Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 8A - THE COMMERCE (GA) NEWS. WEDNESDAY. TULY 9. 2008
DA Candidate Bridgeman Responds To Questions
MainStreet Newspapers
sent questionnaires to the
candidates for district at
torney. Following are the
responses of Rick Bridge-
man, incumbent.
Please summarize
your background.
I obtained my B.A. de
gree in Criminology from
the University of Mary
land . While attending law
school in the evening, I
served full-time as an in
vestigator with the DeKalb County
Solicitor's Office. I obtained my law
degree from Georgia State Universi
ty College of Law and was admitted
to the bar in June 1995. I served as
an assistant district attorney in the
Piedmont Judicial Circuit from July
1995 until July 1999.
From July 1999 until my appoint
ment as district attorney by Gover
nor Perdue on Sept. 6, 2007,1 served
as an assistant district attorney in
both the Northern Judicial Circuit
and the Mountain Judicial Circuit.
It has been my privilege to serve
as district attorney in the Piedmont
Circuit (Banks, Barrow and Jack-
son counties) for these past nine
months.
How has your background pre
pared you for the seat you are
seeking?
My background as a prosecuting
attorney and investigator, as well
as my degree in criminology, has
enabled me to serve effectively as
district attorney for the past nine
months. We have made significant
progress in overcoming the challeng
es of the past and building a trust
worthy office, dedicated to serving
the citizens of our community.
Because I have served in other ju
risdictions during my career, ranging
from urban DeKalb County to rural
Stephens County, I have learned
which practices are most effective
in the prosecution of criminal cases.
Those experiences also provide me
with perspective on the issues fac
ing the Piedmont Circuit. Having
seen the challenges in the criminal
justice community that result from
increasing population and growth, I
am better prepared and equipped to
anticipate and address future issues,
such as gang violence, proactively
and effectively.
Why are you the most quali
fied person for this position?
As a career prosecutor, having
personally prosecuted thousands of
cases ranging from DUI to murder
and having extensive felony jury
trial experience, I have the level of
relevant experience necessary to
train, mentor and lead others in the
work of a district attorney's office.
We assembled the most seasoned,
experienced and committed team
of attorneys, investigators and sup
port staff in the history of this circuit
who are now working together with
other talented but less experienced
professionals in our office to build a
culture of excellence.
We have made significant progress
in bringing necessary im
provement to the district
attorney’s office, including
resolving a backlog of over
2,000 uncharged criminal
cases, increasing the rate
of successful prosecu
tions from 54 percent to
85 percent and reducing
the dismissal rate from 24
percent to 15 percent. We
now track and expedite
cases where defendants
are held in jail. We now file
criminal cases by accusation where
permitted, saving thousands of dol
lars in witness and grand juror fees
and keeping law enforcement offi
cers on the street, instead of in the
courthouse. We seek to indict or ac
cuse cases within 90 days whenever
possible to ensure timely justice for
victims of crime and improve our
ability to successfully prosecute each
case. We reopened dozens of cases
of child abuse, sexual assault and do
mestic violence that had been put on
"hold" so that we can seek justice for
those victims. We now are seeking
justice on every case. I established a
practice of regular meetings with law
enforcement agencies and our other
criminal justice partners to improve
communication, learn where we can
make improvements and discuss
proactive and innovative ways to
prevent crime. While we have made
great strides, we still have work to
do. Where we are successful, credit
goes to our entire team. Where there
is failure, I accept responsibility. We
learn from our mistakes and seek
daily to improve the quality of the
service we provide to our commu
nity. We have a track record of sig
nificant accomplishment in just nine
months and we hope to have the op
portunity to continue that progress.
What do you consider to be the
key issues facing the campaign?
If elected, what would be your
plans on how to address these
issues?
There are several key issues facing
the campaign. First, the increasing
growth of our community will likely
bring an increase in demand for ser
vices in the criminal justice system.
We must be prepared to handle the
increased demand effectively and
efficiently with limited resources. We
must be smarter in our approach to
handling criminal cases. We should
first work to prevent crime to reduce
the growing crime problem in our
community. Second, we must work
to keep first-time non-violent offend
ers from becoming repeat offenders
through appropriate supervision
and treatment while under sentence.
Repeat offenders who commit non
violent offenses must be handled
through a progression of supervi
sion, treatment and increasing sanc
tions to include incarceration when
appropriate to require them to abide
by the law. Finally, we must remove
violent offenders and those who
abuse children from our community
through tough sentencing.
