In a largely Democratic county, Sherman benefits from the (D) next to his name, while Satterberg says he would continue the Maleng legacy and approach the job in a non-partisan fashion. But Sherman attacks Satterberg for being partisan when Satterberg was on the election canvassing board. Meanwhile, Satterberg says Sherman is a low-level prosecutor in the office, and has spent significant time on leave running for state legislature and now prosecutor.
As we prepare to roll cameras and again after our debate tapings, there are some times when you can tell the two candidates actually like each other. They keep talking and chat on their way out. Not the case here. After weeks of campaigning, there's not much sign of a friendship between Sherman and Satterberg. After hearing the debates, who gets your vote?
Sherman apears to see this office as a stepping stone - just look at his resume. We don't want someone who just uses the office as a tool for self-promotion.
Sherman seems to have taken a page from Obama's need-to-change playbook. But Satterberg is clearly the more experienced candidate. Too bad he's a Republican. Were Satterberg to get my vote, he'd have to publically distant himself from his party.
Satterburg
Hands Down!!!
Practical experience matters!
When Bill Sherman is criticizing Dan Satterberg and the policies of the Prosecuting Attorney's office, he is really taking shots at Norm Maleng, the man who gave him a job and then allowed him to take a leave of absence to run for political office. Has he forgotten Norm already? Could a man with two years of experience as a junior prosecutor (3 years minus 12 months to run for various offices) really have a better mousetrap? It's just not believable. Keep politics out of the Prosecuting Attorney's Office.
Satterberg's as Republican as can be - he's even headlining a fundraiser for the GOP this week(alongside Jane Hague).
And, A. Mjanger - Sherman took leave in order to keep politics out of the courtroom, unlike Satterberg, who's getting paid to campaign. He's got more than 3 years as a prosecutor (already subtracting leave), plus 2 in civil litigation, 2 as a judicial clerk - including one for a Reagan appointee - and 6 years in policy work before law school.
After 60 years of Republican prosecutors, it's time for a change.
Satterberg seemed a little shakin up (struggling to get out his words) in the interview. Maybe he knows it's time for change a new face with sharp ideas. I think Sherman is exsactly what we need!!!!!!!
I'm glad Robert mentioned Dan Satterberg's Archdioceses incident here. I read about this in the Times and am extremely troubled with Mr. Satterberg's conflict of interest, and his lack of investigation. Why did he refuse to investigate the 49 cases of sexual abuse involving more than 150 victims sitting in the archdiocesan archives? Does he not care? Bill Sherman has said he supports the elimination of the statute of limitations for sexual abuse of children. It's outrageous that Dan Satterberg doesn't. Sherman has my vote.
"Keep politics out of the Prosecuting Attorney's Office." Sounds nice, fair and balanced. Yet, the Prosecuting Office is an elected position. I'd like to know how to keep politics out of an election. Oh, I get it, you can't.
Y'all seen Satterberg's TV add. It basically promotes Satterberg as an indendant.
That's dishonest.
In response to Dan, in Maple Leaf. I think Satterberg has already done the distancing of which you spoke. Any candidate who pledges (with Gov. Gregoire's attorney, Jenny Durkan alongside) to take the highest regional political office held by his party and campaign at the Legislative level to have it made non-partisan, is really walking the walk.
But of course,the "fair way" is just one way of seeing the best way to discharge the responsibilities of the Prosecutor's Office. If you want to see yet another Justice department used as a political tool, Sherman's your man. Everything he's ever done has been down the line Liberal Democrat. I particularly like his idea of "trying one case a year". How would you like to be that defendant? What do you suppose your chance of real justice would be? Political grandstanding has no place in our justice system, and as far as I can see, that's what Bill Sherman is bringing to this race.
I am a Democrat who cares deeply about liberal causes like treating drug addiction and mental illness as public health problems instead of warehousing mentally ill people and addicts in jail. Dan Satterberg, who is running as a Maleng Republican, is the only candidate in the race who can point to real accomplishments on these liberal causes. Dan set up King County's drug diversion court, a nationally-recognized innovation in the way our system deals with drug offenders. As a career professional prosecutor, Dan had enough clout in the legislature to convince dozens of weak-kneed politicians to risk appearing "soft on crime" by voting to set up therapeutic courts and getting them funded and operational. Prominent liberal Democrats like Sen. Adam Kline support Republican Satterberg over Bill Sherman because Bill says all the right things but Dan has the professional clout to actually accomplish them.
Dan has convinced me he is a Dan Evans Republican who will prosecute cases on their merits instead of using them to promote an ideological agenda.
But the main job of the prosecutor is to manage a major law firm and to ensure that the best people are trying cases based on their professional abilities and not political affiliations. After 22 years as a professional prosecutor and manager within the prosecutor's office (a level of responsibility Sherman never achieved) Dan is really the only qualified candidate for this position and he is the only candidate I would trust with the power to make life and death decisions about families like yours and mine.
John Ratkin,
Thanks for responding.
Campaign pledges are easily made. If Satterberg is non-partisan, as his TV adds and his pledges would have me believe, why is he busy raising money for the GOP?
Fundraising for the GOP is not distancing himself from it. Period.
Satterberg has some explaining to do.
Your take on Sherman as a "political tool" aside, I think Sherman does not have enough experience to do the job. But I am hesitant to vote for Satterberg by default. I don't like the Republican party, and his his campaign's logo "Keep politics out of the Prosecuting Attorney's Office." is just a cynical move to get my vote.
Bill Sherman doesn't bother to point out that the "innovative ideas" that he talks about are things that have already been focused on and recently implemented in the KCPAO, under the leadership of Norm Maleng and Dan Satterberg. They created the Special Assault Unit--a nationally recognized unit focused solely on the victims of sexual assault, child molestation and child physical abuse. They also created an Elder Abuse unit in the office focusing on crimes against the elderly.
What Bill Sherman doesn't tell you is that he dropped his entire domestic violence caseload on other prosecutor's laps with only one week notice--to run for this office. What about those DV victims he cares so much about? What kind of justice would they get when a new prosecutor had to take over their case just one week before trial?
It will be a real shame if a decent man like Satterberg is turned out for an opportunist like Sherman. What really burns me in this race is that a number of highly qualified democrats chose not to run because they believed in Dan Satterberg's experience and leadership. -- This fact alone supports a vote for Satterberg. It is time to reject the manipulation of the justice system for the gain of the political parties. Satterberg is the only choice if you believe that justice is more important than politics.