FOUR YEARS ago, Larry Chisolm, who had been the legal counsel at Savannah State University, was the fresh face on the ballot in the race for Chatham County district attorney after incumbent Spencer Lawton decided to retire after 28 years.
Mr. Chisolm won more than 54 percent of the vote to defeat David Lock, who had been Mr. Lawton’s chief assistant, and promised to bring new ideas and new ways of doing things to the office. His political timing worked, as Mr. Chisolm, a Democrat, benefitted from the heavy local turnout in support of Barack Obama for president.
But the incumbent DA has not delivered. In fact, things are decidedly worse. It’s time for a change, and we urge voters to elect Meg Daly Heap.
The incumbent’s poor track record speaks for itself. High profile courtroom failures, questionable decision making, extensive staff turnover and charges of bias in personnel decisions have dogged Mr. Chisolm’s administration.
They include a judge’s decision to dismiss a long-standing murder case because of a speedy trial violation and a contempt of court ruling against an assistant prosecutor for failing to provide material to a defense attorney in a timely manner.
As recently as Oct. 22, Chisolm’s office dismissed murder and related charges against a man who had been held in jail awaiting trial for more than a year and a half after the chief prosecutor found “very little evidence” of the defendant’s involvement.
Apart from courtroom issues, a federal court jury has ordered Mr. Chisolm — despite his testimony to the contrary — to pay $270,000 to a former staffer who said he retaliated against her for filing a discrimination complaint. That comes on top of a bill for $30,000 or more for lawyers to defend Mr. Chisolm.
In each of these instances — and others — Mr. Chisolm has declined to accept responsibility for any outcome that puts his office in a negative light. He always blames someone else — police officers for allegedly losing evidence, a judge who ruled against the prosecution or an ex-employee who he says has unfairly accused him.
That’s a problem.
Whoever holds the district attorney’s office, or any position of authority, has the ultimate responsibility for the actions of his staff and the results of those actions. Rather than shouldering that responsibility, Mr. Chisolm consistently points elsewhere.
Fortunately, voters soon have the chance to make a change.
The person running against Mr. Chisolm in the Nov. 6 election is Meg Daly Heap, a former prosecutor under Mr. Lawton and, briefly, the chief assistant prosecutor for Mr. Chisolm.
Ms. Heap spent 15 years as a prosecutor before leaving the office in 2010. The Republican challenger is known throughout the courthouse for her competence, for her skill as a trial attorney and as someone whose ethics are above reproach. She has credibility with judges, courtroom staff, police officers and others at all levels.
Ms. Heap has rightly criticized Mr. Chisolm for what she says has been excessive turnover of key personnel since he took office, as well as for what she contends has been the inept handling of the basic duty of the office – prosecuting criminals.
Asked what she would do if she wins, she says she would bring back a key, veteran prosecutor who quit rather than work for Mr. Chisolm, would do extensive training to bring staff up to speed and, initially, would just tell everyone in the office to relax in the wake of the turmoil of the last four years.
She says she would reach out not only to the Savannah-Chatham police department to establish relationships but also to the people in charge of law enforcement in each of the county’s municipalities.
That being said, Ms. Heap would have her challenges.
She has managed her cases and caseload, but she hasn’t managed an operation that includes more than 80 staffers. At the same time, she hasn’t had to be the public face of the district attorney’s office in dealing with various elements of the greater Savannah community. In the course of her campaign, though, she has reached out to diverse parts of the community. It’s critical that she continue to do so if she wins the office.
Her credibility would depend not only on the prosecutorial success of her staff but upon the public’s perception that Chatham County is a better place to live because of their actions and that all racial, ethnic and socio-economic groups have access to be heard by the district attorney.
Ultimately, though, the choice on Nov. 6 is clear. The overall tenor of the Chisolm administration is one of failed leadership, which has put public safety at risk. Citizens can’t afford four more years of the same.
Ms. Heap should have the opportunity to restore the credibility and performance of this office. We encourage voters to support her candidacy.