By KEVIN CHIRI
Slidell news bureau
SLIDELL – With three weeks until the Dec. 6 election when the next District Attorney for the 22nd Judicial Court will be decided, Brian Trainor is focusing on his lone opponent and what he believes is a campaign of misleading comments about who he really is.
Trainor came out in first place on Nov. 4 when the primary election was held for the next D.A. for St. Tammany and Washington parishes.
He finished with 40 percent of the vote, and is heading for a runoff with runner-up finisher Warren Montgomery, who received 27 percent of the vote.
Trainor has endured some criticism for being the youngest candidate in the field at the age of 41, with Montgomery noting his lack of experience as a prosecutor in felony cases, as well as his connection to the St. Tammany Sheriff’s Office.
But this week as the runoff campaign heated up, Trainor took to the offensive by stating his experience both as an assistant district attorney, and a Chief Deputy for the Sheriff’s Office, are exactly the reasons he is the man for the job.
Additionally, he believes Montgomery’s years as a defense attorney are even more reason not to put the primary race runner-up into office.
“The voters have a clear choice in this election. We live in safe neighborhoods because of the cooperation between the community, law enforcement and the DA’s office. I have dedicated my career to protecting and serving the public—a successful District Attorney has to have a strong working relationship with the police—that’s the real difference between us,” he said.
Trainor went on to question the years Montgomery spent as a defense attorney when he defended “murderers, sex offenders, illegal immigrants and drug traffickers. He was paid with our tax dollars to defend illegals who came here and broke our laws. He’s built a career discrediting witnesses and attacking police.”
Trainor has spent his professional life serving the public, graduating from college with a specialized degree in criminal justice, and starting his working career with six years in the National Guard before going on to an eight-year stint as an assistant D.A. in the 22nd Judicial Court. Four years ago he was hired by Sheriff Jack Strain to the second-in-command job as Chief Deputy.
Trainor claims his broad range of experience, including the administrative role as part of the Chief Deputy position; make him the man for the job.
“I’ve worked on thousands of cases that have affected the residents of our community and my opponent has no experience managing a governmental agency, and has never managed a publicly-funded budget. By contrast, I have served in an administrative capacity with the largest law enforcement agency in the district with an annual budget over $60 million.”
Trainor also reminded citizens that Montgomery “hasn’t prosecuted a case in more than 30 years” after he went into private business.
Looking back at his strong primary showing with 40 percent of the vote, Trainor believes he has a wide range of support that made the difference.
“Our support is broad and wide. Our campaign has seen unprecedented support coming from more than 500 donors and even more volunteers,” he said. “Warren’s attacks are just a distraction from the fact he hasn’t prosecuted a case in more than 30 years. What is ironic is that my opponent has donated thousands of dollars to the very politicians he is now critical of.”
Trainor said the challenge in maintaining his lead, and earning enough votes out of the 33 percent that went to the third and fourth place finishers, will be “getting people back out to vote. We had hundreds of volunteers working the polls on Election Day. That type of support from active volunteers is humbling and inspiring.”
One final criticism Trainor dealt with during the primary campaign was an individual who filed an ethics charge against him for his involvement in a lawsuit, which coincidentally was filed the day after qualifying. Trainor was an accident recreation expert on the case and was paid for his work, while still on staff as the Chief Deputy for the Sheriff’s Office.
“The political charges levied against me the day after qualifying have been cleared and dismissed. It was proven that they were frivolous,” Trainor said. “What Warren doesn’t tell you is that he’s the only candidate in this race who was found guilty of breaking state ethics laws and was even fined by the Louisiana Board of Ethics.”
Trainor was also critical of a political ad approved by Montgomery that ridiculed the St. Tammany Sheriff’s Office, an ad that brought a strong response from Sheriff Jack Strain and was removed from YouTube by the Montgomery camp after the criticism.
“He has built a career discrediting witnesses and attacking police,” Trainor said. “Now in this campaign he’s continuing his attack on police by insulting and ridiculing them. A good prosecutor and a successful District Attorney haS to have a strong working relationship with the police, and that is something I have.”