Support for District Attorney Candidates

I am supporting Ron Bamieh for district attorney because he represents everything that is good about Ventura County.

I don’t care that his father is helping to fund what we all know are expensive campaigns. What I do care about is that Bamieh is blessed to have a father who loves and supports him and is willing to quite literally put his money where his mouth is. Don’t we all wish we had a father who loved us so much and was successful enough to be able to help? Three cheers for Bamieh’s dad. Three cheers for a loving family with strong values! Isn’t that just what Ventura County needs? Seems to me that is exactly what Bamieh has campaigned for.

I don’t much care that Greg Totten has the endorsements of several police chiefs and police associations.

It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to figure out those good old boys are merely protecting the status quo. They must feel intimidated by the ghost of Mike Bradbury.

For all their machismo, they must be afraid of substantive change. They must be afraid that their good old boys’ network won’t be so good if they don’t stick to some sleazy back-room political plan that steals our voting will and allows for kingmakers to anoint their successors. I think that stinks. Sorry, boys, but I think I’ll vote for the best candidate, not someone you think you can force down my chad.

As for me, I’m a young voter with a long and bright future ahead of me. I’m voting for Bamieh because he holds the greatest promise for my future and yours. Bamieh is young. He is also honest, effective and smart.

Lee Ann N. Braun

Simi Valley

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I have heard the allegation several times lately that Chief Assistant Dist. Atty. Greg Totten was benefiting from a good old boys network in his campaign to become the next district attorney. The phrase “good old boys” creates the impression of power brokers in a smoked-filled back room wielding influence for personal gain, but let’s take a look at who the good old boys really are in this case. This list starts with the current district attorney, Mike Bradbury, who has served honorably for the last 24 years.

As county sheriff, my name is also frequently mentioned. Joining us in supporting Totten’s campaign are each and every one of the police chiefs and mayors in the county, the deputy district attorneys and Deputy Sheriffs’ Assn., and virtually every law enforcement organization in Ventura County. Is this a suspect group manipulating elections for some sinister motive? In reality, this is the criminal justice team that has made this area one of the safest communities in the United States, while maintaining the highest ethical and professional standards in the industry.

We are people who represent the public safety interests of the people we serve. We are also individuals who have known Totten for decades and recognize him as a person of character and experience who has earned the trust and admiration of the law enforcement community.

The meaningful distinction is not whether one candidate is a better trial attorney than the other, because both have distinguished records. The real issue is that only Totten has the demonstrated leadership qualities required to run a large and complex agency, and also the confidence of those who will be working with him to make certain that Ventura County remains a safe place for you and your family to live.

Bob Brooks

Ventura County sheriff