May: I’ll ensure transparency in prosecutions, cases are not overturned for due process violations

Micheal C. May won special election 2007 to serve on the Prince William County Board of Supervisors. 

He replaced Corey Stewart who went on to become the chairman of the board. During his time on the board, May has gained a reputation of being a moderate on the county’s governing board.

He’s argued for lower tax rates, but he’s also argued for funding government programs and services that are popular with county taxpayers.

Now May has his eyes set on the Prince William County Courthouse. He says his experience in local government and his work as an attorney has prepared him to be the region’s top prosecutor. 

He’s running against Paul Ebert, a man who has held the job since 1968. He’s also one of Virginia’s most decorated prosecutors.

Potomac Local sent a questionnaire to May and he sent us the responses below: 

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PL: What are the top three major issues facing the district you wish to represent?

May: We have to address the challenges of our growing and dynamic community. As the next Commonwealth’s Attorney, I will: keep our neighborhoods safe, modernize the office, and actively engage our diverse population to enhance public safety and crime prevention.

PL: What concrete solutions do you propose to address these issues?

May: As your next Commonwealth’s Attorney, I will ensure we have the best and brightest lawyers serving as our prosecutors, and I will work with them to bring those who commit crimes in our community to justice.

We will modernize the office by employing new technologies to keep citizens informed. We will also ensure appropriate transparency during criminal prosecutions so that cases are not overturned for violations of Due Process (as has occurred under the incumbent’s watch).

Finally, we will implement a proactive community outreach plan to engage with our dynamic and diverse population. We need to enhance crime prevention, rather than passively waiting for crimes to occur and addressing them after the fact.

PL: From your prospective, what is the job description of the office you’re seeking?

May: The position of Commonwealth’s Attorney (prosecutor) is one of the most important positions in the government because the power to take one’s life or liberty is the most awesome power that government can wield.

The ultimate check on that power thus appropriately rests with the citizens through the popular vote. Accordingly, the elected Commonwealth’s Attorney establishes the policies that reflect our community’s values, and ensures that his or her staff and assistant Commonwealth’s Attorneys serve the citizens in a manner consistent with those values.

The job necessarily requires oversight, management and legal skills. The elected Commonwealth’s Attorney must ultimately ensure justice for our community.

PL: What expertise will you bring to the office?

May: As a Member of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors for the past eight years, I have been intimately involved in management, oversight, and setting policy direction for the Prince William community; particularly in the area of public safety.

We have had some great success in this area and we are fortunate to have such a hardworking and dedicated police force working to keep us safe. In addition to being a Member of the Board of County Supervisors, I have also spent the past ten years as a successful trial attorney for a private law firm, Albo & Oblon, LLP. During that time, I have successfully litigated jury and bench trials in the federal courts and several state courts throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia.

This combination of policy, management and legal experience is the ideal background for this important office.

PL: Do you feel that the average citizen is well-informed and understands the workings of local government? If not, how do you intend on improving communication with your constituency?

May: Unfortunately, the average citizen is not well-informed on local government issues. It is the responsibility of elected leaders in all areas of government to proactively reach out to the community to keep it informed of important issues.

This has simply not occurred with the current administration. Instead, under the leadership of the 47 year incumbent, the office has lost touch with our community and I will change this if elected.

For example, we will have frequent public safety related town hall meetings; we will use social media and other means of communication to keep citizens informed; we will partner with our schools, civic groups, and faith organizations to develop a more well-informed public; and, we will implement a proactive outreach plan targeted particularly to the many new immigrant communities who may not understand and actually fear our criminal justice system.

If people do not trust or have confidence in the system, it will not function and it is the responsibility of elected leaders to build that trust. This will take hard work and dedication beyond just a 9-5 workday, but I am up for the challenge and ready to tackle it on day one.

PL: Have you ever made any mistakes in your public life? How have they effected you?

May: I am sure that I have made mistakes, in both my private life and public life. Mistakes are a part of being a human being.

All you can do is own up to them and try to learn from them. This makes you a better person and a better elected official. As I have considered the question, I cannot point to one defining mistake that has changed the very manner in which I comport myself as a public official.

However, you can be sure that every experience, whether a success or failure, has helped to shape who I am as a person and my service to our community.

PL: Our readers want leaders in local government. Why should they vote for you? 

May: I have been honored to serve our community over the past eight years on the Prince William Board of County Supervisors. During this time, I have always sought to build upon the trust and confidence that our community has placed in me. Leadership is about putting our community first.

If given the opportunity to serve as the next Commonwealth’s Attorney, I will always remember that the office does not belong to me; rather, it belongs to the citizens of Prince William, Manassas, and Manassas Park. This election is about our future, and I am ready to lead the Office of Commonwealth’s Attorney as we modernize and bring it in the 21st Century.