DA CANDIDATES DIFFER ON POLITICAL ROLE OF OFFICE

Robert L. Hudson and Steve Holcombe have different philosophies concerning
the job of the district attorney for Payne and Logan counties.

For Hudson, the job is about law enforcement and public safety. For
Holcombe, it is about community involvement.

"The DA can't just be the big hired gun for the office anymore - there is
so much administration to do now," Holcombe said. "The DA needs to be out
in the community."

Hudson said the role of the DA is clear.

"I wasn't a politician six and a half years ago and I am a reluctant
politician now," Hudson said. "I don't apologize for not being a
politician, either - this job requires a prosecutor, not a politician."

Hudson has been DA since 1996, when he was appointed by Gov. Frank Keating
to complete the term started by Paul Anderson.

Hudson ran unopposed in 1998.

For Hudson, being DA is about doing the right thing for the right reasons,
no matter the circumstances or who is involved.

"When you mix politics and justice, justice suffers," Hudson said. "Our
role is very clear and it is shaped by statutes and laws of this state.
Every decision we make is subject to public scrutiny and will affect
someone's life one way or another, whether it is a defendant or a victim."

Hudson was named Oklahoma's Most Outstanding District Attorney in 2000 by
the Oklahoma District Attorney's Association and served as that
organization's president in 2001.

He graduated from Oklahoma State University with a double major in
agricultural economics and accounting. He was one of the top five
graduating seniors in 1980 and was named the College of Agriculture's
outstanding graduate.

He earned his juris doctorate at Oklahoma University in 1983.

Holcombe was admitted to the bar in 1982 after he graduated from Tulsa
University.

He began his legal career as an assistant district attorney for Pittsburg
County in McAlester in 1982; and from 1983-6 served as an ADA in Payne
County under Anderson.

He has been in private practice in Stillwater since 1986.

Holcombe said his goals are to make the DA's office more accessible to the
public; to make the office accountable to the public; to pursue equal
justice for everyone; and to find a better strategy for the war on drugs.

"A consistent theme throughout the campaign has been 'Who is the DA?' - and
it's the voters who are asking," Holcombe said. "I think my past
performance in this campaign shows the energy I have and I intend to bring
that into the office."

As far as accountability, Holcombe said when Anderson resigned, audits
showed he had stolen from the office for five years.

"My understanding is it wasn't discovered until someone inside said where
to look," Holcombe said. "I have no axe to grind with (Anderson) - I worked
for him. I just question the auditing process."

Holcombe said the DA is not required to post fiscal information but he
intends to start annual updates on a Web site.

Holcombe said he also wants crime statistics made more readily available to
those who want the information.

"Any DA can say they are doing a great job, but what's the reference
point?" he said.

Holcombe said he thinks the DA's office is "spinning its wheels"
prosecuting "little marijuana possessions."

"I, in no way, support the legalization of marijuana," Holcombe said. "But
I think the focus is in the wrong place. The real dangerous drug is
methamphetamine."

Hudson said his office's record shows he has been doing the job he's
supposed to do.

"We have put more than 1,000 violent and repeat offenders behind bars in
the past six and a half years," he said.

"We also have one of the best DA's offices in the state and I don't take
credit for that myself - we are all responsible for that."

When it comes to drugs, Hudson says it is simple: they are illegal.

"You can't cookie-cutter drug cases," he said. "But those who manufacture,
traffic or sell drugs deserve to go to prison. Drug addiction is tearing at
our society and these are premeditated crimes."

As far as misdemeanor possession cases, Hudson said the law is clear.

"They deserve to be prosecuted because it is against the law," he said.
"But we don't send those who are mere users to prison the first time we
charge them - but the second, third and fourth time, yes, they will go to
jail, they obviously have no respect for the law."

The Payne County Drug Court Program was in its beginning stages when Hudson
took office.

Now the alternative sentencing program is one of the top programs in the
nation.

"We have had courts from all over the country come to see our program,"
Hudson said.

"It is a great program for those who break the law because they have an
addiction. We sentence all our first-offense felony possession defendants
to the program."

Hudson was instrumental in obtaining federal grants to create the District
Nine Drug Task Force, which enforces all drug laws, but especially targets
methamphetamine labs.

"My opponent says it's time for a change," Hudson said. "But we have spent
the last six years making changes."

Hudson said one of his first orders of business in 1996 was eliminating the
"good ol' boy" mentality from the office.

"We've prosecuted public officials, cops, athletes and students," Hudson
said. "Who you are is just not a question when we are evaluating a case for
prosecution. When you look at the cases we have filed, they verify that we
don't show favoritism to anyone."

Holcombe said he has concerns over the way law enforcement and the DA
handled a drug case involving the spouse of a DA's office employee.

"The DA wasn't involved in the search warrant - they aren't involved in any
search warrants anymore," Holcombe said. "I don't know why law enforcement
would even want to mess with warrants. They are not lawyers."

Hudson said the case involving his employee's husband was unfortunate, but
he felt his office handled the situation properly.

"We removed our office from the case immediately and I made sure there was
no evidence that linked my employee to the illegal activity before she came
back to work," Hudson said. "My opponent has made the Black case an issue
and the way I see it is it just proves that no one, no matter who they are,
is immune to the havoc drugs can cause."

Hudson said that because his office is not involved in the prosecution, he
has no idea what the outcome will be. But he said he is sure the public
will be assured it was handled properly.

Holcombe said the case also brought his attention to a lack of rules or
policies that protect information in the DA's office.

"I'd like to see standards for protection of information," Holcombe said.
"I also would implement random drug testing for employees in the DA's
office who are involved in the war on drugs. We have to be held to a higher
standard."

Hudson agrees those in law enforcement, including the DA, are held to a
higher standard and agrees they should be.

The Stillwater Fraternal Order of Police has endorsed Hudson.

"I think my opponent has some noble goals, but they are not practical for
this job," Hudson said. "We know what our role is - to prosecute crime."