John Hummel, 44, has just announced that he’ll run for Deschutes County district attorney against Patrick Flaherty in the May primaries. Hummel, a former Bend city councilor, has worked as an attorney, professor, and, from 2008 to 2010, he helped rebuild a justice system in war-torn Liberia. Today he’s the director of the Oregon Primary Care Association, a nonprofit membership organization for community health centers.
Hummel has already won endorsements from Bend Mayor Jim Clinton, Redmond Mayor George Endicott and Sisters Mayor Brad Boyd, as well as notable Central Oregon businessmen Bill Smith, Mike Hollern and Bob Eberhard.
Last week, we sat down with Hummel and talked law, mandatory minimum sentencing and beer.
SW: So what have you been up?
Hummel: I’ve been back in Bend about six months. Before that I was working at Portland State University for two years directing a conflict resolution program. And for the last one and half years I’ve been working for a nonprofit healthcare association [the Oregon Primary Care Association] as their attorney and policy guy.
And how long were you in Bend before?
I was here 12 years, practicing law and serving on the city council for six of those years.
And you had your own law firm, right?
I did. I started with the public defender’s office and then formed a law firm with two other colleagues.
Doing what kind of work?
Doing criminal defense, personal injury and government relations.
So you’re jumping the fence?
Yeah, that’s right. I have a passion for justice. When I went oversees to Liberia, I worked with the Carter CenterโPresident Carter’s Peace and Justice Organization. I was helping them to rebuild the justice sector after their brutal 15-year civil war, where all the cops, judges and lawyers were killed. So we helped train cops, judges and lawyers in how to run a functioning justice center. I enjoyed it. Look, bad people need to be prosecuted.
How would you define the difference between the public defender and the district attorney?
Most prosecutors and defense defenders would never think of working on the other side. Actually I never liked that. When I was a defense attorney I loved standing up for the little guy, and as a prosecutor I loved standing up for public safety. And I don’t see anything inconsistent. It’s the attorney who says, “I couldn’t prosecute if I was defense attorney,” or vice versa, that I don’t respect. I don’t see how you work in the system and think you couldn’t do the other role.
Could one say that’s a criticism of where you’re atโthat you’ve just been bouncing around for the last couple of years?
For 14 or 15 years I’ve been involved in criminal justice. So that was kind of chapter one. And then you have this health care thing, which is kind of this weird little appendage. But it’s health care for the poorโso I’m fighting for the plight of the least among us, and that’s consistent with my work.
Lets talk a little about Deschutes County. What are the biggest shortcomings in the DA’s Office right now, in terms of issues that aren’t being prosecuted?
Here’s the big issueโwell, the big issue is the cost to taxpayersโbut Patrick (Flaherty, the current DA) is holed up in that District Attorney’s Office. For the last four months I’ve been traveling around meeting with peopleโthe mayors of La Pine, Sisters and Redmond, and about 50 other peopleโand every one of them I’ve asked, “Have you met this guy? Has he ever been down to talk to you?” And they say, “No.” We have to develop public safety priorities from the bottom up. We need to get out in the communities and find out what their priorities are. Two: I would have more of an emphasis on crime prevention.
But there are some immediate thingsโmeth is a problem, poverty is a problemโdo you prioritize those over prevention?
Look, there’s never a “good” time to spend money on prevention, because it’s never going to be as in your face as the crime you have. So if you don’t make a concerted effort to focus on prevention, it’ll never happen. So I’m going to make that effort. We will put more resources into prevention.
If you won, you’d be inheriting an interesting culture. How much cleanup do you feel like you’d need to do?
A lot. Internally and externally. Internally, the staff has to be on pins and needles. It must be miserable to go into the office every day. So I have focus on that staff, making them comfortable and making them respect the head of the office again.
If you didn’t win the race what would you do?
I have a job [as the state and federal policy director for the Oregon Primary Care Association]. So I’d be here.
What about big picture issues, like the death penalty. Where do you come down on that?
Death penalty would be enforced; measure 11 (mandatory minimums) would be enforced. I wouldn’t have voted for thoseโI voted against measure 11 and would do so againโbut we’re not going to be legislating from the office.
Talk about your time in Liberia. What was your biggest takeaway?
One reason I went there is I was disappointed about the state of the U.S. at the time; it was the George Bush era and I wanted to do my small part to show the world that there are some good people out there. In Liberia people still look to the U.S. as a model of what a justice system should look like. We have our faults here, and let’s not forget those, but we have a pretty darn good system. So we need to fight to preserve it.
We hear you’re a beer drinker.
I like beer, yes.
Got a favorite right now?
