Durham District Attorney

Note: NBC17 surveyed only those candidates who had opponents for the primary race. Although your partisan ballot on May 6 may contain more names than seen here, it is because the candidate does not have any same-party opposition and will appear on the November ballot without contest.

NBC17 did not change, alter or edit the responses from the surveys. The answers below are as written by each candidate.

There are four candidates for Durham District Attorney, all Democrats. There is no November race, so the winner in May will take the office. Candidates: Tracy Cline, Mitchell Garrell, Freda Black, Keith Bishop.

Mitch Garrell and Keith Bishop did not respond to the survey.

Freda B. Black
Age: 47
Current Profession / Occupation:  Attorney

Why should voters select you on Election Day?
 I believe that I am the most qualified candidate running for District Attorney. I have both the qualifications and the experience that it takes to manage the District Attorneys Office.
 
How do you plan to restore trust to the office after the Mike Nifong controversy?
 I intend to make decisions that will reflect Honesty and Fairness in the District Attorney's Office. I believe that I have already exhibited my prosecutorial skills for over 14 years.

What specific plans do you have for improving/changing the office?
 The policies of the District Attorney's office need to be examined and reexamined because many of them originated from the Nifong administration. It would also be necessary to evaluate the office personel to decide if changes need to be made.

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Tracey Cline
Age: 45
Current Profession / Occupation: assistant district attorney

Why should voters select you on Election Day?
 To be the prosecutor is a powerful job, but it is also a job that mandates responsibility. It is not about wins and losses. Justice is simply about doing the right thing for the right reasons. which is what I have been doing while working in the district attorney's office for the last 14 years. Presently I am the chief assistant district attorney and I prosecute violent offenses which include murder, armed robbery and sexual assaults. I was hired by Jim Hardin in 1994, left the office for a short while to go into private practice and was rehired to be the supervising attorney for the prosecution of habitual offenders and violent habitual offenders. The prosecutor's job is basically a reactive job but I believe that it should also be a proactive job. That is the one way we can help deter the juveniles from committing crime. We need to establish a program which bridges the gap between juvenile and adult court. The focus of the program would be on three things: Awareness of parents, guardians, and school officials, and the criminal justice system; Diversion of at risk children from criminal conduct; and Socialization thru Education. I am the prosecutor who is aware of the challenges of the office and can and will make a difference.
 
How do you plan to restore trust to the office after the Mike Nifong controversy?
 There is no doubt that Durham County has been wounded, but it is not a wound which will not heal. Durham County is strong. However, trust must be restored. The people of Durham must know that they can trust and believe in the District Attorney. The best way to restore trust is to continually do the right thing for the right reasons all the time - no matter what. Handle all case like you handle all cases acting for one purpose and that is to seek justice. The actions of the district attorney must be transparent to allow the citizens to see and understand what is happening and why. When you do the right thing simply because it is the right thing to do, that is seeking justice.

What specific plans do you have for improving/changing the office?
 There are four main improvements I would make in the office: 1. Presently the assistant district attorneys do not specialize as it relates to prosecuting a particular crime. Prosecutions should be more specialized, so that each assistant becomes more familiar with a certain type of case, the law of that case, and the officers who investigate those case. This will enable the cases to be disposed more efficiently.

2. To deal with the backlog of cases in superior Court, we need to handle the lower level felony cases in district court. This is allowed under the statutes of our state and it would free up time for more trials of violent crimes in superior court.

3. Presently we do not have an interpreter for Latino victims in the district attorney's office. We are unable to communicate with them without requesting help from a interpreter who is assigned to a particular courtroom. Before we have an appointment with a Latino victim we have to find someone to interpret for us. This is a disservice to a population of persons who are often targeted for various reasons.

4. Finally we need to adopt a program which bridges the gap between juvenile and adult court which goal is to keep at risk children out of adult court. The three parts are Awareness, Diversion and Socialization. This program would not cost the State any money we already have the resources in place.