In the race for Addison County Sheriff, I’m encouraging everyone to vote for Independent Mark Stacey. Mark is a veteran police officer from Vergennes who boasts that among his proudest accomplishments in his long career is never having a physical altercation with a civilian. Of all the candidates, Mark seems to best understand the need to change the way policing works, especially when it comes to protecting and serving minority members of our community. 

And in light of the sad current state of affairs in the Addison County Sheriff’s Department, it’s critical that someone comes into that office with a fresh set of eyes and fixes what’s wrong with the department.

I’m also proud to endorse Democrat Eva Vekos for Addison County State’s Attorney. Eva is a seasoned criminal court litigator, with 20+ years’ experience handling tough cases while protecting our constitutional rights. As a defense attorney, she has a first-hand understanding of how the system works and how it fails us, and is motivated to fix the problems.

There is a growing movement of former defense attorneys getting elected to prosecution roles, and all over the country this new wave of reform prosecutors is tackling tough problems, re-focusing their offices’ efforts on the crimes that matter most, and producing better results.

True public safety comes not only from prosecuting serious crimes, but from addressing the underlying problems that lead to the more minor “quality of life” crimes that clog up our court system and keep people trapped in a multi-generational cycle of poverty, addiction and crime. A successful prosecutor needs more than one tool in their toolbox, and Eva has laid out a strategy of expanding the use of restorative justice programs that have been proven to be more effective than the outdated “tough on crime” approach in actually reducing crime and improving community safety.

It’s time to change the status quo. Vote Reform. Vote for Eva Vekos and Mark Stacey!

Dave Silberman

High Bailiff, Addison County

Middlebury