Paul Butikofer secures victory in Jefferson County Prosecutor rematch

RIGBY — In nan title for Jefferson County prosecuting attorney, erstwhile charismatic Paul Butikofer won by a sizable separator complete incumbent Mark Taylor.

Butikofer received 3,108 votes (59.37%) to Taylor’s 2,127 ballots (40.63%) successful nan election.

“I’m humbled and honored that Jefferson County voters person nan religion successful maine to reelect me,” Butikofer said. “I will activity my hardest not to fto them down.”

Butikofer had served arsenic Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney from Jan. 2017 to Jan. 2021. Taylor has served from 2021 until now.

In this title Butikofer said he was endorsed by Jefferson County Sheriff Steve Anderson and Rigby Police Chief Allen Fullmer.

“I person rule enforcement endorsement, which I’ve ne'er had before,” Butikofer said.

Butikofer defined nan biggest issues successful nan run arsenic acquisition and “plea bargains connected a lawsuit where a feline killed his infant, and (Taylor) recommended probation, and past he blamed it connected nan judge.”

Butikofer besides cited “the driblet successful felony convictions that (Taylor) had nether his watch versus mine. I’m each astir protecting nan kids. It’s my number 1 priority.”

But Taylor countered that description, stating his opponent’s run sometimes dipped into characteristic assassination.

“I’m grateful for each nan bully group who helped pinch our campaign. So galore citizens want change, but those successful powerfulness often don’t because they person benefited from nan aged system. I was consenting to beryllium a alteration supplier to reply nan public’s request for betterment successful our county, but we needed much courageous group to measurement guardant and beryllium brave and return connected nan system.

“Robert F. Kennedy said it well: ‘Few are consenting to brave nan disapproval of their fellows, nan censure of their colleagues, nan wrath of their society. Moral courageousness is simply a rarer commodity than bravery successful conflict aliases awesome intelligence. Yet it is nan 1 essential, captious value for those who activity to alteration a world that yields astir painfully to change.’

“Jefferson County will soon person nan prosecuting attorney’s agency they person chosen. I dream they won’t regret their choice.”

The rivalry betwixt nan 2 attorneys is improbable to slice successful nan future.