strongest man for Grant County prosecutor. Considering they are on opposite sides of each trial, this is indeed admirable.

Rhetoric aside, what do we actually know?

The prosecutor is the administrator of one of the largest, most professional employee groups in the county. The stronger the administrator, the more we get for our investment.

What do we know for sure? Angus really did cut budget expenditures, increase staff and staff accountability.

Both candidates are attorneys and nice guys, but I’m voting for the best administrator, Angus Lee.

Benaya Allison

Warden