The primary election for district attorney is just a few days away. As the campaign closes, Janice Steidley has focused on the issues.
“I entered this race because we need a positive change in the DA’s office,” Janice said. “I am so humbled that so many people have recognized the same problems that I’ve seen and are supporting my bid for positive change.”
Janice Steidley has earned the endorsement of law enforcement organizations in all three counties of the 12th District with her focus on solutions.
Here are some of the issues that have caused so many individuals to support Janice Steidley for District Attorney:
Problems in the DA’s office could cost you millions of dollars-or even your life!
We need to revamp the District Attorney’s office from top to bottom. We need a DA who gets results instead of making excuses. Backed up cases mean victims wait for justice, the accused face delayed court dates, and jails are overcrowded. All that costs taxpayers big bucks.
But there’s so much more:
• A decade of inattention and incompetence by the DA’s office allowed a court judgment against Rogers County that could cost residents up to $25 million in higher property taxes. That’s hundreds of dollars each for average homeowners.
And who’s handling the last-ditch appeal? The same crew that has already lost twice at the appellate level!
The initial verdict against the county was $12.5 million. Just a few weeks ago the plaintiffs put taxpayers on the hook for another $10.67 million in attorney fees, interest and expenses. The case has tied up court personnel and resources in Rogers, Mayes and Craig counties for 10 years. (Rogers County Case #CJ-2004-234).
Do you want to pay for government incompetence? Janice Steidley believes taxpayers deserve the best defense.
• In Craig County, a 210-pound man bounced and shook his two-month-old son until he turned blue and his brain began bleeding. The man confessed, saying that he knew he needed help and realized he could have killed the baby.
He was jailed on $100,000 bond but released in a few days after the DA’s office agreed to lower the bond to $15,000. He could have received a life sentence. Instead, he cut a deal with the DA for a five-year deferred sentence—meaning he’ll emerge with a clean record. (Case #CF-09-227).
The child’s grandfather, retired Vinita police officer Mike Langley, says, “You just don’t handle things like that easily.” Because the abuser will not have a felony record after five years, “This guy could own a daycare and there’s nothing you, me or anyone else could do about it,” Langley adds.
Are you outraged? Janice Steidley is. She’ll fight for defenseless children.
• Emergency dispatching errors are mushrooming, jeopardizing the lives of Rogers County citizens who need law enforcement, an ambulance or the fire department.
Voters approved a state-of-the-art centralized dispatching center before Christmas to solve the problems. But here it is late July and no real progress has been made to hire a director or break ground. That’s because the DA’s office has taken weeks to do legal work that should take hours.
There have been some very close calls, but nobody has died—yet. Emergency officials know it’s only a matter of time before someone does. But the 911 Center is still held up because of the DA’s office.
Janice Steidley recognizes that the DA’s office must handle a wide variety of critical tasks effectively and efficiently.
We need a DA who gets the job done right instead of making excuses. We need better management. We need someone with a broad range of experience. We need Janice Steidley. Please vote July 27.
