Headlines

Tap Frank Kratovil
Star Democrat Editorial, February, 4, 2008
(Reprinted with permission)

Frank M. Kratovil Jr., the state's attorney for Queen Anne's County, is the obvious best choice for Democrats deciding on the 1st District Congressional race in next weeks primary election.

Mr. Kratovil is viewed as the frontrunner among the Democratic candidates, he has raised a large war chest, and has won the endorsement of many heavy hitters among the Maryland Democratic leadership, including Gov. Martin O'Malley and Attorney General Douglas Gansler.

Serving his second term as state's attorney for Queen Anne's, Mr. Kratovil is the immediate past president of the Maryland State's Attorneys' Association. He serves on the board of Special Olympics Maryland (and takes part in the annual Polar Bear Plunge benefit event for the Special Olympics). He also serves on the board of the Mental Health Association of Maryland and the National District Attorneys' Association and is chairman of the Board of the Foundation for Community Partnerships. He coaches youth football, basketball and soccer in Queen Anne's County and teaches Character Counts! at Stevensville Middle School.

Mr. Kratovil received his college degree from Western Maryland College in 1990. While attending the University of Baltimore School of Law, he began his career in criminal law by working at the Public Defender's Office. He graduated from law school with honors in 1994, then accepted an appointment as a judicial law clerk for the Circuit Court for Prince George's County. Following his clerkship, he was named an assistant state's attorney in Prince George's County.

In 1997, he was appointed assistant state's attorney in Queen Anne's County, and until 2001 served as the county's only full-time prosecutor and community prosecutor. From 1997 to 1998 he served as president of the Young Democrats of Maryland, and in 1998 was selected to represent the United States on the American Council of Young Political Leaders' delegation to Taiwan. In 2003, at age 34, he was elected state's attorney for Queen Anne's County, becoming one of the youngest state's attorney's in Maryland.

In July 2006, the Court of Appeals of Maryland appointed him to the Court of Appeal's Standing Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure. In November 2006, he was appointed co-chairman of the Public Safety Work Group for Governor-Elect Martin O'Malley's Transition Team and also co-chairman of the Public Safety Committee for Attorney General-Elect Gansler's Transition Team.

Recent recognitions include Western Maryland College's Alumni Community Service Award in 2001; the Daniel O'Connell SLaw Society's Prosecutor of the Year Award in 2003; an appointment by Gov. Robert Ehrlich to the Maryland State Board of Victim Services in 2005; and the Mid-Shore Council on Family Violence's Life Saver Award in 2006.

Mr. Kratovil is an articulate prosecutor who has translated his skills in the courtroom into a comfortable presence in the congressional campaign.

On the Iraq war, he states"I have read the bi-partisan Iraq Study Group Report and agree with its recommendations. Although I support setting appropriate benchmarks for progress, I do not believe that setting a specific timetable for withdrawal facilitates our goal of creating stability in Iraq. Doing so sends the wrong message to our troops, our enemies and, perhaps most importantly, to the other nations from whom we need assistance to stabilize Iraq."

"To get out, and we must get out as soon as possible, we must embrace the Iraq Study Group's recommendations to engage in an all-out diplomatic offensive within Iraq, the Middle East and the world to adopt a plan to stabilize Iraq and confront destabilizing forces."

An advocate of our environment, he says, "To make real progress on the environment we need aggressive, effective and unwavering leadership that focuses on farm practices, vehicle emissions, storm water controls, sewage treatment plants and power plants, not just here in Maryland, but also in our neighboring states. Until we convince our sister states of New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia to take corrective action, the Chesapeake Bay will remain the dumping ground for other state's polluted practices."

Mr. Kratovil has run an honorable and well-planned campaign. The Democrats would do well to make him their choice in the general election yet to come.

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