For the first time in 19 years, a new prosecuting attorney will be elected for Ingham County. The election will result in either Republican Billie Jo O’Berry or Democrat Carol Siemon and either way, will mark the first female to be elected to the Ingham County position.
After former prosecuting attorney Stuart Dunnings III resigned after pleading guilty to 15 prostitution-related crimes in the Ingham, Clinton and Ionia counties, current Ingham County prosecuting attorney Gretchen Whitmer took over.
Voters on Nov. 8 will determine who will be elected into position and help rebuild the reputation of the Ingham County Prosecutor’s Office. In addition to restoring the faith in the position, the elected Ingham County prosecuting attorney acts as the chief law enforcement officer for Ingham County.
“There’s a lot of discretion in terms of bringing charges, there’s a lot of important work that needs to be done in terms of keeping the public informed and making determinations on activities (in) the prosecutor’s office,” Whitmer said. “And really, the most important thing we do is determine when and what charges to bring for crimes that are committed within Ingham County.”
Both O’Berry and Siemon are looking to increase transparency in the prosecutor’s office and want to use proportionate responses to crime, but their focuses on other issues differ.
O’Berry wants to focus on increasing communication and contact between victims, the public and the court.
To do this, she would develop a 24-hour line for victims so that they could call and check on the status of their case, she said. She would also like to issue reports to local media sources to update the public on problem areas throughout the county and would go through pending cases that have not been reviewed or issued and develop a complete audit of the evidence involved.
O’Berry also wants to develop a public defender’s office for Ingham County to ensure minorities and people of lower economic levels have legal counsel with proper resources to defend them in cases, she said.
“I was in court today, or just recently got out of court — one of the victims indicated to me that she didn’t understand the process or what was occurring,” she said. “My paramount focus is on victims understanding the system so they don’t feel further victimized by the judicial process.”
Siemon’s focus is on addressing national social issues at a local level. She hopes to tackle gun control by working with local police and local groups to try to keep guns out of the hands of people who are not able to safely handle firearms. She hopes to combat heroin and opioid drug use in the county. Siemon also hopes to work with victims of domestic and sexual assault through making connections with MSU Safe Place and the Title IX program.
“I’m a big advocate for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault,” Siemon said. “So I want to make sure that we’re fair to the defendants but that we’re also having a response that is really appropriate.”
Both Siemon and O’Berry can bring years of experience with them to the Ingham County prosecuting attorney position.
Siemon’s experiences include working as a lawyer for 35 years, as an assistant prosecutor for 11 years and as a division head in the prosecutor’s office. She served as a division head in the prosecutor’s office and supervised a staff of 37 and a budget of $5.4 million. She has also worked in all three branches of state government, she said.
I was a prosecutor back in the 80s and 90s and always worked in areas involving juvenile justice and child welfare and race equity and sexual assault, things that are social justice issues in my mind,” Siemon said. “I’m a social liberal, I’m for social justice and it adds a perspective that’s a little different.”
As for O’Berry’s experience, her first job was in the Ingham County Prosecutor’s Office in 1975, where she helped the directors set up a pre-trial diversion program that is still in existence in Ingham County. O’Berry is currently still prosecuting cases in Lansing and has been doing so for almost three decades, she said. She has also served as the court-appointed defense counsel for juvenile cases in Ingham County, among other experiences in her field.
“The other thing people don’t realize about my job with the city is that I have two functions,” she said. “Not only do I prosecute cases, but I work for the city of Lansing as a municipal attorney and I attend city council meetings and their issues regarding contracts and development contracts and funding for various programs. ... I would challenge anyone to compare their resume to mine.
Whether O’Berry or Siemon wins the election, the new Ingham County prosecuting attorney will set a new tone for the Ingham County Prosecutor’s Office.
“There’s an enormous amount of discretion in a prosecutor, and it’s really critical to know what their values are, what their thought process is, how they go about making a determination, what factors they take into consideration,” Whitmer said. “Every one of us in society depends on the ethical execution of duties of people in law enforcement. And whether you’re someone who is a defendant, you want to make sure your prosecutor is thoughtful and ethically driven. If you’re a victim, you want to make sure your prosecutor is always keeping your voice in mind as they move forward, so every one of us has a stake in this election.”
