County Attorney LaWall faces challenger Roach in forum Saturday

Incumbent County Attorney Barbara LaWall and her election challenger Brad Roach face each other at a free political forum 10 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 4.

The event will be in the Anza Room at the Santa Rita Springs recreation center just off the Interstate 19 east frontage road.

The event is sponsored by the Green Valley Sahuarita Chamber of Commerce.

LaWall has been Pima County attorney since her election in 1996, the first woman elected to that job.

LaWall has said she has focused intensely on fighting violent crime.

Roach worked in the prosecutor’s office under LaWall, and she tried to fire him during an investigation of the murder of Dr. Brian Stidham. She said he withheld information that would have helped the investigation.

LaWall eventually reduced that to a 15-day suspension, but the county’s merit commission reduced that to a written reprimand.

Roach resigned and became a defense attorney.

The campaign is sometime acrimonious.

LaWall says she’s doing a good job fighting crime in the county and has been recognized by her peers for her good work.

Roach said she is most interested in compiling favorable statistics, and he said the voters deserve a chance to see “all the flaws” in the current job-holder.

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