Voters in the 18th Judicial District haven’t exactly enjoyed strong, steady leadership from their district attorney over the past four years.
In fact, Carol Chambers, who is seeking re-election, has a long record of turmoil.
She has been involved in one brouhaha after another since taking office in 2004. There has been an exodus of prosecutors from her office.
She was accused of threatening to clog the court system after a judge admonished two of her prosecutors. A prosecutor should be committed to the efficient and fair administration of justice, not the creation of crippling delays to the system.
And she is the only Colorado DA in recent history to have been publicly censured. She was disciplined over charges she used her office to help a fellow Republican politician.
Chambers has exhaustive explanations for all the incidents, which basically boil down to her actions or the incidents having been misunderstood.
Still, we urge Republican primary voters to look carefully at Chambers’ history of controversy and ask themselves whether she’s worth the trouble.
Her primary opponent, George Brauchler, does come with his own baggage, however.
Brauchler, a longtime Jefferson County assistant district attorney, made waves last year by making questionable public comments about gays serving in the military.
During an appearance on a radio show, he asked one openly gay guest who’d served in the military whether it was like being “a kid in a candy store.”
Brauchler has said he’s not anti-gay and that his comments were taken out of context. We can’t think of a context in which that kind of comment would be appropriate.
Nevertheless, Brauchler has received endorsements from a variety of police union and fraternal organizations in the district.
He contends, and rightly so, that Chambers’ defiant positions have unnecessarily aggravated working relationships with the bench, police and the defense bar.
There also is a Democratic candidate, Kevin Farrell, running for the position. He will face the winner of the primary.
But the 18th Judicial District, which includes Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln counties, is heavily Republican, so it’s logical to suspect the election will be decided in the primary.
We had hoped the race would draw a wider array of Republican contenders, because qualified candidates certainly exist in the district.
District attorney is a powerful position in Colorado’s judicial system. We urge Republican voters in the 18th Judicial District to look carefully at their choices before deciding who they can live with for the next four years.
