Letter to the Editor: In Support of Thompson

Dear Editor,

Prosecutors can't please everyone all of the time. That's why competence and experience in a county attorney must outweigh party and pleasure. It must also outweigh "nice" and "mean." It is in a county's best interest to have a bulldog for a prosecutor.

David Thompson has been serving Benton County for 24 years. Thompson swells the county budget through assertive collection of fees and debts. But that's not his most important work. A county prosecutor's job largely involves criminal law and requires significant trial work. In this capacity Thompson protects Benton County. With over 100 successfully prosecuted child sex abuse cases on his resume, he is clearly an advocate for our most vulnerable citizens as well as all victims of crime. He also protects the county from law suits with, sometimes unwelcome, legal advice to county employees.

Before we consider changing out an experienced County Attorney, we must be sure that his replacement is qualified and equipped to prosecute everything from a murder case to shop lifting. We must also know that said County Attorney is willing to tell other county employees when they are outside the law and are risking law suits against the county, even if that is perceived as "mean." That's how he or she will protect Benton County's residents. The County Attorney works for the county as a whole, not individuals. At this point, I am unconvinced that Thompson's opponent is equipped to do these things.

I'm a lawyer's daughter, and I know the importance of the right attorney for the job. David Thompson is the right choice for Benton County's prosecutor.

Respectfully,
Deborah Vaughan

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AS. October 31, 2022, 4:33 pm WOW Wake Up!

SJW October 31, 2022, 11:44 pm Deb,
Sometimes it is necessary to cross party lines to get people out of office. There's more turnover there than the Trump administration. You won't find him at the courthouse much past noon.

KT November 1, 2022, 3:47 pm We DO NOT need a bully or a bulldog or anyone overbearing in the County Attorney's Office working with the people of our county. Knowing the laws and what's right for county government and all other jobs a county attorney does, does not require someone intimidating.

DV November 2, 2022, 5:27 pm I couldn't agree more that sometimes it is necessary to cross party lines. I do not see this as one of those times. As others have noted in comments elsewhere, there are always two sides to a story. I largely read one side as people complaining about individual slights or law based decisions they don't like from the incumbent, and I hear very little about what the outcome will be for the people of Benton County's protection from the opponent. Heck in Ray's ad I read that he wants to stop the cycle of mental health and addiction and stop increases in property taxes. These are issues that a County Attorney has little to say concerning unless he means that he will prosecute all low level drug charges even if the evidence does not merit it. This worries me. When I read repeatedly that it's more important to have a "nice guy" than to have a competent lawyer who keeps the county legal, I am very concerned

LF November 2, 2022, 6:46 pm Those letters in the livewire are laughable! The one writer use to talk about him ! They are all old letters none of them even work there anymore! Times have changed in with the new!

MR November 2, 2022, 8:48 pm Ummmm, why did the hr gal need to lawyer up? Why isn’t Thompson following his own policy on nepotism? Why would he jeopardize the county? Why are Benton County tax payers funding a collections department to collect for other counties? Shouldn’t the county attorney fund that himself? Why should my tax dollars fund a department that helps other counties? Why are private investors trying to figure out who’s commenting if the comment is something positive towards Thompson? Could someone please answer these questions??

Editor's note: I can answer the collections question. Our county gets a portion of collections that we make from other counties, so it DOES benefit us.

MR November 3, 2022, 7:59 am Yes, I understand we benefit from collections. Thompson said his collection department collects all this money, is the number he threw out the total funds for Benton county or was that the total for all the counties? His department could collect 750,000, how much of that is Benton county? Why are Benton county tax payer’s funding that? Just curious. I don’t feel he should advertise all this money being brought to Benton county if it isn’t all staying in Benton county.

Editor's Note: The funds they collect help victims of crimes as well as general fines. This program is in my opinion a great one for our county to be part of.

MR November 3, 2022, 1:39 pm Thank you for the information, I appreciate it

AS November 5, 2022, 8:30 pm Very well said Deb David is the best choice for this office in my opinion and his record speaks for itself when compared to rays previous record as county attorney.

Opinion : Letter to the Editor: In Support of Thompson

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