The Cocklebur bloggers heralded the new year with a burst of excitement about the November elections, especially for the Tenth Circuit Solicitor race involving incumbent Chrissy Adams and challenger Sarah Drawdy.

The discussion drew in Ms. Drawdy herself, allowing her to air concerns about the current amount of court time, the current solicitor’s trial experience and use of plea bargaining as well as a drop in conviction rates

“Three murder cases have been lost in less than 24 months. You either don’t try those cases because the evidence isn’t there, or you try them and win,” Ms. Drawdy said.

Angelsc also disagreed with Ms. Adams’ strategy to lower overcrowding at the Anderson County Detention Center.

“I do not think that the solicitor’s job is to just hurry up and clear up cases. Many of the people are dangerous and do not belong on the streets.”

Nancy Jo, a local attorney, former prosecutor and supporter of incumbent solicitor Chrissy Adams, cried “foul!”

“Even mentioning a conviction rate for a particular office, during a particular period of time is ridiculous!! … the role of our solicitor … is NOT to persecute. It IS to carry out justice.”

“Spin!” cried Changeneeded.

“She sounds like a good defense attorney who is trying to keep the status quo, which is a Solicitor who does not put a premium on trying cases… Chrissy has many apologists, but there really are no excuses for not having tried a single case.”

SSHM agreed.

“If all we have hired is a glorified office manager, then I would expect the title of the job to be ‘Glorified Office Manager,’ not ‘Solicitor.’ “

But Coke Stevenson thought that was unfair, calling all solicitors “political beasts.”

“When they show their faces in the courtroom, it is a high-profile case. The rank and file cases that make up our system are carried out by staff. … The Solicitor is a policy maker, not a courtroom advocate. Only in John Grisham books and movies does the DA control and try a case in the courtroom.”

Blogger called the interchange “refreshing,” anticipating a continuing debate among the candidates and their supporters.

So did JD Tippett.

“Love it or hate it, this forum has played and, I hope, will continue to play a role in helping Anderson County residents think for themselves before drawing conclusions they may regret in the future. They’re not all villains. .... They’re not all saints. They’re just people who can take the same set of facts and reach different conclusions.”