Terry Light running for district attorney
By Steve Herring
Published in News on October 20, 2014 4:19 PM
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Terry Light discusses her campaign for district attorney of the 8th Judicial District.
Terry Light says she had never considered politics until her boss, District Attorney Branny Vickory, told her he was retiring.
That was more than two years ago, and Ms. Light, 43, who has spent 17 and a half years in the DA's office, has been running for that office ever since.
"At that time I put the thought process into motion about what I wanted the future of the DA's office to look like and in order for it to look like I wanted it to, I had to run," she said.
A Democrat, she will face fellow Assistant District Attorney Matt Delbridge, a Republican, in the Nov. 4 midterm elections.
Ms. Light said she thinks she is the person for the job because she loves what she does. Also she said she is a tough and successful prosecutor and a person who cares about the community.
"I have prosecuted my whole career," she said. "There has never been a day when I didn't want to go to work, and I wanted to keep that up. Part of that reason is because we have an office that is great place to work. We do good work.
"We have a lot of people who have worked there a long time. It is a family, and we enjoy doing what we do. I wanted to make sure that the office stayed at that level of family, personally speaking, as the office is concerned, and to keep that level of work constant."
Ms. Light worked in private practice for a short time after graduating from law school, but her heart was elsewhere.
"I have wanted to be a prosecutor forever," she said. "I have wanted to be a lawyer since I was about 12 years old, but always had something in my heart that was kind of a public servant type attitude.
"When I heard about the opening at the DA's office, I jumped on it immediately. I knew it was exactly where I wanted to be. I was right. I have loved it ever since. It is good to be of service. It just feels good."
Ms. Light said that people she meets while campaigning are telling her the court system doesn't move fast enough.
"That is one of my top priorities to make it more efficient, time efficient, especially the process when a court case is initiated," she said. "People also tell me they are concerned about their gun rights."
There has been an overwhelming surge in gun violence, she said.
The DA's office is not a policy-maker and does not affect gun legislation, she said.
"I do not believe that law-abiding citizens should be punished for non-law-abiding citizens," she said. "If you are a law-abiding citizen, you have legal guns and want to use them legally, then that is what you should be able to do."
Another major is issue is overcrowding at the Wayne County Jail, she said.
"Again, that is something that we work with law enforcement a lot also," Ms. Light said. "We, as a district attorney's office, have got to be more efficient prosecuting our violent felonies, moving them through the process as efficiently as we can.
"There are some people awaiting murder trials for three or four years at this point and that's just not helpful to anyone. It is not helpful to the victims. It is not helpful to law enforcement. It is not helpful to our case."
There are several reasons for the slow speed, she said.
The legislature took positions away from the DA's office just like everywhere else during the budget crunch a few years ago, she said.
The second issue is a state crime lab that can take years to process evidence, she said.
"We as the DA's office can put a little more manpower and concentration in getting those violent felonies that are in the jail to move a little bit faster," Ms. Light said. "We are just going to have to find a way to do it. There's a way. We are just going to have to find it."
Ms. Light said she would like to follow Vickory's example of prosecuting cases because she needs to know what is going on in the courtroom, with jury pools, what the public thinks and how the judges work.
"I would think some cases are just that important that they should have my full attention," she said.
Ms. Light said she thinks the DA's race should be nonpartisan because it is not a partisan job.
"We do not make policy," she said. "We have one focus and what party you belong to does not make one bit of difference on how you do this job. It doesn't."
And despite what some people might say, Ms. Light said the county's trial lawyers are not a factor in the race.
"We have a smaller bar because of smaller firms," she said. "Nobody influences the DA's office since I have been there, and it will not when I am there. Nobody will.
"We do not operate like that. Mr. Vickory has been an excellent example of how to be a neutral elected official, make fair decisions. I don't find it to be an issue here in this district."