Letter To The Editor

Janet Christoffersen will be a strong county attorney for Richland County. Eastern Montana will always be home to me. I was raised in Sheridan County, Montana, and resided there for more than thirty years. Because of that, I have personally known Janet’s family for many years as driven, independent, reliable, and trustworthy individuals. Janet exhibits all of those quality traits, and more.

I have primarily practiced in Red Lodge, Montana since, 2005; however, my criminal defense practice has recently expanded to take me home to eastern Montana, and specifically, Richland County. My criminal practice has placed me squarely in opposition to Janet, and I have since come to know Janet on a professional level. It is no surprise that the personal qualities I have known in Janet have carried over to her profession as a deputy county attorney. Her dedication to our law enforcement officers, community safety, and criminal accountability, is unquestioned. Although I don’t always agree with her position on our cases, she approaches those matters with dignified respect, fairness, and professionalism, with a passionate approach to ensuring justice.

Doing justice doesn’t always mean that offenders should be jailed or go to prison. Justice means that every case is unique and requires a unique approach to resolution, and offender accountability. While Janet recognizes that incarceration is appropriate in certain cases, she always gives unique attention to the particular facts to ensure that justice is accomplished. She knows that to prevent people from reoffending, traditional punishments do not always succeed; novel approaches must be used to hold defendants accountable, to rehabilitate them, and to work toward their ultimate reform to keep our communities safe.

This approach requires more work and effort for a prosecuting attorney than just taking a “blanket approach” to cases. Janet is willing to go the extra mile and do that extra work to ensure that Richland County is a safe, secure place to work, raise a family, and operate a business.

The county attorney is responsible to advise the county on many non-criminal matters. Her background in private practice, where she honed her legal abilities, and her common sense approach to legal issues, will serve her well as county attorney. Richland County can rest assured that if Janet Christoffersen is elected as County Attorney, she will work to ensure that the county is safe, offenders are held accountable, and the county has first class legal representation.

Please consider Janet Christoffersen for County Attorney in the upcoming primary election.

Sincerely,

Steven L. Thuesen

Attorney at Law

 

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