05/06/2022
Friends:
As you may know, there is presently a contested election for the District Attorney for Marion County in which Spencer Todd is seeking to replace Paige Clarkson. To date, I have remained neutral and have not advocated for one party or the other in this election. In fact, Mr. Todd is unaware I am writing this message. Unfortunately, I have recently become aware of a flier published and distributed by Ms. Paige Clarkson that cannot be allowed to stand. The flier attempts to malign Mr. Spencer Todd because he is “paling around with defense attorneys and convicted criminals.” She then lists 11 local defense attorneys that are supportive of Mr. Todd, indicating that you should not vote for Mr. Todd because he is supported by these good people. Ms. Clarkson apparently believes the fact that individuals represent criminal defendants (i.e., criminal defense attorneys) that they are somehow deplorable individuals who should not be trusted. This inference by Ms. Clarkson is a symptom of a cancerous disease of tribalism that is destroying our democracy and the ability for civil disagreement and public discussion of important issues. In my opinion, this speaks of an individual (Ms. Clarkson) who has contempt not just for those who are convicted of crimes but for those who play an important and constitutionally protected role in the American justice system.
You should know that I am personally familiar with every one of the attorneys listed by Ms. Clarkson. In my experience, every one of those individuals is a competent, capable, caring individual who provides professional legal services in our community. All these attorneys work as public defenders, representing fellow citizens charged with criminal conduct. They are all private attorneys contracted with Marion County Association of Defenders which is a non-profit association that provides Public Defense Services. These individuals are constantly underfunded by the legislature (though that is changing) and put in long hours for relatively little pay. It is my understanding that many of these individuals receive less financial compensation than the prosecutors working under the direction of Ms. Clarkson. For the past six months, Marcus has been a part-time contractor with MCAD. Seeing the time, energy, and resources he has dedicated to that work provides me with an increased appreciation of how difficult it is to work as a public defender. I find it telling that there are also multiple privately retained defense attorneys that have donated far more to Spencer Todd’s election than these individuals – but there is no mention of those attorneys. Does Ms. Clarkson feel that she should only target “Public Defenders” and not target those who are more highly compensated for providing criminal defense services?
No public figure should ever feel the need to malign the character of citizens because they choose to support the other candidate. I also find it highly unprofessional and unbecoming of a member of the Oregon State Bar to publicly express what I can only see as spite, hatred, and vitriol against fellow members of the bar. Though my name was not included in the list, I am a criminal defense attorney. I represent individuals charged with and convicted of crimes. I take personal offense at the inference that citizens should not listen to someone because they are a “criminal defense attorney.” Apparently, Ms. Clarkson feels that her credentials and record are so weak that she needs to engage in what I consider vile behavior. She should be ashamed of what she has published and should publicly apologize for her statements. I am sad to say that Ms. Clarkson lost a great deal of my respect today – something that is hard won and easily lost.
When you are casting your ballot in the next week, please seriously consider voting in favor of Spencer Todd as our next District Attorney.
Please feel free to share this message with anyone you feel will benefit from this perspective.
Best Regards,
Marc
