Friday, September 26, 2008
News
Newcomer takes on longtime prosecutor
By DOMINIC ADAMS Argus-Press Staff Writer
CORUNNA - Shiawassee County Prosecutor Randy Colbry has a challenger for the first time in 12 years.
Owosso resident Ann Gamboe Hall will attempt to unseat Colbry, who was appointed to the spot in 1995. Colbry was elected to a full term in the 1996 election and has been in office since.
Colbry said he was surprised Hall is running against him.
“You need to know how to handle trials,” Colbry said. “You need to know the criminal law backwards and forwards.”
Hall, of Owosso, said there are a few reasons she decided to run.
Colbry's attitude is one of them, she said.
“When you say, ‘Please elect me,' it's a job interview,” Hall said. “You can't expect once you get that job that it's yours for life.”
A recent graduate of Thomas M. Cooley Law School, Hall said the only requirement to be prosecutor is that a person passes the bar exam. Hall co-owns Pathfinder Legal Services in Owosso.
She said she would take a different approach if elected.
“Prosecutors have this notion in their head and they wait until a crime happens and then react. Let's work with the different groups to stop it before it gets to the prosecutor's desk,” Hall said. “I've got a lot of energy to move this county forward.”
There couldn't be an easier choice in terms of experience, Colbry said.
Colbry was the chief assistant before his appointment as prosecutor. He also spent time as a state trooper.
Colbry said he was recently getting ready to be in a parade in Perry when he got a call with legal questions from a police officer.
“I didn't have time to go to the law books, I needed to tell the officer what he needed to do based on my knowledge,” Colbry said. “You can't possibly do this job without substantial experience as an attorney and realistically you need prosecution experience in addition to experience as an attorney.”
As a member of the zoning board of appeals, Hall said she didn't like that Colbry wasn't at certain meetings during which the county needed a civil attorney present.
When seven members of the command staff at the Shiawassee County Sheriff's Department filed a declaration of a hostile work environment against Sheriff Jon Wilson, Hall said Colbry didn't want to get involved.
“He wasn't always doing his job,” she said of Colbry. “People are very frustrated right now. They're feeling very powerless. They're feeling very disconnected. I want to bring some of that feeling back to the people.”
Civil litigation is not required of county prosecutors, Colbry said. He said his office is strapped with criminal cases in district and circuit courts.
He said Hall's complaint about the county using another attorney for civil cases is a non-issue.
“Realistically, any civil work I do for the county is bonus for them,” Colbry said. “The majority of prosecutors across the state handle no civil work at all. I'm saving the county money by all the work that I do.”
Hall said a Freedom of Information Act request filed revealed the county spends between $50,000 and $70,000 on outside attorneys during each of the last three years.
Hall acknowledges she is a young attorney, but said she has the ability and experience to be an effective leader in the prosecutor's office and also has experience running a budget.
“I have experience in working with people and working to get the job,” Hall said. “I just see a need to get some fresh perspective. An elected official has to be held accountable. He's not a lifetime appointee.”
There are six people serving life sentences after Colbry successfully prosecuted them in a jury trial.
That is the most important difference in the race, he said.
“I have the experience in court that you need to have any chance of doing this job,” Colbry said.
Owosso resident Ann Gamboe Hall will attempt to unseat Colbry, who was appointed to the spot in 1995. Colbry was elected to a full term in the 1996 election and has been in office since.
Colbry said he was surprised Hall is running against him.
“You need to know how to handle trials,” Colbry said. “You need to know the criminal law backwards and forwards.”
Hall, of Owosso, said there are a few reasons she decided to run.
Colbry's attitude is one of them, she said.
“When you say, ‘Please elect me,' it's a job interview,” Hall said. “You can't expect once you get that job that it's yours for life.”
A recent graduate of Thomas M. Cooley Law School, Hall said the only requirement to be prosecutor is that a person passes the bar exam. Hall co-owns Pathfinder Legal Services in Owosso.
She said she would take a different approach if elected.
“Prosecutors have this notion in their head and they wait until a crime happens and then react. Let's work with the different groups to stop it before it gets to the prosecutor's desk,” Hall said. “I've got a lot of energy to move this county forward.”
There couldn't be an easier choice in terms of experience, Colbry said.
Colbry was the chief assistant before his appointment as prosecutor. He also spent time as a state trooper.
Colbry said he was recently getting ready to be in a parade in Perry when he got a call with legal questions from a police officer.
“I didn't have time to go to the law books, I needed to tell the officer what he needed to do based on my knowledge,” Colbry said. “You can't possibly do this job without substantial experience as an attorney and realistically you need prosecution experience in addition to experience as an attorney.”
As a member of the zoning board of appeals, Hall said she didn't like that Colbry wasn't at certain meetings during which the county needed a civil attorney present.
When seven members of the command staff at the Shiawassee County Sheriff's Department filed a declaration of a hostile work environment against Sheriff Jon Wilson, Hall said Colbry didn't want to get involved.
“He wasn't always doing his job,” she said of Colbry. “People are very frustrated right now. They're feeling very powerless. They're feeling very disconnected. I want to bring some of that feeling back to the people.”
Civil litigation is not required of county prosecutors, Colbry said. He said his office is strapped with criminal cases in district and circuit courts.
He said Hall's complaint about the county using another attorney for civil cases is a non-issue.
“Realistically, any civil work I do for the county is bonus for them,” Colbry said. “The majority of prosecutors across the state handle no civil work at all. I'm saving the county money by all the work that I do.”
Hall said a Freedom of Information Act request filed revealed the county spends between $50,000 and $70,000 on outside attorneys during each of the last three years.
Hall acknowledges she is a young attorney, but said she has the ability and experience to be an effective leader in the prosecutor's office and also has experience running a budget.
“I have experience in working with people and working to get the job,” Hall said. “I just see a need to get some fresh perspective. An elected official has to be held accountable. He's not a lifetime appointee.”
There are six people serving life sentences after Colbry successfully prosecuted them in a jury trial.
That is the most important difference in the race, he said.
“I have the experience in court that you need to have any chance of doing this job,” Colbry said.