Guest Editorial…Philly DA disappointed those who voted for him

Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams announced Feb. 10 he would not run for a third term amid an FBI probe into $160,000 worth of gifts he initially failed to report.
According to reports, the gifts included a new roof from a New Jersey contractor, a $2,700 couch and luxury vacations. He has agreed to pay $62,000 in related fines.
Williams said he showed poor judgment and became a distraction to his office. He did not take questions at a Friday news conference, but said he regrets “mistakes in my personal life and in my personal financial life.”

Williams made the right decision in deciding not to seek a third term.
He is right in self-assessment that his decisions to accept gifts and not report them brought “shame” and “embarrassment” to the office.
Among the 89 gifts he accepted, the Board of Ethics said included “20 gifts from individuals who had a financial interest that the district attorney was able to substantially affect through official action at the time they gave the gifts.”
That included defense attorneys as well as other employees and contractors for his office.
In addition to the fine, Williams faces a joint FBI and Internal Revenue Service investigation, working with a federal grand jury, to examine his personal and political finances.
Williams is a disappointment to those who voted for him. Williams, the first African-American district attorney in Pennsylvania’s history, was sworn in on Jan. 4, 2010, as the city’s 24th holder of the office. He was re-elected in 2014.

Williams disappointed those who supported his many progressive reforms to the city’s criminal justice system.
As part of his “smart on crime” plan, Williams has created a wide range of alternative sentencing options for non-violent offenders. One example is the Small Amounts of Marijuana program that he established in June 2010. The program provides offenders with an opportunity to enroll in an educational class, rather than face prosecution.
But his ethical problems made him politically vulnerable.
Five Democrats had launched campaigns against the embattled district attorney, seeking to unseat him in the May 16 primary. In a primary race with multiple candidates, many political observers thought Williams had a good chance at re-election despite his ethical problems.
But it is in the city’s best interest for Williams not to seek a third term.