Terry Goddard: Re-elect James Walsh county attorney

Any county attorney worth his or her salt seldom, if ever, goes to court. There is just no time.

The huge time commitment of a criminal trial requires a prosecutor to drop everything and concentrate on the best possible case for the people. If the county attorney did that, he would be turning his back on running an effective office.

The key is getting the best people to do the very skilled and technical job of courtroom advocacy.

As chief deputy of the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, Walsh oversaw the criminal prosecution of the most violent criminals, and the criminal appeals for the entire state.

Of course going after criminals is an important function, and one to which County Attorney Walsh has been passionately committed, but it is by no means the only important function of his office.

Many of the other chief responsibilities owed to the taxpayers are civil, not criminal, and Jim Walsh has significant experience in these areas; namely consumer protection, senior and child protection, representation of county officials and the county in civil matters and management of an efficient office.