Democrat Forrest Wegge opted not to run for a fourth four-year term as Jefferson County prosecuting attorney, but a pair of his assistant prosecutors are seeking to replace him in the Nov. 6 general election.
Republican Trisha C. Stefanski and Democrat Tom Hollingsworth, both of whom have more than a decade’s worth of experience working under Wegge, are looking to succeed him.
The prosecuting attorney is paid $137,735 a year.
STEFANSKI, 43, lists her address as P.O. Box 1004, Arnold. She and her fiance, Patrick Christopher, have four children. She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in criminal justice from Southwest Missouri State in 1998 and a law degree from St. Louis University in 2005. She has been a communications chair for the Immaculate Conception Athletic Association since 2016, a bunco chairperson for Holy Child School since 2014 and a member of the Drug Endangered Children Coalition since 2016. She was the fundraising co-chair for the Meramec Sharks hockey team in 2015-2016.
Social media: Website: stefanskiforpa.com Facebook: Trisha Stefanski for Jefferson County Prosecutor 2018 Twitter: @justice_326
HOLLINGSWORTH, 47, lives at 5376 Hwy. P, De Soto. He and his wife, Misty, have three children. He attended St. Pius X High School and is a 1989 graduate of Hillsboro High School. He received an associate degree from Jefferson College in 1998, a bachelor’s degree from Truman State University in 2000 and a law degree from Washington University in 2003. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1990-1996 and has been active in Scouting.
Social media: Website: tom2018.com
Why are you more qualified to be prosecuting attorney?
Stefanski: The prosecuting attorney has a variety of duties, including managing attorneys and staff members. The best managers have the experience of those they are supervising. Over the past 11 years, I have been prosecuting robbers, drunken drivers, drug dealers, child abusers and murderers. I worked as a paralegal full time while I attended law school at night. There is not a task that the attorneys or staff handle that I have not done or would not do myself. I have also earned a reputation for being tough but fair and always willing to listen.
Hollingsworth: The breadth and depth of my experience, legal and general, is greater than my rival. I better understand Jefferson County demographics, cultures and subcultures, even the geography. My courtroom skills are matched by my legal and political knowledge. I know the bench and the bar. I understand the difference between winning and being successful. Having done defense work, I know both sides of the criminal justice system.
What is your opinion about the current operation of the office? What changes would you make?
Stefanski: I love working for the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. However, over the last 11 years the trends in crime have changed and our office needs to change with them. I will create a domestic abuse and sex crimes unit to help move these cases more quickly. We cannot function without law enforcement, so I will strengthen our bond with them by hosting yearly refresher training to include law changes, report writing and testifying. Our office will have a social media presence so that we can inform the public of law changes, verdicts, sentences and other community activities.
Hollingsworth: Mr. Wegge has built a team of talented people and retained them by using good management practices. I will continue that. I would encourage my staff to live in Jefferson County. The use of computers in the courtroom will improve the efficiency of each docket call. Increasing the investigative capacities of the office may make the difference between merely identifying the culprit and having a case that is fit for court. I think the office can do a better job of that.
Why should voters elect you to this position? List your goals, if elected.
Stefanski: I am a public servant and I will do my best to serve the community. I will enhance our presence with the court programs for veterans, drug defendants and DWI courts. I will unite law enforcement, EMS, firefighters, the courts and our office to create a coalition that will help minimize the effect of opioids. Another goal is to create a domestic abuse and sex crimes unit. This will help these cases get reviewed and issued more quickly so that victims can begin to get some sort of closure.
Hollingsworth: I will work aggressively to get dangerous people like drug dealers and sex offenders off the streets and put other offenders under supervision. I will protect the people and their property, shorten the time it takes to bring charges and get cases through the court system faster and with better outcomes. While there is room for compassion and even kindness in a prosecutor, I believe in being assertive, patient and persistent.