Instead of doing our own endorsements, we're publishing a couple reader perspectives on the Hennepin County Attorney race. This reader endorsement was written by Senator Scott Dibble, the State Senator for Senate District 61 in Southwest Minneapolis. You can find all of our reader endorsements here. If you want to write your own, you can email us at info@southwestvoices.news for more information. Have thoughts about the format of the Reader Endorsements? Add them to the "add context" box at the bottom of this piece.

‍

My friend Mary Moriarty is running for Hennepin County Attorney. I encourage others to join me in voting for her in the Primary Election by August 9th.

I’m supporting Mary because I trust and am inspired by her intelligence and thoughtfulness, her experience and her vision for criminal justice reform here in Hennepin County.

Mary served for 31 years as a Hennepin County Public Defender, six of those years heading up the office as the first woman to serve as Chief Public Defender. She was recognized nationally by her peers as one of the best chief public defenders in the country. Likewise, the office she ran was recognized nationally as one of the most successful. She is the only candidate in this race who has managed a large office of legal professionals. Even more importantly, she has a firsthand understanding of the issues facing our communities and a plan to make our justice system work to keep all of us safe. She comes to this job as a practicing professional, having made criminal justice and public safety the entire focus of her life and career.

Mary and I have stood together at rallies to protect transgender kids; we’ve talked to delegates at Senate District conventions about what public safety and justice means to them; we’ve knocked doors together, connecting with voters where they live and hearing about the issues impacting their day-to-day lives.

I’ve seen Mary’s passion, her drive and her expertise up close – we couldn’t ask for a better Hennepin County Attorney to serve us.

I hope you’ll join me in voting for Mary Moriarty on or before August 9th.

‍

Scott Dibble

State Senator, District 61

‍