EVERETT — Snohomish County Prosecutor Janice Ellis left work Monday with a heavy heart.
She planned to return to the office early Tuesday to drop off letters to her staff announcing her decision to resign before the end of her term in 2010. Ellis is stepping down to become the prosecutor for the Tulalip Tribes.
She has served as the county prosecutor since 2003.
“I have tried to work hard and honorably every day over the past 81 months for the people of Snohomish County and for all of you,” Ellis wrote in the letter. “During that time, we have achieved some phenomenal results. The credit for our successes goes to you, because you are the professionals who have carried the burdens of crime victims, our clients and custodial parents into court to seek justice.”
Ellis apologized for not announcing her decision in person.
Ellis decided about two years ago that she wouldn’t seek re-election, she said. An elected official should be enthusiastic about running for office, Ellis said.
“I do not want to run another campaign,” she said.
There also is value in bringing in new leadership and energy to the position, she said.
Ellis hadn’t planned to leave before the end of her term but the opportunity with the tribal confederation was too good to pass up, she said. The tribes decided earlier this year to hire an in-house prosecutor to bring more robust prosecution of crimes on the reservation and to dedicate more attention to child welfare needs, Ellis said.
Ellis said she is excited by the challenge and feels she can continue to create good partnerships with state and federal agencies.
“I think she’ll be an excellent asset to the court system. “She’ll be helping bring the court system to another level, a court system that already won an award,” state Rep. John McCoy, D-Tulalip.
Ellis’ departure is a loss to the county, Snohomish County Sheriff John Lovick said Tuesday. Lovick called Ellis a consummate professional. He frequently turned to her for advice during the past two years he’s served at his post, Lovick said.
“You won’t find a better public servant,” the sheriff said of Ellis.
Before being elected prosecutor, Ellis was a deputy prosecutor for five years, served as a state assistant attorney general for five years and was in private practice for five years.
Ellis became the county’s prosecutor in 2003 after she beat out two-term Republican Jim Krider in his bid for re-election the previous November. Ellis had gained the support of law enforcement, victim advocates and deputy prosecutors. She campaigned for stronger leadership in the office and improving relationships between prosecutors and law enforcement. She ran unopposed in 2006.
“She has constantly been concerned about doing the right thing, not the expedient thing,” said Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Craig Matheson, who has been with the office since 1990.
Ellis’ decision not to run again was common knowledge among her staff. Word that she’ll be leaving so soon left many saddened.
“She has set a very high bar for hard work and high ethical standards,” chief criminal deputy prosecutor Joan Cavagnaro said.
Because Ellis is a Democrat, the county’s Democrats will submit three possible replacements to the County Council. The council will decide who will complete the remainder of Ellis’ term.
The position, which pays $148,832, will be on the ballot in 2010.
In her letter, Ellis wrote that she hopes the Democrats and the County Council will appoint Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Mark Roe as her replacement.
Roe, a 22-year veteran of the office, plans to seek the appointment. He filed for the position months ago when he knew his boss wouldn’t be seeking re-election, he said.
Jim Kenny, a Seattle city prosecutor, also is seeking the appointment. Kenny, 40, well-known among the county Democrats, filed for the position in June.
Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com.
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