As DeKalb County’s chief prosecutor, District Attorney Robert James has secured the convictions of corrupt politicians, gang members and murderers during his five years in office.
But has he done enough?
His opponent in Tuesday's primary election, DeKalb Solicitor-General Sherry Boston, says no, arguing he hasn't meted out justice evenly or shown effective leadership.
She accuses James of taking on high-profile cases at the expense of crimes that matter more to residents, such as domestic violence, human trafficking and property offenses. She also questions his personal integrity, saying he’s made several ethical mistakes.
DeKalb’s next prosecutor will be in charge of cleaning up a county still reeling from a series of scandals and investigations.
James can list a string of accomplishments: the convictions of DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis and schools Superintendent Crawford Lewis, the prosecutions of more than 160 gang members and the first indictment of a Georgia police officer in a shooting death since 2010. Officer Robert Olsen is charged with murdering Anthony Hill outside his apartment.
“I have not just the experience, but the results that people can point to,” James said.
Boston said James hasn’t dedicated enough resources to fight crime on all fronts — just those that grab headlines.
“Doing more is not about having notches in your belt for convictions,” Boston said. “It’s having the community believe you’re making strides in multiple areas … to make sure justice is served all the time.”
She questions James principles, saying he can’t be relied on to restore DeKalb’s reputation.
James repaid the county $1,915 last year for his spending during business travel that exceeded the county's $36 per day standard for meal expenses. He also paid $2,850 in fines for failing to file a campaign fundraising report and other required financial disclosures on time. And he refused to cooperate last year with outside investigators hired by Interim DeKalb CEO Lee May, saying they weren't the appropriate authorities to investigate the county.
James said he reimbursed the meal expenses voluntarily in an effort to avoid questions about his spending, even though as an independent elected officer he wasn’t bound by the county’s daily expense limit. He acknowledged making a mistake when he didn’t file required campaign disclosures.
“To somehow suggest that I’m unethical, that’s a big stretch,” James said. “… People may not always agree with what I’ve done, but I hope they respect the decisions I’ve made.”
Boston also reimbursed the county for her spending when she gave back $175 for a portrait used for brochures, advertising and her official website.
But, she said, James has demonstrated a pattern of poor choices.
“The way to mend and heal our county is to have leaders people absolutely believe in,” Boston said.
James said his record speaks for itself. He has won every case he's personally prosecuted in the courtroom, and more than 40 people have been convicted in corruption cases.
Boston, who in her role as solicitor oversees the prosecution of 13,000 misdemeanor cases annually, said that if she’s elected, she would beef up the prosecution of violent crime.
“We are at a crossroads,” she said. “We are at a place where we have to make decisions about who we can believe will lead us in the direction of what we know this county can be.”
James rejected Boston’s claim that he has selectively prosecuted cases, saying he’s brought charges when they were justified.
The work of a special purpose grand jury resulted in the trial of Ellis and ethics reforms. James announced last month that he didn't have enough evidence to bring charges against nine other people whom the special grand jury singled out for further investigation.
“My job as a prosecutor is to hold people accountable when there are facts and evidence that they have committed crimes, and not just gin stuff up just to satisfy public opinion,” he said.
Both candidates have raised significant amounts of money for their campaigns.
James reported $220,979 in contributions this year, while Boston collected $218,496, according to campaign finance filings.
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