Money can't buy Gaughan the experience she needs

To the Editor:
In a recent article by Ken Baumel on the two candidates for District Attorney, Mr. Baumel wrote, “Gaughan said that she has law enforcement experience, ...interning with the Lackawanna DA, where she helped prepare cases for prosecution.” I seriously doubt Kelly Gaughan’s duties as an intern constituted law enforcement.

Frankly, anyone who lists being an intern during the '90s in college as a reason for being elected to the office of District Attorney in 2015 should not be taken as a serious candidate. Kelly Gaughan may have thrown a lot of money at this campaign, but money can’t buy the qualifications she needs to serve as our next district attorney.

A former intern is certainly not qualified to handle prosecuting Eric Frein, or for that matter any of the many other serious cases in the Pike County Criminal Court.

Ms. Gaughan states that she has recent experience as an assistant public defender in the Pike County Office of the Public Defender. While it is true that she held this title for ten months, ending in November, the public record shows that she never tried a criminal case.

Ray Tonkin has a 100 percent murder conviction rate. He is qualified. He is the man for job.

Lee Oakes
Lords Valley