Green Valley residents were suprised this past Saturday, when Pima County Attorney Barbara LaWall sent a public employee in her place for the County Attorney candidates forum hosted by the Democratic Club of the Santa Rita Area (DCSRA). LaWall stated that she had an unspecified conflict, so she sent one of her employees, Chief Deputy Amelia Cramer, to participate in the forum in her place.
“It is disappointing that, after nearly 20 years in office, our County Attorney does not make talking to the public and listening to their concerns more of a priority,” said Joel Feinman, Ms. LaWall’s Democratic primary opponent who attended the forum. “The people of Pima County deserve to be led by responsive and responsible public servants, not career politicians who take their votes for granted. I will always change my schedule to debate Ms. LaWall at the time and place of her choosing. Open and honest debate is one of the most fundamental aspects of our democracy,” stated Feinman.
During Saturday’s forum Ms. Cramer did not deny or try to explain why Arizona has the 6th highest incarceration rate per capita in the United States when, according to her employer Ms. LaWall, crime in Arizona is now at a 50 year low. Nor did Ms. Cramer explain why arrests in Pima County have fallen by 30% since 2002, and felony prosecutions filed by the Pima County Attorney’s office have risen by 33% over the same time period.