Editor, Gazette-Journal:

I shall not seek reelection at the end of my current term, and I plan to retire in December of this year. It has been an honor to have served the citizens of Mathews County as Commonwealth’s Attorney. Each day I go to work to seek truth and justice and to fight for crime victims and their rights. What could be more fulfilling?

Attorney General Robert Jackson, in 1940, said that the “prosecutor has more power over life, liberty and reputation than any other person in America” and that “his discretion is tremendous.” Prosecutors normally have more power over the outcome of a criminal case than a judge. They control the direction and outcome of all criminal cases, particularly through charging and plea-bargaining decisions, which are totally discretionary and virtually unreviewable.

For these reasons, it is critically important that the citizens of Mathews County elect a Commonwealth’s Attorney who has the experience, integrity, and work ethic to exercis...