Friday, October 24, 2008 10:31 PM CDT
Coles candidates stake positions
Forum features state's attorney office-seekers
By DAVE FOPAY, Staff Writer
dfopay@jg-tc.com
CHARLESTON — Salaries for assistant prosecutors, the death penalty and campaign tactics were highlight topics Thursday at a forum featuring Coles County’s state’s attorney candidates.
Incumbent Democrat Steve Ferguson, Republican Paul Komada and Green Party candidate Todd Reardon took part in one of what was supposed to be three separate forums but ended up as two because of candidates who didn’t attend.
While touching on several issues from audience member questions, each of the candidates said he’d like to see higher salaries for the assistant state’s attorneys in the office.
Komada said he sees the issue as one of the more important, as paying assistants well and keeping them means the county will continue to have quality prosecutors.
“I would pursue that perhaps to the prejudice of other things,” he said.
Reardon said he’d reduce the number of assistants because fewer could still handle the caseload and save the county money.
“Can we get by with less? Yes,” he said.
Ferguson said the problem isn’t with attracting assistants but keeping them, because there hasn’t always been money in the county’s budget to raise salaries to make them comparable with private law practices.
“We are competitive with starting salaries,” he said. “It’s after that that we have the problem.”
On the death penalty, Reardon was the only one of the three candidates who said he opposes it. He said he can’t favor the “ultimate punishment” when there are chances for wrongful convictions.
“Mistakes happen in our system,” he said. “You’re never going to get rid of all the mistakes.”
Komada said the death penalty is probably ineffective but he imposed it when it was called for during his time as a judge.
“I did it because it’s the law in Illinois,” he said.
Ferguson’s comments were similar, saying he doesn’t “rejoice” when he decides to seek the death penalty and it’s something “you take very seriously” when making that decision.
“The death penalty is the law in Illinois and as state’s attorney you have the responsibility to uphold that law,” he said.
Meanwhile, Komada referred to what he called “unsigned hate letters” he said have been left on cars that criticize his campaign and Ferguson’s.
He didn’t name Reardon’s campaign as his suspect, but Reardon responded as if he were the target and denied distributing the material. He noted that the material referred to him not as a Green Party candidate but as an independent candidate, which was how he ran for the office four years ago.
The only other debate at the Thursday’s forum was between the two candidates for Coles County Board District 9, Charleston, where incumbent Republican Jan Eads faces Democrat Jim Palmer.
Palmer, a retired geologist, said his interest is in helping the county if the FutureGen coal plant locates here. He said he anticipates benefits and problems with the project.
“It will have a profound effect on this area,” he said. “We need a specialist on the county board.”
Eads mentioned her experience on the board, including three years as its chairwoman.
“I’ve had the opportunity to serve the community in a greater capacity,” she said. “I feel I am a person you can talk with about any situation.”
Other candidates who attended the forum were allowed only introduction statements under the rules of the Coles County League of Women Voters, one of the event’s sponsors.
Republican coroner candidate Ed Schniers attended the forum, but incumbent Democrat Mike Nichols and Green Party candidate Michael Snow were absent. Mark Degler, Republican candidate in county board District 5, attended but incumbent Democrat Shane Rogers did not. And incumbent Democrat Joy Russell, county board District 10, was at the forum but Republican Stan Metzger didn’t attend.
The Charleston and Mattoon chambers of commerce also sponsored the forum.
Contact Dave Fopay at dfopay@jg-tc.com or 348-5733.
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Early Bird wrote on Oct 24, 2008 5:45 AM:
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Well gee whizz, I wonder whose supporters would do something as cowardly as this? "