Editor:
As a prosecutor who has worked for victims of crime for 18 years, I was
shocked by The Press Democrat’s endorsement of Patricia Gray for Sonoma County
Municipal Court.
The Municipal Court judges affect the lives of thousands of criminal
defendants and crime victims each year. They must be able to handle cases as
complex as O.J. Simpson’s preliminary hearing. They must be able to make
complex decisions in murder, rape, kidnap, molestation and conspiracy cases.
Gray has virtually no experience in the criminal courts.
The days are long past when the Municipal Court could be viewed as a
political plum or payoff for political favors.
The last time a politician experimented in giving a judgeship for political
reasons, California voters overwhelmingly removed Supreme Court Chief Justice
Rose Bird.
The Municipal Court is no place for on-the-job training.
Please join me in supporting the only qualified candidate, David L. Dunn.
DONNA LEE RYAN
Santa Rosa