The second issue, closely related
to the first, is the likely change in
the character of crime in our com
munity with growth. Gang violence
is a problem that has plagued metro
Atlanta counties. We must be pro
active to prevent gang violence but
deal with it appropriately when it
occurs. We are currently prosecut
ing the first gang violence cases in
the history of this circuit and one
of those gang members has already
been sentenced to prison. Gang
membership begins at a young age.
Likewise, many others who com
mit crime begin making poor life
choices at an early age. Therefore,
efforts to prevent gang violence and
other crime must begin with our
children. Our children must have
the hope of a bright tomorrow, the
love and guidance of a strong family
and the support and encouragement
of their community. We will contin
ue to partner with the Tree House
child advocacy center, our schools,
DFCS, juvenile court and others to
find effective ways to help children
grow into healthy, happy, productive
and law-abiding citizens. We must
do a better job of partnering with
the faith-based community in serv
ing at-risk children and families. As
a former foster parent, mentor and
current adoptive parent, I have both
personally and professionally dedi
cated myself to providing hope and
encouragement for children in this
community.
A third issue is the continuing prob
lem with drug addiction, particularly
methamphetamine. Again, preven
tion is a key factor in reducing the
problem of substance abuse in our
community. Most who have drug
and alcohol addictions began their
substance abuse at an early age. We
will continue with our partners to
look for ways to prevent children
and teenagers from making those
choices. However, for those defen
dants who are using drugs, we must
combine requirements for effective
treatment with certain and appropri
ate sanctions in order to encourage
them to overcome their problems
with drug use and become law-abid
ing citizens. Drug court can be ef
fective, but the cost per defendant is
high and the number of defendants
who can participate is very limited.
Drug courts can spend a half-million
dollars a year for just one hundred
defendants. Additionally, where
drug court is used as a prosecution
diversion program, it can take four
prosecutions before a repeat drug
offender would ever have a convic
tion entered on their record. We
must look at how our limited funds
can be spent most effectively to re
duce crime. For example, our circuit
has seen a reduction in the number
of probation officers per offender
resulting in a decrease in the ability
to appropriately supervise offend
ers and an increase in the likelihood
of recidivism. We must also look at
ways to require the offender to bear
the costs of treatment, rather than
the taxpayer, wherever possible.
What is the greatest challenge
facing the person elected to this
position and how would you ad
dress it?
The greatest challenge is to ef
fectively and efficiently handle a
growing caseload of criminal cases
without a corresponding increase
in resources. State budget cuts and
difficult economic times have re
sulted in a significant decrease in
the funding available to prosecute
each criminal case. Additionally, an
increase in mandatory minimum
prison sentences for some crimes
has increased the likelihood of trial
for many of these cases. That re
sults in a significant increase in the
amount of time and resources that
it takes to prosecute each of those
cases, compared to what it takes to
prosecute a case which results in an
early guilty plea. Criminal cases are
handled most effectively when they
are prosecuted in a timely manner.
The older a case gets, the more dif
ficult it is to prosecute. Witnesses
are harder to locate, memories fade
and evidence can be misplaced or
destroyed with the passage of time. I
have made the timely prosecution of
cases a priority and we have seen a
corresponding increase in our abili
ty to be successful in the handling of
those more recent cases. We spent
thousands of hours working on the
backlogged cases we inherited and
our success rate on those cases has
not been as high because of the dif
ficulties presented in prosecuting
cases that were already several years
old at the time we inherited them. We
will continue to focus on appropri
ate and timely handling of criminal
cases so that dockets remain man
ageable, offenders are held respon
sible and victims receive justice.
What course would you like to
see the county take as it grows
over the next decade?
Jackson County must plan ahead
for the challenges of the future.
As district attorney, I hope that
we will continue to see positive
results from the relationships we
are building with law enforcement,
the court system, our criminal jus
tice partners and other public of
ficials. If we continue to anticipate
the needs of our citizens, we can
be proactive in providing high
quality services, utilizing the tax
payer's resources effectively and
improving the quality of life in our
community, instead of reacting to
issues after they occur. I hope to
continue to improve our technol
ogy capabilities by improving our
ability to electronically share data
with our criminal justice partners
thereby increasing our effective
ness; by providing online access
to criminal case and docket infor
mation to victims, witnesses and
the public; by putting all of our
public information online, includ
ing closed case files, budget and
expense information and other
statistical information; and by ex
ploring opportunities to go “paper
less," which reduces costs while
increasing efficiency.
