As a lawyer and Independent, I support Tonkin

To the Editor:
I am a registered Independent voter who demands the whole truth to learn the skills and ability of a person seeking election to do a particular job. My law background includes criminal prosecutorial experience. For the last 10 years, I have been a lawyer who specializes in estate planning and estate administration. I can say that civil courtroom experience is not the same as criminal prosecutorial experience. I agree with Dr. Trilby Tener that surgeons have specialties just like attorneys. When voting, I will choose an experienced prosecutor over a lawyer who has worked primarily on civil court cases and has never actually prosecuted a case. I am one of the approximate 78 members of the Pike County Bar Association.

Witnesses in court take an oath to state the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Lawyers have rules of professional ethics to do the same. To those who have said that District Attorney Ray Tonkin has not done a good job, I believe the official facts and figures from those who have day-to-day knowledge of how much our district attorney’s office does. As a survivor of child abuse, I know how hard it must be for victims to offer to tell of their experiences with District Attorney Tonkin. I believe the victims of crimes and the mother of Corporal Dickson who have voluntarily come forward to praise Ray Tonkin.

These are my opinions and I respect those who disagree.

I believe we need an experienced, knowledgeable district attorney and that’s Ray Tonkin. We need someone who has spent years working in our criminal court system, not the civil court system. This is why I am voting for Ray Tonkin and I urge you to do the same.

Lara Anne Dodsworth, Esq.
Porter Township