- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Letter prompts deputy sheriffs and deputy district attorneys associations to endorse Krones
In the June primary, Anthony Farrington, a former county supervisor, is challenging incumbent District Attorney Susan Krones, who is seeking a second term.
The Lake County Deputy Sheriff’s Association had decided earlier this month to remain neutral in the race after interviewing both Farrington and Krones, said association President Gary Frace.
The Lake County Deputy District Attorneys Association did not interview the candidates and hadn’t intended to offer an endorsement, said President Rachel Abelson.
On Saturday, Lake County News published a letter to the editor from Farrington.
Frace and Abelson told Lake County News over the Memorial Day weekend that a specific statement made by Farrington in his letter was untrue and that, as a result, it was a tipping point for them, resulting in both associations formally endorsing Krones.
In the letter, Farrington wrote of Krones’ performance, “Another red flag for voters is the fact that despite her 29 years of experience as a prosecutor she has not received one formal endorsement from law enforcement. For these reasons, I could no longer remain idle and decided that I wanted to do something to effect change.”
“The reality of it is, she has the support of our law enforcement. she always has. We just tried to stay neutral,” said Frace.
Frace said his response to Farrington’s statement was, “Come on, man, really? Just don’t play dirty,” and to run a good campaign and let the best person win.
The deputies’ association board, representing close to 65 members, discussed the matter on Saturday and decided to endorse Krones. “It wasn't a hard decision” based on what was said in the letter, Frace said.
Frace cited Krones’ service in the military and nearly 30 years of service to Lake County, and the hard work she puts into her job as reasons the association supports her. He said her dedication to the District Attorney’s Office and Lake County “is pretty amazing.”
He added, “I know Susan. She loves this county. She loves being a prosecutor.”
He said he has no desire to bad-mouth Farrington. “We just feel that Susan would be the better choice for the county.”
Abelson said in a response letter that Krones has her association’s support as well as that of former members and other law enforcement.
She said she’s concerned about Farrington’s lack of knowledge about the office, adding that he has no idea how the criminal justice system works.
Abelson said Farrington’s letter published on Saturday “has particularly aggravated the attorneys in the Lake County District Attorney’s Office,” because it suggests law enforcement doesn’t support Krones.
“The real issue is that many in law enforcement are afraid to support anyone out of fear of retaliation,” Abelson said.
In a Monday interview with Lake County News, Abelson said Farrington’s letter had caused extreme irritation for many people in local law enforcement.
“You don't want retribution,” she said, but she felt something needed to be done.
She said Farrington has not done any outreach to her association. “I don’t think anybody would have supported him.”
Abelson said the public defenders don’t want to get involved but they don’t support him either. “They understand that what he says is absolutely ridiculous.”
She is critical of former District Attorney Don Anderson, who four years ago decided to make a run for Superior Court judge, ultimately losing to Shanda Harry.
“When Don was elected it was kind of shocking to me and we dealt with it because we had Rich,” she said of Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff, who also has written two highly critical letters about Farrington.
“I just can’t imagine doing this again,” Abelson said of adjusting to a new district attorney without the needed experience.
Frace said he called to tell both Krones and Farrington of the deputies association’s decision.
Krones “was almost speechless. She was very excited and very grateful,” Frace said.
In an email, Krones told Lake County News, “I am thrilled and humbled by the DSA endorsement. I work closely with the LCSO Deputies and Investigators every day. I know how dedicated they are to their jobs and I greatly appreciate their support.”
Frace said Farrington said he understood and was respectful. Frace said he explained to Farrington why the association took the action in response to the statements in the letter.
In response to a request for comment from Lake County News, Farrington asked if the association had said what part of his letter caused them to endorse Krones, to which this reporter responded that it was regarding the statement about no law enforcement endorsing Krones.
“I stand by my factual comments as contained in my letter to the editor; and I make no apologies to the Lake County Deputy Sheriffs’ Association for providing factual information to the public,” Farrington wrote. “After interviewing both candidates on April 20, 2022, the DSA formally announced that their organization would be remaining neutral for this election. If the DSA leadership now wants to publicly support Ms. Krones one week before the election for me speaking the truth, then that’s their prerogative.”
He also sent a screenshot of a May 4 Facebook post made by the association which states:
“The Lake County DSA would like to thank Susan Krones and Anthony W. Farrington for their time and participation in our interview process.
“It was a difficult decision, but we have elected to neither endorse or oppose either candidate. As we also represent the District Attorney Investigators, we have opted to remain neutral in this instance.
“We encourage citizens to make an effort to educate themselves and vote for the candidate they feel will best serve our community. DA Krones has served this country and our county with distinction for decades, and will continue to do so if re-elected. On the same note, Mr. Farrington has a great deal of legal and political experience and has a fantastic vision for the future of the District Attorney’s Office if elected.
“On behalf of the Lake County DSA membership, we would like to wish DA Krones and Mr. Farrington the best of luck with their campaigns,” the statement concluded.
The race between Farrington and Krones has been one of the most hotly contested of this campaign season.
Lake County News has published numerous letters to the editor about the campaign, many of them faulting Farrington for, among other things, a lack of prosecutorial experience and for targeting people who have been given temporary housing in local motels through state housing grants made available during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In turn, Farrington and his supporters have said they want change because they don’t believe Krones and her staff have done a good enough job of prosecuting criminal cases and seeking harsher sentencing for crimes.
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