Rick Bridgeman
Donna Sikes Offers
Views On DA's Job
MainStreet News
papers sent question
naires to each of the
three candidates for
district attorney. Fol
lowing are the respons
es of Donna Golden
Sikes.
Please summarize
your background.
I grew up in Jackson
County on a cattle
and chicken farm and
graduated from Jeffer
son High School in 1972.1 received
my undergraduate degree from
the University of Georgia and my
law degree from the University of
Georgia School of Law. I have had
my own law practice for the past 17
years, representing clients in all ar
eas of the law, both civil and crimi
nal. I am a member of the Jackson
County Chamber of Commerce
and a graduate from the Jackson
County Chamber of Commerce
leadership program. I have served
as a member and past chairman of
the Jackson County Industrial De
velopment Authority, and as attor
ney for the Jackson County Water
and Sewerage Authority and for
the City of Arcade. I am a member
of the Piedmont Judicial Circuit
Bar Association and I am licensed
to practice in all Georgia Superior
Courts, the Georgia Court of Ap
peals, the Georgia Supreme Court
and the U.S. Federal District
Courts.
How has your background
prepared you for the seat you
are seeking?
I have successfully tried thousands
of cases for my clients and done so
without a team of investigators or
assistants to back me up. I have had
to manage my own office and work
within a budget. I also grew up here
and have deep family roots in this
community. I understand what the
people want from their district at
torney.
Why are you the most quali
fied person for this position?
Having 17 years as a prac
ticing attorney admitted to
practice before every court
in Georgia and having suc
cessfully tried cases at the
Georgia Court of Appeals
and even the State Su
preme Court makes me the
most experienced attorney
in this race.
What do you consider
to be the key issues fac
ing the campaign? If
elected, what would be
your plans on how to address
these issues?
The most important issues are
restoring public trust and integrity
in the district attorney’s office and
removing the stench of corruption
left by Tim Madison. To achieve
this, I will have an “open door, open
books" policy so that everyone will
know immediately how their tax
dollars are being spent.
What is the greatest challenge fac
ing the person elected to this
position and how would you
address it?
The greatest challenge will be re
assuring the public that the district
attorney’s office works for them
and is not used as a vehicle for
personal vendettas, unethical be
havior, or outright crime as it was
under Tim Madison. As the only
candidate who never worked for
him, I'm the only one who can re
store that trust.
What course would you like to
see the county take as it grows
over the next decade?
The growth in population in our
area will unfortunately bring an in
crease in crime. The district attor
ney’s office needs to address that
by cooperating with and supporting
our law enforcement agencies and
making sure they have the training
and resources they need to fight in
creasing crime rates. I will make the
district attorney's office available
for the training of investigators and
arresting officers anytime a sheriff
or chief of police needs that.
Donna G. Sikes
See More Candiate Profiles On Pages 9-12A
CLASSIFIED ADS - 36,000 READERS
$10
PER WEEK
706-335-2927 • 706-367-5233
MasterCard • VISA
Save S3
by placing ads online at
www.CommerceNewsTODAY.com
$ 5 00 OFF
Ticket Of s 2CT° Or More. Valid with coupon Mon.-Thurs. only.
La Hacienda Commerce La Hacienda Jefferson
173 Steven B. Tanger Blvd. 605 Athens Street
706-335-7458 706-367-5095
| The Original Mexican Restaurant! Not affiliated with any other restaurant. |
Apple Specialist
Back-to-school deals.
FREE iPod!
We are thrilled to announce a PeachMac exclusive deal
for the back-to-school season.
Now you can purchase a MacBook Pro for only $1,699
and get a FREE iPod touch 8GB or a free iPod Classic
80GB and a FREE printer.
This deal represents a savings of $700!
peachmac
macs • ipods • software • service
1850 Epps Bridge Pkwy, Athens • 706-208-9990 • peachmac.com
ft®
Enviro-Grind
Mulching Sconce
!
Have Underbrush &
Hedge Taken Over?
ENVIRO-GRIND
Can Make Your Property
Have A More Park-Like Appearance.
706-680-0346
www.enviro-grind.com • Mitchell Owensby
We Buy All
Gold & Silver
.(fut/u’/ioi/fe
770-532-2592
1020 Jesse Jewell Pkwy. • Gainesville, GA
Mon. -Thurs. 10-6:30 • Fri. - Sat. 10-7
Including:
Class Rings • Wedding Bands
• Coins • Broken Jewelry
• Dental Gold
321 Pottery Factory Drive, Commerce -- across from OUTBACK STEAK House