LETTERS TO THE EDITOR | September 27, 2018 —

Dick Spotswood wrote in his Sept. 23 column that the two-way runoff for Marin district attorney is the most important Marin County race on the ballot. He fails to tell us why.

Here’s why: The two candidates differ on significant issues that have relevance for Marin residents. Among these are the processing of rape kits, the death penalty, how to work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in Marin and implementing and expanding restorative justice programs. Most importantly, the Marin D.A.’s job is a management role, and only one candidate — Anna Pletcher — has direct and meaningful management experience.

Spotswood had two errors and one misrepresentation in his column. One error, published in the online version, was initially corrected without comment. Spotswood misrepresents Pletcher’s second-place margin in June as “narrow” when in fact Pletcher won nearly 50 percent more votes than her third-place rival.

The second, most serious error concerns Pletcher’s prosecutorial experience. Spotswood inexcusably parroted the Lori Frugoli campaign, saying Pletcher has “no professional experience trying cases in criminal courts.” In fact, Pletcher has an extensive prosecutorial track record. Three times she was honored in Washington, D.C. with national awards for her criminal trial prosecutions. She also spent a year prosecuting drug crimes, gun violations and sexual crimes as a special assistant to the U.S. attorney in San Francisco.

I highly encourage all Marin County voters to check out the websites of both candidates and make their own informed decision. Anna’s is: annapletcher.com.

— Andy Mathieson, Kentfield

Posted in Marin IJ Readers Forum