Commonwealth’s Attorney Candidate Endorsement for Ali T. Sprinkle

Time is ticking its way to our special election on February 10 for Portsmouth’s Commonwealth’s Attorney for the next three years. (We’re replacing now-Judge Mobley, for those of you who’ve been living under a rock lately.) Anyway, after listening to all three candidates at a forum last month and interviewing the two who agreed to be interviewed (Ms. Sprinkle and Mr. Rosenberg), I am going to vote for Ms. Sprinkle, and here’s why: Ms. Morales presents very well, but she has been an attorney for only five years, all of them in our C.A. office. She seems very nice (though I’ve had no personal contact outside “hello” in City Hall) and later might be a dynamite choice given her aplomb in the forum, but five years isn’t a whole lot of experience, and none of it’s been on the defense side or in running an office. I like Mr. Rosenberg, but almost all of his pretty vast experience is on the defense side of the equation. Ms. Sprinkle has five years’ experience prosecuting (four and half of them working in Mobley’s office) and nearly a decade on the defense side. She also has been managing the office during her years in defense work. Tough choice, but I have to go with the extra time in the C.A.’s office–which is actually, day-to-day, more than either of her opponents can claim–as well as her experience in defense and office management.

(Originally posted by Terry Danaher on her Facebook timeline, we reproduce her essay here with the author’s permission.)

Commonwealth’s Attorney Election Resources

For online information regarding the Commonwealth’s Attorney Special Election on Tuesday, February 10, including what the candidates say on their own behalf, visit the link below:

Voter Information, including Key Dates

Note: the in-person absentee voting deadline is 5 PM, Saturday, February 7.

Candidate Web / Social Media Sites (alphabetical order)

Candidate Forum / Interview Videos

(Note:  Despite repeated requests for an interview, Candidate Stephanie Morales has not set an appointment with PortsmouthCityWatch.org. We remain open to the possibility should she choose to exercise that option.)

Scheduled Candidate Forum

  • Wise Beach Civic League, 7 PM, Monday, February 9, at Centenary Methodist Church on Cedar Lane at the intersection with Hatton Point Road.

Mainstream Media Coverage

Building a Better Commonwealth’s Attorney

The City of Portsmouth has a constitutional officer vacancy to fill in a special election set to occur on Tuesday, February 10, 2015. The former occupant of the position, the Honorable Earle Mobley, moved into a judgeship for the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court on December 1 of last year. (See the Mobley profile from Pilotonline for more information.) With three years left on his term of office, the judges of the Portsmouth Circuit Court issued a Writ of Election late last month to enable the citizenry to select a replacement. Continue reading