Press Release

SALT LAKE CITY – Standing in the shadow of the downtown Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office on a blustery Thursday morning, Democrat Sim Gill announced his candidacy to lead the DA’s office and replace the controversial incumbent Lohra Miller.

Gill, currently Chief City Prosecutor for Salt Lake City (the largest municipal prosecutor’s office in Utah), lost to Miller four years ago in a very close election. Thursday, he promised a gathering of constituents he would he would save taxpayers money by running the DA’s office more efficiently in terms of payroll and resources; hold criminals accountable, give justice to victims and return honor to “the many dedicated attorneys and staff who work so hard in this building for the cause of justice.”

“When I ran against Ms. Miller four years ago, I warned people about her lack of prosecution experience,” said Gill, who’s been a prosecutor for the DA’s office, Salt Lake City and Layton City for more than 15 years. “Still, I think we all were hopeful she would take seriously the tremendous responsibility of the DA’s office. Instead, we’ve been astonished at her lack of integrity and fair play. It’s my promise that I will restore the public trust in the District Attorney’s office.”

Reminding voters of the assorted scandals that have plagued the DA’s office during Miller’s four-year term, Gill highlighted the incumbent’s record of wasting taxpayer dollars, pursuing personal vendettas, placing a political agenda over justice and being continually distracted by personal issues and misgivings.

Miller’s lack of leadership has caused tremendous upheaval at the DA’s office in the past four years. More than 18 percent of experienced prosecutors have left the office in her term. Gill pointed to the “brain drain” as another example of Miller’s sad oversight.

“Four years ago, I endorsed Lohra,” said longtime Republican Bud Ellett, who served as Chief Deputy District Attorney for 15 years and was a two-term Third District Court Judge Pro Tempore. “But her inept leadership, lack of management and questionable ethics have given me great pause. She’s sullied the reputation of the District Attorney’s office. I believe Sim Gill is the candidate with the experience and integrity to restore respect and make wise choices as DA.”

Gill promised to restore the integrity and trust now lacking at the DA’s office by “depoliticizing” the office; as he put it, “by making the hard decisions of who to prosecute based on facts – not relationships and not based on politics.”

Gill also pledged to aggressively pursue criminals – with a particular emphasis on gang violence – and reach out to victims. “We will also bring to bear the full force of the law against those who exploit our most vulnerable citizens: The elderly and our children,” he said.

And Gill, who is known as a fiscal conservative, promised to reduce waste and duplication in the District Attorney’s office. “Our prosecutors need resources to do their jobs well,” he said. “But the cause of justice doesn’t have to be expensive. We can be smarter.”

In short, Gill promised his supporters integrity and reason: “We need a leader who has the prosecutorial experience to make criminals pay and provide victims the help they need,” he said. “We need a leader who is a true fiscal conservative who has the ability to make the office run more efficiently and effectively. And we need a leader who places justice over politics and can restore the public’s confidence in the office. I am confident that Salt Lake County voters will agree that I am that leader.”

A graduate of the University of Utah with a B.A. degree in History and Philosophy, Gill received his J. D. degree and Certificate of specialization in Environmental and Natural Resources Law from Northwestern School of Law at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. He and his wife, Jamie Tabish, have a son, Vikram and a daughter, Anjali.