Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor: I was surprised to see the results of the Columbia County primary election, which showed Prosecuting Attorney Rea Culwell trail­ing

her opponent. It appears that many voters may have voted along party lines in­stead

of voting for the better candidate.

As a rural county prosecu­tor, I understand the demands of the job, which include a lot more than prosecuting crimi­nal cases. While the chal­lenger claims experience, I question whether it's the right experience to be as suc­cessful a county prosecutor. You, the voter, should be asking the challenger: Has he passed the Washington State Bar exam? How long has he practiced law in Washing­ton? How is legal experience from Louisiana, which has a different legal system from all other 49 states, going to apply to practice in Wash­ington? Has he appeared before a Washington Court of Ap­peals

or the Washington Supreme Court? How many cases has he tried in Wash­ington?

How many cases has he prosecuted?

Has he ever successful­ly defended a Washington county under the Land Use Petition Act, argued in for­feiture

hearings, or appeared before the Growth Manage­ment Hearings Board? What experience does he have in providing legal advice to law enforcement, county commissioners, plan­ning boards, assessors, audi­tors and treasurers on issues such as employment, elec­tions,

taxation, land use, open public meetings, and public records requests?

Culwell knows Washing­ton law and procedure, and she is very capable in all of the areas listed above.

The challenger uses phras­es like "fiscal responsibility," but he fails to recognize that Culwell runs her office under budget and has also secured grants to help save limited county funds. The most fis­cally

responsible candidate will be the one who provides the best legal advice to keep the county from being sued - and that is Culwell. Voters need to look past the party designation and vote for the better candidate with the more relevant ex­perience. Rea Culwell is an asset to Columbia County, the southeast region, and the statehellip;and this is coming from a Republican.