Public Defender or Prosecutor? We're at War; So Pick a Side.

As previously reported Virginia Bond is one of the finalists for the Payette County Prosecuting Attorney position. The very same person who applied for the Canyon County Public Defender contract a few weeks ago? Yes.

However, she's not the best choice for either position, at least according to the Payette County Public Defender. The Argus Observer reports:

"Monday, Payette County Public Defender Phil Heersink visited with county commissioners to give his 'two cents worth' on the upcoming appointment to the position.

'You can take what I have to say with a grain of salt because I’m just the public defender,' Heersink told commissioners with a laugh. Heersink was before commissioners to support Kelso, whom, he said, he has worked with in the past and he believes would make the best prosecutor.

'I know Anne Marie,' he said. 'She’s knowledgeable in the criminal area. She’s fair, and she makes fair plea agreements.'

Heersink said he also knew both Faulks and Bond and, though he believed each was a good attorney, he didn’t think they were the top selection for the prosecutor’s seat. . . .

Heersink said he went to trial four times when Faulks was a deputy prosecutor for Payette County. Each time, he said, Heersink won the trial. 'He's not very reasonable to deal with,' he told commissioners. 'When he goes to trial, he usually loses.' Heersink said Bond was very difficult to deal with for defense attorneys. 'She has a lot of animosity,' he said. 'She’s impossible to deal with.' Heersink reiterated that because he was a defense attorney, commissioners could take or leave anything he had to say about the prosecutor’s position."

Geez, Phil, don't hold anything back now. Just tell 'em what you think and don't worry about hurt feelings. But I wonder: Don't you want the prosecutor you've beaten four times in a row? I've never won four games of Checkers in a row, but I know I wouldn't turn down a game with the guy I had a winning streak like yours against.

It's not too late to comment on the candidates. "The commissioners have scheduled all three interviews for Friday morning. Commissioner Chair Larry Church said commissioners will make a final decision on Lee’s replacement Tuesday."

To read the entire story: http://www.argusobserver.com/articles/2009/09/02/news/doc4a9ea42095601776201286.txt