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Carl Brizzi is seeking a second term as Prosecutor, but his lack of credibility should give voters great concern.
In a lengthy July 19 hearing before the Public Safety Committee of the City-County Council, of which I am a member, he was asked about the release of James Stewart on his drunk driving charge. Stewart was accused of murdering seven people on Hamilton Avenue a short time later. After the horrendous crime, Brizzi used Stewart as an example of the need for more jail space. When committee chair Mary Moriarty Adams suggested Stewart was released on his own recognizance without any complaint by his office, Brizzi denied that and said "it was his record that caused my front line deputy to ask that he not be released." He later said Stewart "was OR'd over our objection."
Moriarty Adams checked on his statement by pulling a transcript of Stewart's initial hearing where he was released. No deputy prosecutor asked that he be held, and no deputy prosecutor objected to his release, because there was no deputy prosecutor present. I don't know why Brizzi answered the way he did. I just know that it was not true.
During Brizzi's campaign, he has repeatedly asserted that one cause of our crime problem was the spending cuts imposed on him by the Council. In the Star's October 15 story on his conviction rate, he claimed his budget had been cut by $1.57 million during his term. I voted on his budget, and I know this is not true. We agreed to cut his budget by $300,000 in 2004, but restored that amount within six months. Brizzi's predecessor spent $10,783,889 in his final year (2002) when the child support budget is excluded. We authorized $14,140,104 for Brizzi's final year, a 31% increase. The child support budget was increased 21%.
This credibility problem hurts our community. First, it sets a very bad example for our public officials to treat the truth so lightly. We should now expect our kids to mimic this bad behavior. Second, it makes prosecution of cases very difficult. The most important tool a prosecutor has when he presents his case is his credibility. After all the prosecutor's job is to find the truth. If the jurors repeatedly see the elected prosecutor twist and stretch the truth, possibly for no reason other than political advantage, they will view the case as weak, and be more likely to acquit.
We should demand higher standards from our elected officials. We should demand strict adherence to the truth. When you vote on Tuesday, ask whether credibility is an attribute you want in your prosecutor.
For more information about Melina Kennedy's campaign, please visit MelinaKennedy.com. For Melina Kennedy's plan to attack crime in our community, please go to Melina's Notes from Your Neighbors.
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