ER - Dikeman announces run for District Attorney position - 6/22/2005

ER - Dikeman announces run for District Attorney position
Dikeman announces run for District Attorney position
6/22/2005

Humboldt County Deputy District Attorney Worth Dikeman held a news conference at the Wharfinger Building Wednesday announcing his candidacy for district attorney of Humboldt County.

“For well over a year people have been urging me to run,” Dikeman said. “The effort to unseat (current District Attorney Paul Gallegos) will be an uphill battle. That is why I am announcing now that (I) am running.”

On Tuesday, Gallegos told The Eureka Reporter that he intends on running for re-election.

Jim Kucharek, a self-described friend of Dikeman, opened the news conference with an introduction of Dikeman and a speech about what makes a good district attorney.

A good district attorney needs to have outstanding legal skills with decision making skills, maturity and be a team player willing to work with the Board of Supervisors and other county departments, Kucharek said.

Kucharek said that Gallegos has been given three years to demonstrate his abilities as a district attorney and lacks the wisdom, experience and maturity needed for the position.

After Kucharek’s introduction, Dikeman told the crowd of approximately 40 people, including at least 10 local media representatives, that he was going to run a positive campaign and that he has no intention of leaving his current position in the District Attorney’s Office.

He said he will only be spending his personal time campaigning and he said he wants to restore trust and confidence in the district attorney position.

The district attorney is the chief law-enforcement officer in the community and has to be able to make difficult decisions, Dikeman said.

The DA’s duty is to make sure laws are enforced, not to file charges that should have not been filed in the first place, he said in reference to the now-dismissed fraud lawsuit filed against Pacific Lumber Co. by Gallegos.

Dikeman said there is nothing wrong with the District Attorney’s Office that can’t be fixed with change at the top.

After his announcement speech, Dikeman took questions from the crowd.
While in his position as deputy district attorney, Dikeman said he will continue to do what Gallegos asks of him.

“If he tells me to jump, he’ll tell me how high,” he said.

Dikeman said he does not know the percentage of cases he has successfully prosecuted and he said none of the attorneys in the District Attorney’s Office have encouraged him to run for the position.

After the news conference, Richard Salzman, campaign manager for the Friends of Paul Gallegos, was asked when Gallegos’ campaign for re-election was going to begin.

“Worth kicked off his campaign for him,” Salzman said.

Salzman said Dikeman was beginning his campaign early and he questioned why Dikeman would begin his campaign at this time if he wanted to maintain an effective office.

Local election campaigns historically begin a few months before an election, he said.

The election for Humboldt County district attorney will be held on June 6.

Gallegos ran against Terry Farmer for the position of Humboldt County district attorney in March 2002. Gallegos defeated Farmer with 52.3 percent, or 17,573 votes. Farmer garnered 47.6 percent, or 15,992 votes, according to Susan Franke, a Humboldt County elections official.

An election to recall Gallegos was held in March 2004. The recall of Gallegos was defeated by voters, with 32,680 or 61.4 percent of the people voting no to recall Gallegos and 20,517 or 38.6 percent voting yes on the recall.

Gloria Albin Sheets, Dikeman and Steven Schectman ran to fill the DA's position in the event Gallegos was recalled.

Dikeman received 22,280 votes or 55.8 percent, Schectman received 9,791 votes or 21.5 percent and Albin Sheets received 5,518 votes or 12.9 percent.
 
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