Washington Park East Neighborhood Association

January 2004 - MEET THE D.A. CANDIDATES:

Mar 16, 2004

MEET THE D.A. CANDIDATES: The following photos and bios have been submitted by the three candidates running for the District Attorney spot held by Bill Ritter, who is leaving due to term limits.

Beth McCann
?“Beth McCann served for almost eight years in the Denver District Attorney's office, first as a deputy and then as a chief deputy. She then moved to private practice with Cooper & Kelly, P.C. specializing in civil litigation, and became a partner with that firm in 1985. In 1991, Mayor Webb asked Beth to be his first Denver Manager of Safety. In that capacity, Beth managed a budget of $170 million and a staff of almost 3,000. During her tenure, she oversaw preparations for Pope John Paul's 1993 visit and assisted in implementing the ordinance that created the Civilian Review Board. In 1994, Mayor Webb asked Beth to establish the Mayor's Safe City Office where, among other duties, she initiated Denver's juvenile curfew program and helped establish the Police Impact Team System.
In 1995, Beth was appointed Director of Denver's Excise and Licenses Department where she served until August 1999. Attorney General Ken Salazar appointed Beth in that year as his Deputy Attorney General for Litigation, where she currently supervises and coordinates 20 attorneys and nine support staff who defend and prosecute civil litigation brought against or on behalf of the State of Colorado.
Beth's community activities include teaching trial skills through NITA (National Institute of Trial Advocacy) and helping to found the Colorado Women's Bar Association, serving as its president in 1985 - 1986. In 2000, the Colorado Women's Coalition chose Beth as its Colorado Woman of the Year.
Beth is married with two children.?”
Mitch Morrissey

?“Mitch Morrissey is one of our city?’s best prosecutors with twenty years of experience in the Denver District Attorney's Office.

In 2001, the Colorado District Attorneys' Council selected Mitch as the Prosecutor of the Year. Mitch has earned a national reputation as an expert in the use of DNA evidence to both catch the guilty and to free the innocent. Mitch has successfully prosecuted scores of major felonies. In trying major felonies, Mitch has won over 95% of the time.

As a member of the Sexual Assault Interagency Council, Mitch has a reputation for effectiveness and compassion in working with the victims of sexual assault.

Mitch and Maggie Morrissey have been married for eighteen years and have two teenage children. Mitch is a graduate of Mullen High School, University of Colorado and University of Denver School of Law.?”


John Walsh
John Walsh grew up in the Denver area and has been practicing law since 1986. After graduating from Stanford Law School in 1986, he worked for a federal judge for a year, and then served as a federal prosecutor for nearly eight years in Los Angeles. Since 1995, he has been in the private practice of law as a partner in the Denver law firms Holland & Hart LLC, and currently, Hill & Robbins, PC.
John?’s experience as a prosecutor has been extensive, and his legal experience overall has been intense and varied. From 1993 to 1995, Mr. Walsh was Chief of the Major Frauds Section of U.S. Attorneys Office in Los Angeles, and supervised some 35 criminal prosecutors during the savings and loan scandal. During the early 1990s, he also served as chair of the Southern California Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force. Since returning to Denver, John has specialized in the litigation and trial of complex civil cases, and the successful management of complex white-collar criminal and other regulatory matters. From 1996 to 2000, Mr. Walsh served as an on-air legal consultant to CBS Network News regarding the Oklahoma City Bombing Trials.
John has been heavily involved in community organizations for many years.
?· Invest in Kids. Co-chair of board of directors.
?· Public Safety Review Commission, City & County of Denver. Member.
?· Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce. Member, Chamber Foundation Board. Chair, Executive Council, Leadership Denver Alumni Association.
?· Colorado Lawyers Committee. Member, board of directors.
?· Park Hill Community Justice Council. Member.
?· Democratic Party District 7B. Co-captain.
?· Democratic Business Coalition. Member, board of directors.
John lives in Denver?’s Park Hill neighborhood with his wife and their three children.