By GWYNETH GIBBY
Gazette-Times Reporter | Posted: Thursday, December 28, 2006 12:00 am
The two official candidates to succeed Scott Heiser as Benton County District Attorney have radically different resumes.
Trial court administrator Tracey Cordes and chief deputy district attorney John Haroldson filed official expressions of interest with Gov. Ted Kulongoski's office. They were the only two to do so.
Kelly Skye, Kulongoski's deputy general counsel, said an advisory committee will convene.
"We will talk with people in the legal community there and do interviews," Skye said.
The local bar association has not made a recommendation.
"There's been no consensus to do that," said George Heilig, president of the local bar. He added that individual attorneys have been encouraged to express their opinions to the governor. No one has proposed a vote by local attorneys, according to Heilig.
Both Cordes and Haroldson got their law degrees in 1989 in Oregon, Haroldson from the University of Oregon Law School and Cordes from Lewis and Clark College. Both became members of the Oregon Bar in 1990.
There the similarities end.
Cordes spent three and a half years working as a trial attorney for the Public Defender's office in Portland. She then went to work as a program manager for the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission for two and a half years. Her particular areas of expertise were in sentencing guidelines and advising members of the commission, as well as members of the bar and the public, on matters of policy and case law.
After another year and a half as associate attorney in the criminal law practice of Emily Simon & Associates of Portland, Cordes moved to Coos County, where she became county counsel. But Benton County residents have known her since April 2002 as the person who administers court operations. Cordes manages a budget of over $3 million biennially and a staff that amounts to 24 full-time employees.
"I have a background that better suits me to administer a staff in a budget-reduction environment," Cordes said.
With the cuts likely to be needed in the county budget, Cordes said, taxpayers expect efficiency from public officials.
Haroldson went to work as a deputy district attorney in Linn County in 1990. He prosecuted everything from traffic cases to aggravated murder. In 2002, Benton County District Attorney Scott Heiser hired Haroldson as his chief deputy.
"I've devoted my career to making a difference through criminal prosecution," Haroldson said, "by being an advocate for the most vulnerable members of our society."
Cordes said she decided to put herself in the running to succeed Heiser after long consideration.
"For the past couple of years I've been straining to understand what kind of contribution a person like me can make," she said.
Cordes said being district attorney would provide an opportunity to influence criminal justice in the state.
"Obviously there has been a rift between the district attorney and the court," she said, referring to Heiser's criticisms of Circuit Court Judge Janet Holcomb.
"There's been a strain between the district attorney's office and the defense consortium," Cordes said. "There has been compromised professionalism on both sides in the courtroom."
She declined to elaborate further. She did say that she would "send in the diplomats before the bombardiers" in dealing with contentious issues. She said case-flow management and timely disposition of cases are critical to a well-functioning criminal justice system.
"The court, the defense bar and the D.A. should be at the table," she said. "When relationships have deteriorated, it is very difficult to collaborate and communicate."
Haroldson said he, too, was aware of possible budgetary constrictions.
"When times are lean," he said, "it's more important than ever that the D.A. rolls up his sleeves and gets into court and tries the important cases."
Haroldson has been working on the case of Brooke Wilberger's abduction and murder from the beginning and said he expects to lead the prosecution of Joel Patrick Courtney when the case gets to trial.
"The idea that the DA can be disconnected from trial practice is just not realistic," he said.
Haroldson said the district attorney is involved in investigations of crimes right from the beginning and is responsible for the legal advice given to all of the law enforcement agencies.
"We (in the district attorney's office) have had a level of professionalism and integrity that is well-recognized," he said, "and it is important to continue to deliver that level of service."
The problem that exists now with the court, specifically with Holcomb, will be resolved, he said.
"I intend to invite the judges to have an open and honest dialogue," he said, "so that we can have an appropriate resolution. With the governor's appointment, it's going to be a new day."
Skye said the governor's advisory committee to appoint a new district attorney would likely include herself, General Counsel David Reese, Public Safety Policy Advisor Joseph O'Leary and Deputy Attorney General Pete Shepherd.
Cordes and Haroldson are the only candidates currently under consideration, but the governor could choose to re-open the process and seek more choices.
Heiser requested that a successor be appointed before March 2007.
"We'll definitely fill it before then," Skye said. "There can't be a vacancy in a D.A. position."