Having practiced law in Merrimack County for decades, I have seen county attorneys from mediocre to excellent serve us in that job.
Merrimack County needs a felony-level prosecutor who believes in the work they do for the people. Incumbent Robin Davis falls well short of that mark.
For years, Davis was a public defender, and when she won on a write-in two years ago she never made the transition to working with the police. She disbanded a special unit for rape and assault victims that had been created by 27 towns and Concord in 2015 for the very purpose of creating the Merrimack County Advocacy Center.
The attorneys in it were fired and the police officer assigned as lead investigator was forced to leave due to a hostile work environment.
As a result of the current failure to treat rape and assault victims the way the Advocacy Center’s trained staff used to do, women have now complained to the Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence. They deserve much better.
Luckily the answer for our county is Concord’s lead prosecutor, Paul Halvorsen. For 17 years Paul has handled thousands of cases for Concord. He has twice served in elective office as a city councilor and had 21 years of prior military service along with graduate degrees in forensic science and public administration.
Halvorsen has been endorsed by the Concord Police Supervisors Association and the N.H. Trooper’s Association.
For the victims of crime, Robin Davis needs to go back to defending criminals.
CHUCK DOUGLAS
Bow
(The writer is a former superior court and Supreme Court justice.)