Jon Tunheim won, now he needs to rebuild trust

Jon Tunheim,

Your re-election campaign is over but if you think your work in the community is finished for the next four years just because you get to keep your office, you are mistaken.

Your office has lost the trust and respect of many members of a community that used to see you as one of the good guys. We are still in the wake of the trial of Andre and Bryson and a good swath of the constituents you represent are left with a very bad taste in their mouths feeling you do not represent the values this community holds dearly. That mistrust goes beyond just that trial.

We’ve learned the hard way how impactful the Prosecutors office can be on the health and wellbeing of a community. Your work does not happen in a vacuum on the hill. It trickles down into the very heart of Olympia, defining who we are in ways that can’t be measured. While you may have won, I hope you realize now that you are vulnerable and your lifelong career as a prosecutor isn’t as secure as you might like it to be.

You owe it to the community who just re-elected you to get out of your office and rebuild trust and relationships in meaningful and measurable ways that go beyond campaign outreach. Communities of color and other minority communities aren’t waiting for an olive branch. They need you to build a meaningful bridge for justice in Thurston County now.