I like the Sweet As from GoodLife. And as much as I love Boneyard’s IPA, I have to go with BBC’s Outback as my favorite.
This article appears in Sep 5-11, 2013.
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It’s great to have someone running against Flaherty who actually respects the office of the district attorney as well as the dedicated and hard working staff which have been subjected to the current DA’s gross mismanagement. Best of luck on your campaign! However, as a typically conservative voter, and one who will gladly check Mr. Hummel’s name on my ballot, I’m a bit surprised and disheartened at his obvious liberal Bush bashing. For someone running for a bipartisan position, it seems a questionable tactic for getting elected in a fairly conservative county!
Hmmm, a DA with a defense background… sounds a bit skitterish with regards to the unsolved major cases still hanging out there…. How does one with a strong defense background work to succeed in bringing prosecutionatory justice where it is need? Just thinking.
To Ravyn’s point – Flaherty was a defense attorney for 10 years before returning the to DA’s office. Having been on the opposite side of him on criminal matters, having a prosecution or defense background doesn’t automatically qualify or disqualify your for the job. What matters is respect for the law, the victims, defendant’s legal rights, and the community. It also helps if you have good management skills and judgment, both of which Flaherty has shown a shocking lack of.
Endorsed by powerful local politicians and with a paucity of prosecutorial experience, Hummel appears to be the antithesis of our current District Attorney. Flaherty’s refusal to bow to the will of the politically powerful over the last four years will likely be his downfall. Hummel’s quote regarding the number one problem with the current DA’s office should raise an eyebrow or two…good to know that Hummel will make sure not to “be holed up” in his office prosecuting cases but rather dedicate his time to communicating with local politicians. At least it’ll be over a good beer or two…
He’s running as a Republican because Democrats don’t get elected in this county very much.
This witch hunt reminds me of the smear campaign waged against Sheriff Greg Brown. He was an independent and powerful leader here until 6 businessmen put together a campaign using Les Stiles as their hit man. Brown was brought down because of a wisper campaign that he was gay…which was true. Les Stiles quit right after the businessmen got their tax base passed that favored Bend city over countywide tax rates. Now they have a very compliant man in…whats-his-name.
Now the Ben Cartwrights of Deschutes County are looking to push out the only independent enforcer in the county. He makes them very nervous. They take their political control for granted.
Like most rural counties in the west, politics are shaped by the major land owners. This was clearly revealed when many Eastern oregon elected officials quit when disclosure laws expanded to include their familiy ties to business.Bend is still under the influence of these old families. The same people who put up those smokestacks that look down on Bend still domiate this town. The prototype you can google is the “Santa Fe ring” It’s basically a group of elected officials, judges, and landowners who control who gets promoted for elected office and who gets the big bank loans and contracts. Their influence extends to who gets prosecuted and who doesn’t.
Now they want to dominate the DA office again. The coup that Flaherty pulled off certainly cost him popularity among the controlling interests. Now Hummel is their hit man. It’s not even election season and the big guys can’t wait to push their new toy boy out before Christmas.
His resume indicate a career that was not particularly successful as an attorney. Why would I want this inexperienced puppet to be my local defender of the Constitution?
I would prefer an experienced, independent proscecuter such as we have. If there is a perception that he is holed up, maybe its because he knows the Good-Ole-Boys are gunnin for him. He is certainly going to need the charm of Jimmy Stewart and the cajones of John Wayne to survive this. I’ve seen this movie before and I don’t think its gonna end like ,”Blazing Saddles”.
To Bendatty: Thank you for your insight.
Hummel has an agenda and it’s all about him and going down the witch hunt lane, much like the Bend Bulletin has since the day Flaherty became our DA. John Costa, the Bulletin’s editor,
may as well have said, “Flaherty is going to be my new punching bag—I don’t like him and everyone is going to know it.”
My vote if for Flaherty. Cleaning house was the first order of the day when he took office (Bulletin pounced on that immediately), and don’t forget he had a lot of cleaning to do with Mike Dugan, our former DA, who left behind a lot of messes from his 26 year reign!!
My son had a gun shot at him at school and we now know of several firearms being at Bend High before Zach killed himself. After my son was shot (with a type of air gun while naked in the shower) He tried to meet with P Flattery several times and his office refused. His office refused to prosecute the shooter or even worse the teachers that failed to call the police or or stop the violence.
Crime has gone up under Flattery “Big Time”
He (Flattery) has been investigated by the State Bar
Do I now Hummell will be better “NO”
Do I know Flattery has failed Bend and Deschutes County “YES!!!!”
I will not vote for Patrick Flattery so please join me
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