DALEY NEW ST. JOHN D.A.
Published 12:00 am Monday, October 6, 2008
By KEVIN CHIRI
Editor and Publisher
LAPLACE – A new era in law enforcement begins in St. John Parish today, as former Louisiana circuit court judge Tom Daley was voted in on Saturday as the new district attorney for the 40th Judicial District Court.
Daley, who was formerly a district judge and then moved up to become a judge on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in Louisiana, surprised many when he announced a decision to run for St. John district attorney.
On Saturday, Daley won the election over his only opponent, earning 55.8 percent of the vote to beat political newcomer Kerry Brown, with 44.2 percent of the vote.
Daley received 6,220 votes in the 36 precincts of the 40th Judicial District, while Brown received 4,926 votes.
Daley will take over the seat which had been held for 24 years by John Crum, who decided to retire and not run again.
Daley said that he wanted to run as the local district attorney since he was tired of seeing what he called the “revolving door” of career criminals going in and out of the court system, but frequently landing back on the streets.
Daley has issued a five point plan that he says will end such a problem, and has promised that he will become stronger in the prosecution of criminals than the parish has seen in the past.
Brown, who had never run for political office before, ran a surprisingly strong race against Daley, who some believed to be the strong front runner due to his edge in law enforcement experience.
But Brown, a local attorney, built a strong base of support with a low-key, campaign accomplished through door-to-door and grass roots support.