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Lehmberg endorsed for Travis County, Texas DA

The editorial board of the Austin American-Statesman writes:

The only Travis County race on the runoff ballot is the intense contest between Rosemary Lehmberg and Mindy Montford, who are competing to succeed District Attorney Ronnie Earle, who announced his retirement this year. There is no Republican in the race, so the winner of the Democratic primary is virtually assured of taking the oath of office in January.

Both women are good lawyers and, as the spirited contest for the nomination shows, intense competitors. It’s a close call, but Lehmberg, 58, is the better choice. She has seasoning and experience running the office that Montford, 37, can’t match.

A fresh perspective can be positive for an organization, but Montford’s lobby-laden contributor list still makes us uncomfortable. The presence of so many heavy-hitting lobbyists on her list of contributors is best explained because Montford’s father, former state Sen. John Montford, now a top official with AT&T, is a large Capitol presence.

Maintaining the independence of the Travis County district attorney’s office in both appearance and fact should be of paramount importance to voters. The office’s public integrity unit is the first responder on political wrongdoing.

Should she win, Lehmberg will face the challenge of establishing her independence from Earle. We believe she can do that.

Should Montford win, the contributor list will always inform public opinion about her decisions. Fair or not, this is one instance in which perceptions matter.