Republican

Candidate name: James F. Shalleck

Place of residence: Montgomery Village

Date of birth: April 23, 1946

Place of birth: New York City

Current occupation: Lawyer

Education: J.D., New York Law School; B.A., Tulane University

Community associations, involvement: former member, Board of Directors, Montgomery Village; assistant coach, Little League; speaker, OASIS, Bar Association public seminars

Professional associations: Montgomery County Bar Association; Sobeloff Jewish Lawyers Bar Association; former assistant district attorney, Bronx, N.Y.; former assistant attorney general, New York State; former attorney, antitrust division, U.S. Department of Justice

Family: Wife, Sheila; son Jason, 27; daughter Lauren 21

Campaign address, telephone: 9408 Bethany Place, Montgomery Village, MD 20886, 301-987-0505.

Web site: www.shalleck06.com

Link to state Board of Elections campaign finance database

My top three priorities are to reduce plea bargaining; create specialized bureaus to prosecute cases by type of crime; and to assign one prosecutor to a case all the way through the criminal justice system.

How would you rate the performance of the current state's attorney: excellent, good, fair or poor? Why?

Doug Gansler has done a good job as State's Attorney especially with his appointment of Assistant State's Attorneys who are excellent and dedicated prosecutors.

Given the broad power a state's attorney has to initiate grand jury investigations and determine criminal charges, what do you see as the most important character trait of the county's top prosecutor?

The most important traits for State's Attorney must be integrity, fairness, and professional competence. The State's Attorney must vigorously prosecute the guilty and defend the innocent.

Do you believe the state's attorney should speak out publicly in cases where prosecutors strongly disagree with a judge's sentence?

When I disagree with a Judge, I will merely state that I disagree with the Judge and if allowable, I will appeal the decision. No further comment is appropriate.

Each year the Maryland State's Attorneys Association lobbies the General Assembly for changes in criminal laws. What, if any, legislation do you believe is needed to better protect the public?

I would ask the General Assembly to pass stronger penalties for Gang related crimes; crimes against the elderly, children and the disabled. These types of crime deserve longer jail sentences.

Would you have tried the snipers in Montgomery County?

I would have only tried the sniper case against Muhammad and I would have sought the death penalty but only after I consulted with the Virginia prosecutors to see if they felt our prosecution would jeapordize their convictions. I would not have tried Malvo who was not eligible for the death penalty.

Is the State's Attorney's Office doing enough to prevent the increase in the number of gangs?

The State's Attorney is doing all he can against gangs with the resources he has. I would seek extra state and federal funding to add at least three more prosecutors to a gang unit.

What changes need to be made to laws governing drunk driving?

Regarding drunk driving - there has to be mandatory sentences for repeat offenders on an increasing scale reflecting the number of prior convictions. This will allow uniformity throughout the state and deter all drivers who live in Maryland or who drive through our state.

Do you believe state laws need to be changed to charge more juvenile offenders as adults?

I don't think we need more laws regarding prosecuting juveniles as adults.

The system now provides such a review by the Court based upon the type of crime, age of juvenile, and their prior record. These decisions should be made on a case by case basis.