Candidate for prosecutor responds

To the Editor:
Mr. Schemenaur made statements in his letter to the editor that I would like to correct to the Jay County public.
When he was elected to office in 2010, I wasn’t a Republican. I had pulled a Republican ballot two different times in past primaries to vote certain Republicans out of office, as many other Republicans and Democrats do.  I wasn’t active in politics and was unaware that doing that declared myself a certain party member. That didn’t then or doesn’t now make me a Republican.  
My opponent made it sound like I actively showed interest in the chief deputy position. I didn’t. I said in passing that I would be his chief deputy, because Mr. Schemenaur was keeping it such a secret as to whom that was going to be. It was obvious to me he wasn’t taking me serious nor was he one bit interested in me being his Chief Deputy. He didn’t know or ask me my politics. I was never considered for that position.
When I took a Republican ballot I was never a candidate on either party, held any office or sat on any political board. My opponent had no way of knowing how I voted in any general elections, nor did any of us know who he voted for in the last election, until he told us in his letter. I chose to become an active member of the Democratic party and have never been anything else.
What I can tell you is that I didn’t have a law firm for my opponent to go to if I had become his chief deputy because I was in private practice. I believe before my opponent became a prosecutor he did some criminal defense work. My opponent’s chief deputy was doing criminal defense work before coming back to the prosecutor’s office.
I am also offended that Mr. Schemenaur inferred that I am not an experienced trial attorney. I will put my trial experience up against either his or his deputy’s anytime. We have the best legal system in the world and it works because of the adversarial system. It is getting old to defend the fact that I am a defense attorney and that somehow makes me inferior or incapable of protecting the people of Jay County. I have worked very hard to represent the people of Jay County. I believe this puts me in a very unique position of being able to assist law enforcement to better protect our citizens.  
My opponent wanted to boost about being the Democratic chairman in 2012.  As the party chairman he allowed a 4 foot by 8 foot sign supporting the Republican candidate in his yard. I do now ask why my opponent waited to become party chairman until late in my race for judge and then left that position after the election. He didn’t answer that in his letter. Faithful Democrat? Just because other Democrats feel he is a Republican embedded in the Democrat party doesn’t give him the right to attack me to try and make himself look better.
He also didn’t respond to his part-time position. While he has a right to that, does it conflict with his job as prosecutor? I believe, when a prosecutor walks into a courtroom to represent someone it should be the State of Indiana and not a private client. I will run said office myself. Mr. Schemenaur stated he chose the best person for his chief deputy, doing that without regard for politics.  How could that be when his deputy, serving as the prosecutor, was voted out of that office?
I am proud of the job I do now, but I believe that I can make a difference when elected as prosecuting attorney. I have not intended to, nor am I going to run a mudslinging campaign, but I couldn’t and wouldn’t let his undeserved letter go unanswered. If my opponent wants to continue to sling mud, he will do so without response from me because my record as a trial attorney speaks for itself.
I am not perfect, but I would like the honor of using my ability to protect the citizens of Jay County.
Jill Gonzalez
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