Jonathan Meyer is a meticulous man.
I know this firsthand, because I was his campaign manager during his 2009 campaign for the position of Lewis County Prosecutor against now former Prosecutor Michael Golden. Prior to my time here at The Chronicle, while I was in college, I worked with local political campaigns both as an employed operative and as an independent, self-employed marketing and branding contractor.
And working for Jonathan Meyer’s campaign was one of the easiest jobs I ever had as a political professional — because his values were so stellar. One of the things I loved about his campaign? He is an absolute stickler when it comes to tax dollars. I would even jokingly call him a real budget miser in that regard.
So, when this hullabaloo arose over the prosecutor’s office $5,000 per year suit allowance — I was really curious, knowing Jonathan personally, what his thoughts were on all this. We had coffee over the topic at Shakespeare & Company in Chehalis yesterday.
“What we don’t want, is a revolving door of prosecutors,” said Meyer, explaining that, in his mind, the suit allowance was partly a recruiting tool.
It’s no secret that most attorneys take a pay cut to become deputy prosecutors — and that’s certainly true in Lewis County. According to Meyer, a deputy prosecutor in Thurston County can make $20,000 more per year than a deputy prosecutor here.
In fact, Meyer was able to name at least a half a dozen attorneys he knew personally who had left Lewis County for greater economic opportunities, both in private practice and for other cities or counties.
Meyer explained that the suit allowance dollars are also very controlled and highly specific. The allowance — a reimbursement — can be used for exterior clothing only. So, clothing that is seen or visible in court, which would not include undershirts, etc. Prosecutors have to have been working for the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office for more than one year to take advantage of the allowance — an incentive to help prevent that revolving door.
The prosecutor, himself, is not eligible for the suit allowance dollars. And, only deputy prosecutors on the criminal side are eligible for the dollars — the civil deputy prosecuting attorneys are not.
When discussing criminal court trials, in relation to suits as a required uniform, Meyer noted: “A courtroom is like a show. … We are the state — we have to look the part.”
True enough — deputy prosecutors on the criminal side are, after all, an extension of the criminal justice process. Without them, we cannot sentence criminal offenders.
Meyer seemed to imply that suits — presentation — were part of the investment the prosecutor’s office made in their employees to give them every cutting edge advantage inside the courtroom.
After all, what’s the point of spending top dollar on law enforcement if we can’t actually put criminals behind bars? It takes skilled attorneys, paid on our behalf as taxpayers, to do that — the sheriff’s office, as wonderful and professional as they are, cannot do it alone.
And, anyone who has spent time in the court system knows that judges often have very high expectations of the officers of the court where appearance is concerned.
In the end, Meyer continued to be more concerned about losing the suit allowance as a recruiting tool.
Most deputy prosecutors start out in district court to gain experience before moving up into other areas of law for the county — so the most experienced attorneys can handle major criminal cases and the like. Meyer noted that the suit allowance gives them incentive to gain legal experience here in the public sector, versus more financially lucrative opportunities.
“I want people to be willing to take a pay cut — I want people who are that dedicated — but I don’t want them to starve.”
It’s also worth noting that, while the suit allowance might pay for a deputy prosecutor’s suit, but that deputy prosecutors would not be reimbursed for the cleaning or maintenance of the suits they purchased.
According to Kellogg’s Cleaners in Chehalis, right near the courthouse, a wool men’s suit costs $15.95 to be cleaned, and a men’s polyester suit costs about $17 per cleaning.
Meyer also noted that his office isn’t the only one that receives a clothing allowance for suits, stating that detectives with the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office are allowed $500 per year, per detective, for their suits.
But, again, detectives are also often required to appear in court, as well, for presentation purposes.
Listening to Meyer’s points, it seemed that $5,000 per year — about $417 per month — was a small price to pay for professionals tasked with going before Superior Court judges to argue on our behalf.
Afterall, if I hired an attorney for myself, personally, I’d expect that person to look as sharp as they come — and it seems reasonable to expect nothing less from those who represent me, as a taxpayer, in the courtroom when putting criminals behind bars.
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Brittany Voie is The Chronicle’s senior media developer and Jonathan Meyer’s campaign manager during his 2009 campaign for prosecutor. She can be reached at bvoie@chronline.com.
