Letter to the Editor: A DA to Assure Our Safety with Intelligence, Integrity

District Attorney Ray Pelrine has served the citizens of Door County with integrity and distinction for more than a decade and has more than 30 years of experience as a prosecutor. He has taught hundreds of other prosecutors the basics of prosecution as well as the finer points of trial and evidentiary procedure.

New prosecutors often learn on the job as assistant district attorneys, the District Attorney does not have that luxury. The District Attorney must be able to charge and try the most complicated embezzlement or homicide or drug case, on day one and possess the wisdom to resolve those same cases appropriately, balancing the rights of victims and the needs of the community while holding the defendant accountable. This wisdom accrues over time. Crime victims deserve a District Attorney who can and will prosecute their cases effectively without fear the case will be lost, not because the defendant is innocent, but because an inexperienced prosecutor did not effectively try the case or the conviction is overturned by an Appeals Court because an inexperienced prosecutor did or said something improper at trial.

The District Attorney must have the knowledge and experience to answer questions from law enforcement at 2 am after a fatal drunk driving crash or a homicide or burglary or an active shooter situation. It takes years of experience to master the fine points of the law, both statutory and as decided by the Courts.

The position of District Attorney is not a popularity contest. No prosecutor is likely to win the congeniality award from those he or she has prosecuted or from a victim who wanted a defendant to get a maximum sentence, when the District Attorney, applying the necessary sentencing factors, recommends a lesser sentence because greater penalties would have been unfair or inappropriate under the circumstances.

Please join us in voting for integrity, for District Attorney Ray Pelrine in the August 9th Primary Election. Door County needs an experienced District Attorney to work with law enforcement, crime victims and the community, to continue to make Door County a safe and secure place for all while providing fairness and justice to those unfortunate enough to be involved with the criminal justice system.

Jon Gilson, Sturgeon Bay, Wis.

Joan Korb, Egg Harbor, Wis.

Moody & Serena Tidwell, Sturgeon Bay, Wis.

Frederic Will, MD, Egg Harbor, Wis.