Gallatin County must hold offenders accountable and protect victims from further trauma and harm. Under my opponent’s poor leadership the County Attorney’s Office is not meeting community needs: crushing caseloads and attorney turnover due to burnout means important cases are being dismissed, victims are unsupported, and Gallatin County is failing to protect our children and our community. As County Attorney, I will work with the Commission to develop a longterm staffing plan, secure additional funding sources such as DOJ grants, and recruit and retain the best attorneys to protect the people of Gallatin County.
Our law enforcement resources are being drained to bandaid Gallatin County’s current mental health crisis. Because of a lack of facilities, folks who are arrested due to a mental health crisis (such as a suicide attempt) are handcuffed and transported two hours away to the state hospital in Warm Springs by the Sheriff’s Office. As County Attorney, I will work closely with law enforcement, hospitals, county and city leadership, and community partners to develop crisis intervention services and continuity of care for our citizens in Gallatin County. Lives depend on it.
Montanans have always valued their right to privacy. However, our state legislature may soon vote to criminalize reproductive healthcare decisions made between patients and their doctors. My opponent states he will prosecute these private health care decisions. As County Attorney, I will safeguard Montanans’ inherent right to privacy by declining to prosecute cases related to reproductive healthcare in Gallatin County.
Rolling up our sleeves to solve difficult problems together is core to being a good neighbor in Montana. As Gallatin County has grown, my opponent has created more conflict than he has resolved through wasteful lawsuits and protracted legal battles with the City of Bozeman, with business owners, and in land-use disputes. I am a highly trained mediator and collaborative attorney who skillfully resolves intense conflict. As County Attorney I will leverage my expertise through collaboration and consensus-building to redirect hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars towards building a better future for all of Gallatin County.
