Anderson Counters

In road cycling the counter attack usually comes after the initial move is reeled-in and caught by the field. There is often a short lull before the next guy goes off the front to gap the peloton, once again. Nevertheless, there was no lull in the fight for positioning in the race for Brazos County Attorney. In the editorial section of the Bryan Eagle, Rod Anderson countered yesterday's attack by Shane Phelps by offering opinions from former confederates at the county attorney's office.

Former assistant, Bill Ballard, wrote:

It has been my pleasure to have worked with Rod Anderson over the past 20 or so years. (I have also worked with the other candidate for Brazos County attorney) . . . Between the candidates . . . no one in the state of Texas possesses his expertise relating to criminal misdemeanors . . . Contrary to what some may say, consistency, not crushing and devastating change, is needed in the Brazos County Attorney's Office.

I'm note sure I agree with Ballard's assessment of Anderson's expertise. Granted, Anderson has worked for many years in the current administration. But I haven't seen Anderson try one case in my 17+ years of experience in the Brazos County courts. I might have missed it, but for the most part Anderson has worked as an administrator and screening attorney for new cases. I do agree, however, that consistency is what is needed not "crushing change." Phelps is a power rider who'd we expect "crushing" change based on his campaign literature.

Judy Adams also wrote in support of her candidate:

As first assistant county attorney, [Anderson] is in charge of misdemeanor crimes including DWI, minor drug offenses, criminal mischief, and theft under $1,500. The vast majority of these crimes were committed by young first-time offenders who do not re-offend.

Like my criticism of yesterday's opinion by Kirk W. Brown, I'm not sure where Ms. Judy got her facts, or whether she was properly woodshedded before authoring her opinion. I'm unaware of any statistics revealing the demographic and criminal history of misdemeanor offenders. Nor do I know of statistics showing the incidence of recidivism. Again, the voters in Brazos County need be aware of misinformation and self-serving rhetoric in this important campaign.

A few final points. Why aren't the letters in support of Rod Anderson on the Eagle website yet? The letter in support of Shane Phelps was up bright-and-early yesterday morning. Also, where is the local defense bar in this fight? I hope my compadres have the courage to speak their minds about this race. If not, I might need to start posting articles about them!