EDITOR: We can sense it—Aurora is becoming a more dangerous place. And we can see it in the data—through the first nine months of 2020, murder rates are up 72% vs 2019 and overall violent crime is up 24%.

But we can reverse these trends. To do so requires strong commitment from both our community and our leaders to set the right tone and establish the necessary policies. And our next District Attorney will play a crucial role in this collective effort to make Aurora a safer place.

That’s why so many of us are confident in John Kellner and very concerned about Amy Padden in the DA’s race. Amy Padden does not have the experience or policies to keep our community safer—far from it:

• She has never successfully prosecuted a violent crime trial.

• She has pledged to send 25% fewer people to prison regardless of the circumstances.

• She also supports reducing sentences for criminals who kill someone while committing a robbery.

• She says “I don’t believe in charging children as adults. Period.” So under her watch, the recent STEM mass shooter would potentially get off with a 1 to 3 year sentence?

• She wants to decriminalize prostitution which allows human traffickers to hide and continue victimizing the vulnerable.

Furthermore, Amy Padden advertises her endorsement from an anti-cop official—someone who led the removal of School Resource Officers from Denver public schools and who has repeatedly belittled police officers such as publicly saying to them, “All you motherf#&%@!’s are corrupt”. On top of that, she’s donated five times to help get this anti-cop radical elected.

Will any of this help keep us safer?

John Kellner is a far superior choice for our District Attorney. His proven track-record of prosecuting violent criminals, delivering justice for families, and collaborative, transparent approach to keeping Aurora safe is exactly what we need right now.
Kellner is a servant leader for our community—protecting us first as a Marine and then as a successful criminal prosecutor in our region (including being named Colorado “Prosecutor of the Year” in 2016). He’s ready to continue this servant leadership as our next District Attorney.

John Kellner will deliver a transparent, accountable, and equitable DA’s office that puts our safety first — building trust between our community and police officers. He’ll work to reduce gun violence by partnering with local and federal task forces. He’ll also focus on solving root causes of crime — such as expanding treatment courts–and he has the relationships in and knowledge of our community to accomplish this.

Now is not the time to gamble on someone who has never successfully prosecuted a violent crime and who’s policies risk our safety. Instead, Aurora needs John Kellner — a proven, justice-focused leader who will put our safety first as District Attorney!

— Daniel Brown, via letters@sentinelcolorado.com