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Heckert has won DA race by Sanne Specht Thursday, May 17th 2012 A A Chief Deputy District Attorney Beth Heckert will become the county’s first female DA when she takes office in January. - Jamie Lusch District Attorney-elect Beth Heckert was back in court Wednesday after voters resoundingly supported her bid for Jackson County's top spot in law enforcement. Less than 24 hours after winning the DA's race, Heckert was shepherding an attempted murder case through the justice system after taking a few moments to express gratitude for all who supported her and relief that her campaigning days are over. "I have a lot of cases on my desk," Heckert said. District Attorney Mark Huddleston, who will retire in December after almost two decades at the helm of the DA's office, gave Heckert his endorsement before the campaign and his congratulations upon her victory. I'm very pleased Beth received such overwhelming support in this primary," Huddleston said. "I'm happy for her and I'm happy for Jackson County. I don't know how much any endorsement is worth. But clearly, in my opinion, she was the best candidate." Heckert took an early and commanding lead in the three-way race against challengers Rob Patridge, district director for U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, and one of her colleagues, Deputy District Attorney David Hoppe. After the votes were tallied, Heckert's lead held at 19,725 votes, or 54.2 percent. Patridge came in with 10,427 votes, or 28.6 percent, and Hoppe trailed at 17 percent with 6,211 votes. Had none of the candidates gained a majority, the top two vote-getters would've faced off in the general election. "The original plan was to go all the way to November," Heckert said. "It's good to get done with the politics side and get back to working." Patridge and Hoppe accepted their defeat with equanimity. Patridge had called for major changes within the DA's office, stating law enforcement is frustrated with the status quo. Voters have "made their decision," but Patridge expressed pride at having raised "ideas and issues." "We felt there was a change in culture and leadership that needed to occur," Patridge said. Heckert and Hoppe had hammered back at Patridge's criticism, calling him a career politician with little prosecutorial experience. Heckert said she plans to bridge any communication gaps that may exist between police agencies and the DA's office. "The hardest part of the campaign was hearing people say negative comments about our office and not back them up with facts," she said. "I think the men and women in our office work really hard." Heckert will be the county's first female district attorney. But her gender didn't enter in her campaign strategy, Heckert said. While Heckert and Patridge each spent about $40,000 on their campaigns, Hoppe raised almost $30,000 and spent just more than $19,000, records with the Oregon Secretary of State's Office show. About $19,000 in Hoppe's donations came from his wife, Candace Hoppe. Nearly all his expenditures went to Paradux Media Group, financial reports show. Patridge had more than 250 individual donors and said he appreciated his "wide base of support." "I spent some of my own money," Patridge said, adding he doesn't regret the expense. Reports show Patridge contributed $9,400 to his campaign. The bulk of Patridge's expenditures were to FizzBang Multimedia Studios and Lamphier Associates Inc. Heckert spent most of her money on broadcast and radio media. Her mother, Else Olsen, was her biggest donor, contributing $8,500. Huddleston gave Heckert about $1,700. Huddleston's donation came from the leftover balance from his "one and only contested election in 1996," he said. Heckert said campaigning was taxing physically, mentally and financially. But she enjoyed meeting community members and telling them about the DA's office, she said. "People have a TV perspective of what a DA's office is like," Heckert said. "They are surprised to learn we completed 7,000 cases last year, that we have 20 attorneys and 45 full-time staff members." Heckert soon will sit down with her staff to discuss the future. "I don't have any drastic changes planned," Heckert said. "But I plan to talk one-on-one with them about what my expectations are." Patridge said he would go back to working for Walden. But he didn't rule out a future run for DA. "I've wanted to run for DA for a long time because I care about my community, and I care about where I grew up," Patridge said. Hoppe, while disappointed with his showing, expressed gratitude that Heckert, a career prosecutor with 23 years of experience, had won. An admitted dark horse in the primary, Hoppe said he hoped his campaign had pulled votes from Patridge. "I certainly hope so," Hoppe said, adding if Patridge had won, he'd have left the DA's office. "I am willing to continue working in the office doing what I do if (Heckert) will have me," Hoppe said. Hoppe still has a place in the DA's office, Heckert said. She said she hasn't yet made a decision about who will fill her former spot as the chief deputy district attorney. The DA has the most power of anyone in the criminal justice system, said Doug Engle, director of Southern Oregon Public Defender Inc. The head of the county's court-appointed attorneys said Heckert's experience makes her a good fit for the DA's position. "Jackson County's district attorney's office will be in good hands with Beth in charge," Engle said. "Our office is confident she'll do a good job." Reach reporter Sanne Specht at 541-776-4497 or email [email protected]. STAY CONNECTED Like Us Follow Us © 2019 Mail Tribune Privacy Terms News In Photos Loading ...