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District Attorney Geoff Rushlau (J.W. Oliver photo) |
By J.W. Oliver
Longtime District Attorney Geoff Rushlau says his experience and his consistent, fair approach to the job will continue to make him an effective district attorney.
Rushlau, R-Dresden, brings 21 years as district attorney and 34 years as a prosecutor to his campaign for a sixth consecutive four-year term.
Only Penobscot County District Attorney R. Christopher Almy can boast more experience as a district attorney in Maine, according to Rushlau.
Rushlau represents Maine Prosecutorial District 6, which includes Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc, and Waldo counties.
The role of a district attorney differs from district to district. Rushlau continues to prosecute major cases, as well as less significant cases when necessary.
District 6 tries as many or more cases as any district in the state and does not shy away from difficult cases, such as child abuse, domestic violence, or sexual assault cases, which often rely on the testimony of a single victim, Rushlau said.
Rushlau cites the rise of elder abuse and opiate abuse – both synthetic opiates like OxyContin and Suboxone and, more recently, heroin – as concerning trends in the district.
The destructive power of opiate abuse manifests itself in increases in overdose deaths and births of “drug-affected” infants. Today, more people die of overdoses than in car accidents, Rushlau said.
His office also has a close eye on the growing problem of elder abuse. Lincoln County’s large elderly population makes the area fertile ground for such crimes.
“Those cases have their own extremely significant challenges, but we are doing as much as anybody can, I think, to react to that in a positive and aggressive way,” Rushlau said.
Rushlau’s opponent, David Sinclair, D-Bath, wants to expand the use of programs like ReFinement, which allows criminals to work off fines; and restorative justice, which seeks to have criminals reconcile with victims and their community.
The Belfast office in District 6 was a pioneer in restorative justice, Rushlau said. The other counties in the district also take advantage of the program when appropriate, such as in cases with young offenders.
As far as ReFinement, for decades judges have allowed criminals to work off fines through a less formal process, Rushlau said. “It’s a good thing to do,” Rushlau said. “It’s better than having people just have these fines hanging over their heads forever.”
The program “is a process of the court,” however, and does not involve the district attorney’s office, Rushlau said.
Rushlau also responded to his opponent’s criticism of his office’s willingness to resolve domestic violence cases through plea bargains.
“I think what it really illustrates is a lack of experience in how domestic violence cases can be handled,” Rushlau said.
Domestic violence cases pose a challenge to prosecutors because victims often recant in order to reconcile with the offender.
Sometimes, the district attorney’s office can successfully prosecute a case without the testimony of the victim if it has other evidence to substitute for the testimony.
The district attorney’s office does not always have other evidence, however, and in those cases, “we will try to negotiate to get a good outcome, the best outcome under the circumstances, and hope that has some effect on the defendant,” Rushlau said.
Rushlau, 61, was born in Colorado, where his father was in the U.S. Air Force. The family moved to Brunswick when Rushlau was 7.
Rushlau graduated from Brunswick High School, Beloit College in Beloit, Wis., with a degree in history; and the University of Maine School of Law.
He was an assistant district attorney in Androscoggin County from 1980-1983 and Sagadahoc County from 1983-1993.
As an assistant district attorney, Rushlau worked for John Atwood, who left to join Gov. John McKernan’s cabinet as commissioner of public safety and later became a superior court justice; and William Anderson, now a superior court justice.
McKernan appointed Anderson a District Court judge in June 1993, and appointed Rushlau to take his place as district attorney. Rushlau won election to the office in 1994 and re-election in 1998, 2002, 2006, and 2010.
Rushlau fended off challenges from Newcastle Democrat Kim Rosendo in 1994 and Boothbay Democrat Michael Turndorf in 1998. He was challenged only once in the next three elections, defeating Belfast independent Joe Baiungo in 2006.
This year, he feels “reasonably confident” about his re-election prospects due to his effectiveness, in his opinion, as a district attorney, and his past electoral success.
“I think I’ve been an effective prosecutor in large part because I recognize I always have more to learn and I never stop educating myself about cases, about people, and about the law,” Rushlau said.
Rushlau does not know how long he might continue beyond another term. He has not ruled out the possibility of a move to the bench.
“Other than the possibility of at some point applying to be a judge, I really have no interest in anything else other than doing what I’m doing right now, because, in many ways, it is really one of the best legal jobs you could ever hope to have,” Rushlau said.
Rushlau belongs to the Maine Prosecutors Association and currently serves as its vice president for legislation. He was the president of the association from 1998-2000 and 2006-2008.
