THIRD PARTY CANDIDATE REPRESENTS FOURTH OPTION IN DA RACE

Lenoir's Libertarian city councilman has entered the 25th District's
District Attorney's race.

T.J. Rohr, a criminal attorney, is in his second term as a Lenoir city
councilman.

He was elected as an unaffiliated candidate in a non-partisan race. He
said he's held fast to his Libertarian beliefs as a councilman,
consistently refusing to vote for tax increases or spending he
considers wasteful.

In November, Rohr will face Democratic challenger Jason Parker and the
winner of May's Republican primary between incumbent Jay Gaither and
Shawn Clark.

Rohr said he plans to continue to hold government to a rigorous fiscal
standard if he's elected DA.

His prosecutorial priorities will include prosecuting violent
criminals and cracking down on property theft and dangerous drivers.

Principal 1.2 of the Libertarian platform states that government's
responsibility is to protect personal freedoms and privacy and calls
for the legalization of drugs.

It says, "We favor the repeal of all laws creating 'crimes' without
victims, such as the use of drugs for medicinal or recreational purposes."

Rohr said, as DA, he would have no authority to legalize drugs but he
would shift law enforcement's focus away from the types of
investigations that take months and result in the seizure of 500
pounds of marijuana from non-violent offenders. He'd rather see
officers cracking down on violent crime, drunk drivers and crimes that
endanger the public's safety and property.

"My focus, if I were DA, would be on violent crime," Rohr said. "If
you try to do too much you spread yourself thin, it makes it difficult
to focus on the most serious crimes."

"I've got the feeling our DA's office is spread too
thin."

Rohr said he's impressed with the 25th District's assistant district
attorneys.

"They do an excellent job," he said. "If you can do the job and keep
me updated on what you're doing, I want you on board."

Rohr said his 15 years of experience in the courtroom have shaped his
understanding of how cases should be tried and how resources can best
be allocated. As DA, Rohr plans to help his assistant district
attorneys make the best use of their time and skills.

"I get the feeling that they're often being wasted going after
high-profile cases when there may be lower profile cases that, if
prosecuted properly, would keep the public safer," Rohr said.

Third-party candidates tend to have a tough time being elected and
Rohr knows it.

He said some people feel like a vote for an unaffiliated candidate or
a Libertarian is a wasted vote, so they choose a Republican or a
Democrat they don't agree with.

Rohr sees things differently.

"If you vote for someone you don't believe in, you're throwing away
your vote," he said.

BIO:

T.J. Rohr was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan and has spent the last 20
years in North Carolina.

In 1994 he began practicing law in Lenoir after earning his bachelor's
degree and law degree from UNC Chapel Hill.

Rohr was elected to Lenoir City Council in 2003.

He married his wife, Lisa, in 1991 and the couple has two
sons.

BY THE NUMBERS:

$119,300: Base salary for District Attorneys in N.C.

36: Employees working in the office of the 25th Judicial District,
District Attorney's office

18: Lawyers employed in the office of the 25th Judicial District,
District Attorney's office