Question 1

Why are you running for district attorney?

Accepted Answer

I'm proud of my record of securing convictions in Buncombe County's most heinous murders involving mothers, families and children while simultaneuously expanding second chances for non-violent offenders, especially for those struggling with addiction and poverty. I'm running to continue the work of the Child Advocacy and Family Justice Centers, maintain the gains made to ensure police accountability, and to continue to advocate for sustainable justice reform. I'm running for re-election because I love this job. Yes, it's challenging. Many cases are heartbreaking. There's a lot of bureaucracy. And, because change only happens at the speed of trust, serving as your District Attorney requires more listening and collaboration than you might expect. But the challenges inspire me to work harder and the change that I have helped lead in the criminal justice system over the last 7 years is real. I appreciate the national recognition I have received. But what's been most meaningful for me is having restored integrity to the office while prosecuting violent crime and creating new trauma informed services for children and adult victims.

Question 2

What makes you the best candidate?

Accepted Answer

My goal has always been to ensure reform is sustainable because there remains so much work ahead of us to achieve justice and equity. Reform is sustainable only when we prioritize public safety through effective enforcement and prosecution of violent crime. I have done so. Specifically, while our community has collaboratively achieved reductions in violent crime – the opposite of the national trends – my office has successfully prosecuted crimes among the most heinous in Buncombe County history, including multiple murders of women and mothers and children, and received national recognition for achieving reform within the system. My record shows that we can ensure both reform and public safety and I think that is what our community wants.   • I have focused on victims, creating trauma informed services such as the Child Advocacy Center and the Family Justice Center where special victims can receive wraparound care. When I first ran for office I promised to create these centers, and I delivered on that promise. These centers are models for many communities in NC and they were done in collaboration with elected Democrats and Republicans in the County – something we can all be proud.  
• I’ve offered programs for non-violent offenders second chances. Second chances include treatment courts, amnesty days, and expunction clinics (clear your nonviolent record without paying attorney fees).
• I have prioritized police accountability by creating the County’s first uniform policy for reporting and investigating police misconduct. To be clear, we had no such policy before I drafted it, negotiated it, and got everybody to the table to sign it.

Question 3

What are your top three policy priorities?

Accepted Answer

• Increase public safety by reducing violent crime. I want to start a diversion court for youth gun possession along the lines of Show us your Guns in Savannah, Georgia, to reduce gun crime in our community. Youth gun possession is a serious offense and also an opportunity to invest in redirecting the young person away from violence, criminal activity, and criminal justice involvement – to benefit the community, the individual, and the individual’s family. Evidence based practice supports diversion. I am seeking a grant for this program. We do not have state-level nor county-level funding for youth gun possession diversion.
• Improve victim services. This fall I will hire a master's level trauma informed therapist to serve sexual assault victims in (house) the DA's Office. This is possible because I sought and won a federal grant that launches in October. I believe this hire will represent the first such position added to a DA's Office staff in the State of NC. This position will deepen our collaboration with the Family Justice and Child Advocacy Centers and assist in securing accountability for victims against those charged perpetrating sex crimes against them. We do not have state-level nor county-level funding for master’s level trauma informed therapy as a staff position with the DA’s office. 
• Expand restorative justice options. I would like to staff a restorative justice program here in Buncombe County and have been in contact with national advocates from John Jay College to achieve it. We do not have state-level nor county-level funding for restorative justice.

Question 4

What is your philosophy on charging decisions?

Accepted Answer

As a public defender here, I represented a 13 year old in juvenile court who was charged with shoplifting feminine hygiene products at a store. She was humiliated at school by the fact that she lacked those products when she most needed them and was humiliated again by the court system when she was charged with larceny. After that case, I began to talk to people about running for district attorney. All that is to say that I developed my philosophy on charging decisions while in service to indigent, disrespected clients and it is core what drives me to service our community as District Attorney. I am focused on using prosecutorial discretion to make our community safer, stronger, and more equitable through trauma informed approaches to victims and defendants while prioritizing prosecution of violent crimes.
My philosophy on the habitual felon policy is informed by experience in service to indigent clients as well as by experience prosecuting defendants including a repeat felony rapist. As a public defender here, I represented a man who was charged with shoplifting a pair of sneakers from Walmart and returning them for $13, which elevated the shoplifting to a false pretense to habitual felon – so he ended up sentenced to 15 years in prison. Over $13 shoes. Habitual felon enhancements are generally not sought in low level non-violent felonies, such as personal use drug possession or property crimes such as false pretenses of less than $1000.

Question 5

What is your political philosophy?

Accepted Answer

My political philosophy is something I live every day in my service as DA and also through my national service on justice reform: government should 1) ensure the rights of all people, 2) do justice, 3) and meaningfully improve the lives of people facing systematic disadvantage and injustice.

