Cumberland County District Attorney Stephanie Anderson will not seek re-election for an eighth term in office.
Anderson took office in January 1991, and was the first woman to hold the job. Before winning her first election in 1990, she tried murder cases as an assistant district attorney in Brooklyn, N.Y., and then had a law practice in Portland.
Five candidates have filed to run for Anderson’s job as the county’s top prosecutor, according to the Maine Secretary of State’s Office.
Republican Randall Bates, a former Yarmouth town councilor, was the only Republican candidate to file nomination papers for the June 12 primary.
Four Democrats filed for their party’s primary, also to be held June 12:
• Jon Gale of Portland has been a defense attorney since 2004 and was a prosecutor for several years before that. He defended one of the protesters arrested July 15, 2016, in a demonstration on Commercial Street in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Gale helped craft a plea agreement for the 17 people arrested. The agreement eventually fell apart, but Anderson’s attempt to pursue charges of disorderly conduct and obstructing a public way was denied in Cumberland County Superior Court in May 2017.
• Cape Elizabeth resident Patrick Gordon has served as a prosecutor in Aroostook and York counties and now specializes in family law for Fairfield & Associates, according to the firm’s website.
• Brunswick resident Seth N. Levy is a defense attorney who specializes in defending veterans, according to his website.
• Frayla Tarpinian of Windham is now the head of the Kennebec County district attorney’s Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence and Elder Abuse Unit. She has also had her own practice in Windham, according to www.frayla.com.
Independent candidates who might enter the race have until June 1 to file nomination papers with the secretary of state. The general election is Nov. 6.
David Harry can be contacted at 781-3661 ext. 110 or at:
dharry@theforecaster.net
Twitter: @DavidHarry8.
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