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Clark County Prosecutor candidates at odds over nature of the office

By Laura McVicker
Published: July 27, 2010, 12:00am
3 Photos
Brent Boger, Republican candidate for Clark County Prosecutor.
Brent Boger, Republican candidate for Clark County Prosecutor. Photo Gallery

It’s been decades since Clark County voters had the chance to fill an open seat for county prosecuting attorney.

So it’s not surprising that one of the top questions in the race to succeed retiring Prosecuting Attorney Art Curtis is what kind of experience the job requires.

Brent Boger

Age: 53

Residence: Washougal

Party: Republican

Profession: Senior assistant Vancouver city attorney

Legal experience: 25 years practicing law in both public and private fields.

Money raised: $22,602

Quote: “I have broad experience for a job that has broad duties.”

Website: www.brentboger.org.

Tony Golik

Age: 43

Residence: Battle Ground

Party: Democrat

Profession: Clark County deputy prosecutor

Legal experience: 15 years as a deputy prosecutor

Money raised: $39,139

Quote: “My message is really a simple, clear and concise message: We absolutely need an experienced prosecutor leading the prosecutor’s office.”

Website: electgolik.com.

George A. Kolin

Age: 44

Residence: Washougal

Party: Independent

Profession: Private-practice attorney

Legal experience: 17 years in private-practice law

Money raised: None.

Quote: “My tactic is to get the word out about what I stand for and what I stand against.”

Brent Boger

Age: 53

Residence: Washougal

Party: Republican

Profession: Senior assistant Vancouver city attorney

Legal experience: 25 years practicing law in both public and private fields.

Money raised: $22,602

Quote: "I have broad experience for a job that has broad duties."

Website: www.brentboger.org.

Website: www.wakolin.com.

The three candidates — Tony Golik, Brent Boger and George Kolin — strongly disagree about what it means to lead an office that’s in charge of prosecuting crimes and handling civil litigation.

Curtis, who was appointed to the position in 1981, is stepping down at the end of the year. A seasoned criminal trial lawyer, he has endorsed deputy prosecutor Golik, who has a similar legal background as a deputy prosecutor assigned to major crimes.

However, opponent Brent Boger, senior assistant Vancouver city attorney, calls Golik the status-quo candidate.

In his bid for the seat, Boger, who is also a state Rebublican committeeman, has criticized Golik’s lack of civil law experience, saying the job is more about having administrative experience and a diverse legal background. Boger says he has that background.

Golik counters that Boger has virtually no criminal law experience — only four or five months’ worth. The two have sparred over this issue since launching their respective campaigns last winter.

A third candidate, Washougal defense attorney George Kolin, emerged in the race in May. He’s running on a platform that the office needs dramatically new direction and says he’s the only candidate who can bring that change.

As for money, Golik has outraised Boger, $39,000 to $22,000. Kolin has raised no money, running a relatively invisible campaign without signs or endorsements.

The top two candidates of the Aug. 17 primary will square off in the November election. Ballots will be mailed out this week.

The candidates

Golik, 43, who earned his law degree from Gonzaga University, began his legal career as a deputy prosecutor at the Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office in 1995. A Milwaukie, Ore., native, Golik moved to the Clark County Prosecutor’s Office in 2000. In both jobs, he started by prosecuting misdemeanors before moving to general felonies and then to major crimes.

Tony Golik

Age: 43

Residence: Battle Ground

Party: Democrat

Profession: Clark County deputy prosecutor

Legal experience: 15 years as a deputy prosecutor

Money raised: $39,139

Quote: "My message is really a simple, clear and concise message: We absolutely need an experienced prosecutor leading the prosecutor's office."

Website: electgolik.com.

Golik says he’s running because he believes it’s crucial for the next prosecuting attorney to have the support of those in the criminal justice system; he’s received endorsements from deputy prosecutors and all law enforcement agencies in Clark County.

He believes the office is heading in the right direction and wants to start an elder abuse unit; Curtis has already started dividing prosecutors into units.

“My message is really a simple, clear and concise message: We absolutely need an experienced prosecutor leading the prosecutor’s office,” he said.

In highlighting the criminal law workload of the office, Golik notes that of the 40 deputy prosecutors in the office, 33 make up the criminal division and seven the civil division. The elected prosecutor, who earns $148,832 a year, assigns 2,300 felony criminal cases a year.

Boger, 53, a 25-year law veteran, advises city officials on numerous issues, such as land development, planning and finance. Since starting at the city attorney’s office in 1999, he’s offered legal input in the city’s development of the Hilton Vancouver Washington, the purchase of the former Columbian building and the opposition to the proposed Cowlitz Tribal casino in northern Clark County.

He says he has a far better grasp on managing the budget of an office this size ($22 million for the 2009-10 biennium) than Golik. “Even though I’m not a manager, I’m signing off on what (city officials) do,” he said.

Boger, an Olympia native, earned his law degree from the University of the Pacific in Sacramento, Calif. Previously, he has worked as a private practice attorney in California, handling business, environmental, personal injury and products liability litigation. He also has worked as a resident attorney for the Pacific Legal Foundation, a property rights advocacy group.

With roots in the political arena, Boger has picked up endorsements from Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna, former U.S. Senator Slade Gorton and Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed, all Republicans.

George A. Kolin

Age: 44

Residence: Washougal

Party: Independent

Profession: Private-practice attorney

Legal experience: 17 years in private-practice law

Money raised: None.

Quote: "My tactic is to get the word out about what I stand for and what I stand against."

Website: www.wakolin.com.

He’s running on his diverse experience and believes the office needs a fresh approach; he promises to place more attention on white-collar crimes and hatch a public advisory council if elected. “If this job was nothing but criminal trials, I wouldn’t be running for it,” Boger said.

Kolin, 44, has a different résumé altogether. He has spent the majority of his 17-year law career in private practice, specializing in criminal defense, including domestic violence, sex abuse and violent crimes. He also has handled divorce, employment matters and civil rights cases.

In 2003, he was reprimanded by the Washington State Bar Association for reportedly overcharging a client. The reprimand stated he “didn’t provide competent representation.”

He’s focused his campaign on attacking Golik and the prosecutor’s office, citing what he describes as the wrongful prosecution of several cases. As examples, he listed the vacated sentences of two Clark County men convicted in a 1993 rape and that of a former Vancouver police officer convicted in 1985 of sexually abusing his children.

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