‘Best choice’ for top prosecutor
Editorial board endorses in race for Orange-Osceola State Attorney.
When deciding who should become a state attorney, voters usually consider things like a experience, endorsements and priorities.
When it comes to deciding who should become the top prosecutor in Orange and Osceola counties, another factor comes to mind.
Will that person follow the law, even if he or she disagrees with it?
Aramis Ayala did not when it came to the death penalty, and the ensuing controversy hung over her tenure. Ayala’s opposition to capital punishment led her to not seek re-election as state attorney for Florida’s 9th Judicial Circuit.
The four Democratic candidates running for the job say they will enforce all laws. That’s good news for voters who felt duped by Ayala’s lack of transparency on such a hot-button issue.
Even better news is Belvin Perry, Deborah Barra, Monique Worrell and Ryan Williams are all quality candidates worthy of serious consideration. More elections should feature such solid, credible candidates.
But we think Barra, currently the chief assistant state attorney, is the best choice for the job.
The Democratic primary is Aug. 18. No Republican qualified for the race, and the Democratic winner will face independent candidate Jose Torroella in the November general election, who is a long shot. So the primary is likely for all the marbles.
Barra leads one of the strongest candidate fields we’ve seen in a long time. Most of them largely agree on issues like police oversight, juvenile justice and sentencing and bail reform.
We think Barra has the right ideas and the demeanor to implement them. She’s been in the State Attorney’s office for 16 years, working her way up to second in command and overseeing 180 prosecutors and the day-to-day operations.
Barra is against the death penalty but said she would not pull an Ayala, who announced two months into the job she would abandon death penalty prosecutions. That was news to almost everyone, especially voters who might have wanted to consider that position before casting their vote.
Gov. Rick Scott reassigned 30 death penalty cases to 5th District. After the Florida Supreme Court backed Scott, Ayala assembled a seven-member panel of prosecutors to determine which cases warranted the death penalty.
Barra said she will keep the review panel, but she would also be a part of it and require a unanimous decision to pursue a death penalty.
“I understand what the law is in the state of Florida,” she said. “As such, we absolutely have to consider the death penalty.”
Ayala’s move prompted Williams to resign from her office in 2017 and move with the death penalty cases to the 5th District. While he has aggressively prosecuted violent offenses, Williams favors diversionary programs for low-level crimes and first-time offenders.
Williams said he would keep the review panel, but he would decide whether to pursue the death penalty.
“I do not believe unelected members of a panel, whether they are prosecutors or not, should hold that ultimate responsibility,” he said. While other candidates say the justice system needs a tune-up, Worrell echoes Ayala in believing it is “fundamentally flawed” and needs a thorough makeover that de-emphasizes incarceration.
Worrell’s outsider’s perspective comes from spending 17 years as a professor at the University of Florida College of Law, where she headed the Criminal Justice Center. She’s never been a prosecutor, having been an assistant public defender in Orange County from 1999-2001.
Worrell returned to the 9th Circuit in 2018 to head the Conviction Integrity Unit Ayala started. She left after a year to become chief legal officer for the REFORM Alliance, a New York-based criminal reform organization founded by hip-hop artist Meek Mill.
Worrell said she would expand the death penalty review panel to include defense attorneys and members of the community, but she would make the ultimate decision.
Perry would abolish the panel and make all the calls on death penalty cases. He was a circuit court judge for almost 25 years and gained nationwide attention when he presided over the Casey Anthony trial in 2011.
Perry knows the system inside and out, but he hasn’t been a prosecutor since 1989. While his opponents praise Perry’s career, some question whether he’s a good longterm choice for an office that will have its third leader in five years.
Perry says he has plenty of gas left in his tank and he’s running because constituents want him to.
“They want experienced leadership that will work with the community,” he said. “That can bridge the gap between community and law enforcement.”
The gap between the state attorney’s office and law enforcement and other agencies got pretty wide under Ayala. She was an outsider and did not build the relationships needed to implement her policies.
That said, Ayala brought diversity to the office and started some worthy reforms. All the candidates have the acumen to do the job, but one is best positioned to continue the positive steps without the political rancor.
It was a close call, but we recommend Barra for state attorney.
Election endorsements are the opinion of the Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, which consists of Opinion Editor Mike Lafferty, Jennifer A. Marcial Ocasio, Jay Reddick, David Whitley and Editor-in-Chief Julie Anderson. Sentinel Columnist Scott Maxwell participates in interviews and deliberations. To watch the candidate interviews, go to OrlandoSentinel.com/interviews.