Observer endorsements: Our choices for Mecklenburg sheriff, district attorney

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Endorsements 2022

The Editorial Board’s recommendations for the primary elections on Tuesday, May 17, 2022.

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Incumbents in Mecklenburg’s sheriff and district attorney races face formidable challenges from candidates who have been openly critical of their job performance. There are no Republican candidates running in either race, so whoever wins the Democratic primary will be elected for the next four years.

Sheriff

In one of the most contentious races on the Mecklenburg County ballot, former sheriff’s deputies Aujiena (Gina) Hicks and Marquis D. Robinson are running to unseat incumbent Sheriff Garry McFadden, who was once their boss, in his bid for a second term.

McFadden wants the job to be something it isn’t — a full-service sheriff’s office that has jurisdiction to enforce laws and investigate crimes throughout the county. But he’s struggling to run it now in its more limited role, which mostly involves overseeing the county jail.

Controversy has marred much of McFadden’s first term as sheriff. An exodus of personnel, which both Hicks and Robinson attribute to McFadden, has created significant safety concerns — five people have died at the Mecklenburg County Detention Center since last May. The state determined that the jail, and McFadden’s officers, violated state-mandated safety precautions in three of those cases. One death has yielded a lawsuit against McFadden from the inmate’s family.

McFadden blames the pandemic for staff departures and insists that the jail is safe.

We cannot confidently recommend McFadden for another term. Both Hicks and Robinson are capable, experienced candidates who say staffing levels and safety are their top priority. But Hicks stands out for her sharpness and her nearly three decades of experience, including 18 years in the Mecklenburg sheriff’s office. She also has experience in administrative roles, which is critical to a sheriff’s office that is mostly tasked with administrative duties.

We recommend Hicks.

District Attorney

In this race, two very different candidates offer two very different approaches on criminal justice. Incumbent Spencer Merriweather, who was appointed by Gov. Roy Cooper in 2017 and elected to a full term in 2018, is running for re-election as the county’s top prosecutor. He’s being challenged by progressive candidate Tim Emry, a criminal defense attorney endorsed by Real Justice PAC.

Emry is a co-founder of Decarcerate Mecklenburg, and his campaign is centered around reform and racial justice. Much of what he suggests is more sweeping than what Merriweather has enacted or committed to — Emry wants to end mass incarceration policies, never seek the death penalty and hold police officers accountable.

Merriweather has been a capable district attorney during difficult years. He’s ended the prosecution of low-level drug offenses and shifted his office’s focus to violent crime. He’s also steered efforts to address domestic and sexual violence, and has been working toward the development of a Family Justice Center to provide critical services to survivors.

Merriweather’s firm, practical leadership as DA has been good for the county, and we think he’s earned another term. We also think his pragmatism is needed in a county where safety currently ranks among the public’s chief concerns. Still, the issues raised by Emry are important. Merriweather should be receptive to those conversations, as well as a more progressive approach on issues such as the death penalty.

Emry is a worthy opponent, but we recommend Merriweather.

This story was originally published May 2, 2022 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Observer endorsements: Our choices for Mecklenburg sheriff, district attorney."