Reelect Mike Dugan as District Attorney

Mike Dugan has a long track record in improving the safety and livability of Deschutes County.

The partnerships he's created with the school and business communities through the Safe Schools Alliance and the DA office's bad check enforcement program have helped to reduce crime efficiently and with the most prudent use of sometimes scarce public resources.

These are but two examples of proactive approaches to reduce crime as well as prosecuting offenders.

Dugan's opponent, Patrick Flaherty, has himself been a fine public servant in Deschutes County, but the record does not support the need for a change of leadership in the District Attorney's office.

Opponents argue that Dugan's advocacy of Measures 66 and 67 was inappropriate. While our position differed from Dugan's, we respect his position as an advocate for public safety. Agree or disagree, it is not inappropriate for a district attorney to take a public stand on a tax measure that will directly affect his office and its ability to deliver services to the community.

High-profile cases can often be controversial and the results can sometimes compound the tragedy created by the original crime. In our experience, Dugan's office has been consistent in its application of the law and exercised judgment and prosecutorial discretion in either pursuing or declining to pursue charges.

As Deschutes County weathers hard times that will inevitably erode infrastructure and public services, we will best be served by retaining the district attorney who has ably guided his office through the past three decades of growth and change in Central Oregon.

Jim Cornelius, Editor