To the editor:
I write to relate my personal experience with Robert Gibson, present Columbia County judicial candidate, and my conclusions regarding his judicial suitability to the present needs of the county’s residents.
I have worked with Bob for many years in this County’s courts. As the Public Defender I opposed him as the prosecutor on many cases. He was always responsive to argument as to the elements and weaknesses of initial charges as they were brought. The outcomes of cases were thereby much fairer.
In his later role as the county Social Services Commissioner, and up to now, I have worked with him on various attacks to be mounted against the rising drug addiction threat around us. He and I wrote the County’s legal complaints against drug manufacturers and those down the chain that allow drugs to be so prevalent. The money settlements as the result of many suits have begun to flow. The issues now are how to apply the monies for the best results against the problems of addiction surrounding us. Bob and I discuss alternative uses continually. Stronger treatment courts, careful supportive services, more vigorous law enforcement, and above all a compassionate response to the emptiness addicts speak of are regular topics.
So, Bob is, in my judgement, an outstanding candidate for election as Columbia County Judge. All of us need his outlook, steady hand and expressed determination to deal in a balanced manner with all the human problems the Court faces.
Robert Linville
Old Chatham