THE DA DUEL

Your article about the race for Dane County District Attorney ("Battle of
the Brian B's" 10/20/00) was informative and balanced, but it missed an
important distinction between the candidates. Unlike his Democratic
opponent, Republican Brian Brophy articulates ideas that run counter to the
War on Drugs. Unlike his opponent, Brophy speaks passionately about how the
criminal justice system is at times unfair to minorities and the poor.

In the 26 years I have been eligible to vote, I have never voted for a
Republican; Brian Brophy will be the first. Brophy has advocated setting up
a diversion program for small-time drug dealers so that they might avoid a
felony conviction and turn their lives around. No other district attorney
has taken such a stand. As DA, Brophy has made it a frequent habit to
charge marijuana possession as a civil ordinance violationrather than as a
crime (far more often than any of his predecessors).

I have heard him criticize the War on Drugs, although he is clearly more
than willing to prosecute such crimes. He sees the disenfranchisement of a
significant portion of the African-American community as a problem for all
of our society. These are hardly radical thoughts, but what strikes me is
that as a Republican and as a district attorney, he articulately voices
these concerns.

Mark Borns, attorney