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Maybe you’ve heard. I’m losing two prosecutors.

Heath English and David Younker are going into private practice.

It’s the natural progression of things. Forever, young lawyers have begun their careers as prosecutors. They work for low pay and gain better trial experience than any other position offers. Then, they leave for higher paying jobs.

I did it backwards. My whole life, my goal was to be my Daddy’s law partner. I was blessed to do that for 20 years, beginning as soon as I passed the bar. Only then did I hear the call to public service and run for this position.

But, for David and Heath, this is a little twist to the historical pattern. I think each of them would have loved to stay in prosecution for the rest of their lives. After all, Heath has been with us for around 15 years. You can’t imagine the sadness I feel as I watch them go.

These are two men that exemplify what a prosecutor should be. They try a case and make it look effortless. They are driven by a desire to protect citizens. They conduct themselves with the highest integrity. No criminal, no defense lawyer, no judge and no complicated set of facts intimidates them. They have been invaluable to our effort to take care of your business in the courts.

That’s the risk you take when you hire stars. And we’ve got a bunch of them. My philosophy is to hire the best that I can find and cherish every moment that I’m able to keep them. Then, when they graduate to the next phase of their careers, we reload.

We’ve already hired their replacements. Marie Greene Broder, a graduate of the University of Georgia, who has worked as a prosecutor in the Alcovy Circuit for the past two years, is coming in December. She is a Thomaston native. I’m going to start her in the Griffin office and move Michael Rogers, another Thomaston native, to the Upson office. We should be pretty strong in both places.

To replace David in the Fayette office, I’ve hired Ben Thomsen. He’s also a graduate of Georgia, where he won the award for Prosecutorial Clinic Student of the Year. That’s not easy to do. He has always wanted to prosecute—that’s why he interned with the FBI and then worked in the Gwinnett District Attorney’s Office for free for several months.

Both Ben and Marie show great promise. I’m excited to unleash them onto the criminals in the circuit.

But, a part of my heart walked out the door when we lost Heath English and David Younker.