Two weeks before Chatham County voters will determine if their current district attorney will receive a second term in office, both candidates fielded questions during a forum Tuesday night at the Savannah Morning News building.
View a slideshow of photos from the forum.
The forum — that at times grew raucous as many in attendance audibly backed their candidates — covered a broad range of topics including the DA’s role, management styles and how to curb recidivism. It was sponsored by the newspaper and WJCL.
Incumbent DA Larry Chisolm, a Democrat, told voters he deserved to keep his job because of the accomplishments — including cutting
down a backlog of misdemeanor cases and a high conviction rate in felony cases — made during his tenure. Republican challenger Meg Heap countered that Chisolm’s mismanagement of the office has led to higher-than-normal attrition rates and problems prosecuting offenders.
Heap, a former Assistant District Attorney who left the office in 2010 after serving there for 15 years, said during her opening statement she was running because “the job is not getting done.”
“As district attorney I pledge to you I will make this a safer community,” she said.
Chisolm — who repeatedly defended attrition rates in his office as comparable to those under his predecessor, longtime DA Spencer Lawton — said the office has made progress under his administration and would backtrack if Heap was elected.
“I’m not running just because I want to,” Chisolm said. “I’m running on a record, and I have one of the best district attorney’s offices in the southeastern part of the United States. We have a record that I’m proud to run on.”
HERE’S A SUMMARY OF CHISOLM’S AND HEAP’S ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS:
What are the biggest differences between the two of you as far as serving as the district attorney?
Heap said her management style was the biggest difference between the two candidates. She said she would provide her prosecutors the training and assets they needed then “get out of their way and let them do their job.” The other difference, she said, was that she would value all of her employees.
“I realize at the end of the day that it’s up to me, that I’ve got to make the hard decisions, and I will be able to do so,” she said. “But my employees need to know that I’m going to be there and I’m going to listen to them, and if they have problems I’m going to be part of the solution, not the problem.”
Chisolm said his management experience is the biggest difference between himself and Heap.
“I have management experience in the district attorney’s office for the last three-and-a-half years, and I had management experience before I entered the district attorney’s office,” he said. “... The biggest difference is I have experience and a track record of success.”
How should the issue of repeat offenders be addressed?
Heap said if she were DA her prosecutors would be instructed to charge offenders with three previous felonies as recidivists in order to obtain the maximum sentences possible under Georgia law.
“That’s where the DA’s office has the power and they need to use that on these repeat violent offenders to take these people off the streets... And that’s an easy thing to do.”
Chisolm said his administration currently has a policy to include recidivist counts against offenders. The DA added that he wants to obtain new grants to provide, “prevention programs to keep recidivists from continually coming into the system,” he said. “I believe the district attorney has to be proactive in the community to provide those types of programs.”
How often should the DA take the lead in trying cases?
Chisolm said he believes in the future the DA will have to be more involved in prosecuting cases because of restructuring in Superior Court. He added that he would likely take a role in many of the “more serious cases” as the second chair.
“You’re talking about a large organization with a lot of moving pieces,” Chislom said of the DA’s office. “There is a strong administrative component to the position of district attorney here in Chatham County like most large cities in Georgia and around the country. So, it’s disingenuous to say that I would be available and able to try all of the cases, but there would be a certain level of cases where I would be involved.”
Heap said she agreed the DA’s role would likely change in the future. She said she’d like to take on an active role
“I think in the beginning (I’m) going to be needed to make sure that people have the (necessary) training and the experience ... As district attorney, you need to do the administrative side, but I also believe you need to hire competent people that will help you with it,” Heap said. “I think the DA should take an active role in trying cases.”