Well, sadly Alison didn’t win, but she made a great showing for an independent candidate with 36% of the vote. A wonderful accomplishment against a republican candidate. Alison sincerely thanks all who helped with her campaign and all those who voted for her.
Author Archives: shepard
Don’t forget to recycle your yard sign
Thanks to all who supported Alison’s campaign. If you have a yard sign, please recycle by dropping it off at Marysville Lanes or Alison’s office (you can leave it on the porch if she’s not in).
Declare your independence! Elect Alison Boggs your independent Union County Prosecutor.
Meet Alison Boggs, your independent candidate for Union County Prosecutor
In these days of rising property taxes, budget shortfalls, out-of-touch career politicians and worst of all, political campaigns (eek!) you may think that there’s not much you can do to restore a sense of ownership and common sense to our government. Take a stand against politics as usual and wasteful spending by voting for Alison Boggs. She is willing to sacrifice her successful, private law practice in order to return to public service to set things right in the Union County’s Prosecutor’s Office. Count on Alison to:
Do the right thing
- Restore integrity to the prosector’s office by instituting a Grand Jury review before taking a case to trail
- Refuse to prosecute felonies when a misdemeanor is a better fit
- Institute a diversion program where appropriate to punish non-violent, first-time offenders without prison—reserving prison (and it’s associated costs to the taxpayers) for repeat and dangerous criminals.
- Avoid publicity by keeping confidential investigations and court proceedings confidential
Owe no one
- By having no endorsements, Alison doesn’t owe any favors to any special interest group
- By being independent, Alison doesn’t answer to any political party
Be fiscally conservative
- Alison will expect her staff to work full-time exclusively for the county in order to earn their full-time salaries
- Alison is sensitive to the demands on the taxpayer and will adjust her budget in line with the economy—even when it means forgoing raises for herself or her staff
- Alison will make herself and her staff available to the townships to provide legal counsel to alleviate the need for the townships to seek funding for outside legal help
Plea bargain
A plea bargain is a negotiation between a criminal defense and a prosecution where the defendant agrees to plead “guilty” to a charge(s) in exchange for the prosecution dropping or reducing charges.
Misdemeanor
A crime that is less severe and may include time spent at a county jail, probation or fines. Examples may include: shoplifting, vandalism, disturbing the peace, simple assault, public drunkenness, traffic violations etc.
Felony
A crime that is serious enough to warrant prison time. Examples include: murder, robbery, drug dealing, rape etc.
Diversion
A program for first-time non-violent felony offenders in which punishment could include probation, community service, fines, restitution, rehab etc., instead of prison time. If the offender cooperates and shows progress, charges may eventually be dismissed.
For example: Pete, a father of two, was unexpectedly laid-off from his job. He used $2,000 of Cub Scout funds, of which he’s the treasurer, to pay household bills. He finds another job and begins to repay the money, but not before the Cub Scouts discover the missing funds. Pete is ashamed of what he did and immediately repays the balance of the amount he owes. Pete has no prior criminal charges and hasn’t been any trouble since. Pete may be a good candidate for a diversion program allowing him a second chance to make up for his mistake and the possibility to avoid a felony charge which would impact his ability to provide for his family.
Township
A township is a subdivision within a county with some governing power often consisting of zoning and public safety.
Over-indictment
The process of bringing to the Grand Jury as many felony (serious crime) charges as possible without regard to the strength of the evidence to support each charge. A possible motivation to use this technique is to have charges available to dismiss in a plea-bargain.
Grand Jury
A Grand Jury is different than a trial jury in that they will hear evidence from the County Prosecutor that a felony crime may have been committed and will decide whether or not there will be an arrest and charge (indictment). The accused is not represented at the Grand Jury, nor is he/she necessarily aware that a Grand Jury hearing has occured. Grand Jury proceedings are confidential meaning jurors and witnesses are sworn not to discuss the case outside of the courtroom. Prosecutors should be careful when responding to media inquiries about confidential Grand Jury proceedings.