Barstow lawyer to run for District Attorney

BARSTOW • Barstow lawyer Robert Conaway announced his plans Friday to run for District Attorney against incumbent Michael Ramos in the 2010 midterm elections.

Corruption in the county involving former assessor Bill Postmus and a lack of oversight on the part of the District Attorney’s office prompted him to run, Conaway said. According to Conaway, Ramos is still protecting bad practices put into motion by Postmus when he was head of the Board of Supervisors. Conaway, who is married to Democratic Congressional candidate Jackie Conaway, paid his filing fees and obtained his election papers in San Bernardino Thursday.

“We don’t have the transparency we need,” he said. “We don’t have the integrity we need.”

Conaway also said the District Attorney’s office could do more in the way of community relations. The office needs to prosecute things that are illegal, but if it listens to the community’s grievances it might increase the DA’s ability to effectively prosecute and save resources.

“Talking with people in the community more, maybe that’ll make our resources more effective,” he said. “Maybe they have some legitimate beefs that we need to listen to.”

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