Solicitor runoff election today

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Voters are reminded to go back to the polls today to decide who they would like to sesrved as the Tenth Circuit Court Solicitor for Anderson and Oconee Counties. David Wagner and Rame Campbell are the choices in the runoff election being held today (Tuesday, June 28).

Campbell, serving as a deputy solicitor has less experience but touts his record as an active prosecutor who has taken more criminals to court than anyone else in the circuit. He is in the Oconee office.

Campbell Wagner has twenty five years experience and is the deputy solicitor in Anderson County

The two men share several positions on the issues.

Both agree that communication and cooperation with law enforcement is critical to more cases being tried and won. “There have been too many times when it seems as if the Solicitor’s Office and the Sheriff’s Office are not really on the same page,” said Campbell. One remedy he suggests is more aggressive prosecution of property crimes, requiring financial restitution to the victims.

He takes a strong stand concerning repeat offenders, recommending longer sentences. “If they are in a jail cell, they can’t keep repeating their crimes.”

Wagner tends a bit more towards tough prosecution of violent criminals as a priority, such as murderers, sexual predators, drug dealers and those who commit crimes of domestic violence. He has said that property crimes of a lesser nature simply receive a lower priority. “We have limited resources, and those resources continue to shrink, even as our population continues to grow. We have to allocate them so as to achieve the greatest good.”

While both men support the death penalty, Wagner goes so far as to say that it should be restored for certain crimes besides murder. “Child molesters, for example, are virtually impossible to rehabilitate. If you put a child molester in jail for a number of years, you still release a child molester when their time is up.”

Asked what his most important duty as Solicitor would be, Campbell mentioned restoring the public confidence in the solicitor’s office. He acknowledged the current administration’s perceived preference for plea bargains and cutting deals as a part of that problem.

Wagner touted both his administration of the Solicitor’s office as well as his record in court, conceding that administration is a large part of the job, but stressing that he intends to be more active in the courtroom as well.

Both men and their families call Anderson County home.