Question 6

Do you belong to a political party?

Accepted Answer

Yes. I am a lifelong Democrat.

Question 7

Have you run for office before? What offices have you sought and why?

Accepted Answer

After serving as a public defender for 14 years, I ran and unseated a 24 year incumbent Democrat. I ran to restore the integrity of the Buncombe County DA's Office which had failed public confidence after the NC Innocence Inquiry Commission found that young Black men had been railroaded on bad/undisclosed evidence in 2011. 
Since my election I have worked to reverse three death sentences, secure freedom for those wrongfully incarcerated, provide second chances for non-violent offenders and for those living in poverty, and for those experiencing addiction. Simultaneously, I pushed Buncombe County to expand trauma informed service to vulnerable victims of crime by opening the Family Justice Center and the Child Advocacy Center. These are examples of my progressive political philosophy in practice.

Question 8

What are your values? How do you demonstrate your values?

Accepted Answer

My values are progressive and my legal career is focused on making our society stronger and more equitable. I have used my leadership to create continuous reform in our District Attorney's office and will use my experience and collaboration with fellow nationally recognized reform prosecutors to expand sustainable, progressive reform here.

Question 9

What work do you do nationally to advance justice reform and legal reform?

Accepted Answer

I am a member of the Fair and Just Prosecution network of reform prosecutors, a member of the Institute for Innovation in Prosecution Beyond Big Cities Initiative, a Commissioner on the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission, and serve on APA's Reproductive Health Advisory Committee.

Question 10

What would you do as DA to address the racial disparity in policing, prosecuting, and imprisonment?"

Accepted Answer

It is a concern of our community and a concern of mine and I have worked in a multi-pronged way to achieve meaningful, measurable systemic change.  
• I have removed race data from all DA files and prohibit the inclusion of race data on all indictments submitted to the Grand Jury for review to ensure that irrelevant and potentially discriminatory factors such as race aren't considered in the charging process. 
• In 2021 I hosted a national conference in Asheville entitled Addressing Disproportionate Minority Victimization to raise consciousness of gun violence in public housing that drives over-policing in public housing communities in Asheville. 
• I submitted a proposed bond policy to the courts, together with the Public Defender, pledging that the DA's Office would not seek cash bond on non-victim's rights act cases such as simple possession of drugs and "broken windows" crimes, and traffic violations that don’t pose a public safety concern. 
• I proposed that Buncombe County purchase and implement "BiasSync" software to assess court partners and law enforcement agencies for racial biases so that they may be understood and systematically corrected.

Question 11

What have you done to enhance police accountability?

Accepted Answer

I prioritized police accountability by creating the County’s first uniform policy for reporting and investigating police misconduct. To be clear, we had no such policy before I drafted it, negotiated it, and got law enforcement partners to the table to sign it in June of 2020.

Question 12

How do you consider the collateral consequences on a defendant’s housing, immigration, employment, and public assistance status in deciding whether and to what extent to prosecute a particular case?"

Accepted Answer

Those considerations are why I created the Adult Misdemeanor Diversion Program, the Unhoused Diversion Program, and the Felony Drug Diversion Program – among others. All these programs encourage compliance with the law without triggering both the direct and collateral consequences of conviction that can set a justice involved person back as they take steps to improve their lives.
In addition, I have held numerous amnesty days and an expunction clinic to vacate prior convictions that at times pose substantial obstacles for folks to overcome that are far removed from the direct consequences of a conviction that may have long been served.

Question 13

How can constituents access you on a regular basis?

Accepted Answer

I request and receive community feedback through an online portal.
I regularly receive community feedback in person at numerous community events throughout the year, from neighborhood meetings to special interest group meetings to criminal justice focused events.
I regularly consult with community members including service providers with deep experience, often personal experience, with our criminal justice system, including those working in re-entry, addiction recovery, advocating for our unhoused population, and advocating for survivors of crime.   
The pandemic has posed challenges, but I continued to do many Zooms and I expect our community will resume with more in-person meetings this year while COVID cases and spread are relatively low. The Williams for DA campaign can be reached at williamsforda@gmail.com

Question 14

Who is funding your campaign?

Accepted Answer

I have more than 50 donors this year from all over the county and 90% of all donors have contributed less than $250. I have not received donations from PACs.

Question 15

What is your philosophy on prosecutorial discretion?

Accepted Answer

This documentary captures my philosophy.

Vote May 17

Re-Elect Buncombe District Attorney Todd Williams

Todd's Record as Your Buncombe DA

Local Results & Statewide Recognition for Advocacy

Nationally Recognized Leader on Improving Public Safety & Reform

Todd Williams is the only Candidate Endorsed by the Progressive Caucus of the Democratic Party