ENDORSEMENT: Adam Deitch for Norfolk County DA

We don't often make endorsements, but with seven candidates vying to replace Michael Morrissey as District Attorney for Norfolk County and one seemingly so well prepared for the position, we wanted to make a  public call to support Adam Deitch.

While history will be the judge of whether the departing DA, Michael Morrissey was a good, bad, or indifferent public servant, there is ample evidence that matters touched by the DA's office in regard to policing, prosecution, and simple management have not been up to snuff. Names like Michael Proctor, Karen Read, and particularly Sandra Birchmore are now well known across the country and a source of embarrassment to Norfolk County residents.

In this environment, it seems only reasonable to suggest that candidates with a history in Norfolk County, especially within the DA's office should have to work very hard to prove they are not part of the problem. Likewise, at this point, the County does not need ideology added to the mix, something that seems to describe at least some of the would-be DAs.

Instead, we think Adam Deitch, a genuine outsider, is a good thing.  What's more, as a Federal Prosecutor, he has already proven his willingness and ability to dig into the good, the bad, and the ugly of the Read case and the shocking murder of Sandra Birchmore, previously brushed aside by the DA's office.

In short, Adam Deitch is a breath of fresh air.

And, he has been endorsed by those in the know, including Birchmore family members, Karen Read and three of her criminal defense lawyers, Alan Jackson, Elizabeth Little, and, closer to home, Gerri Houde, the sister of cold-case murder victim Theresa Corley, whose body was found in the vicinity of Franklin in 1978, has also endorsed Deitch. Even the Boston Globe has endorsed him.

It seems clear that Deitch can do the job and deserves to be elected.