DA candidates agree on major issues at forum

Jul. 8—CHEYENNE — During a Thursday online forum, the two candidates for Laramie County district attorney had largely similar plans to improve the functionality of the office, while also maintaining communication with the public and law enforcement.

Tom Callison and Sylvia Hackl are both running as Republicans. They answered questions at a virtual event hosted by the Cheyenne League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan, nonprofit group that works to encourage and facilitate informed voting and engagement with government.

No Democrats filed to run for the office, so the next district attorney will more than likely be the winner of the Aug. 16 primary election.

Current Laramie County DA Leigh Anne Manlove, elected in November 2018, did not file to run for a second term. Her current term ends in January.

The Wyoming Supreme Court will decide in the coming months if Manlove should face sanctions, possibly up to losing her law license. A Wyoming State Bar panel has recommended she be disbarred due to misuse of prosecutorial discretion and mistreating employees.

Callison and Hackl both expressed a need for the DA's office to be a high-functioning, healthy working environment, in which prosecutors and other employees communicate well with law enforcement, victims and other stakeholders.

They each said they would begin their four-year term by making sure the office is fully staffed with both attorneys and support staff. The office has recently struggled to retain employees.

Both candidates agreed that treatment courts were an important element in the local criminal justice system.

Callison and Hackl said they want to have a good working relationship with members of the media and do their best to respond to questions from the public, while also adhering to confidentiality and professional conduct requirements.

In response to a question, the candidates each said they'd consider hiring the other as a staff attorney if they won the race for DA.

The two differed slightly in one area, with Callison saying he wasn't sure that there had been erosion in public confidence in the DA's office over current DA Manlove's term. Hackl said there had been such an erosion, and even taking certain accusations "with a grain of salt," she said "there have been concerns expressed to me, certainly, from members of the public."

The way to deal with this and rebuild trust, Hackl said, is to "communicate, communicate, communicate" with the public and with law enforcement.

Both said they thought district attorneys have broad discretion in decided which cases to prosecute and what charges to bring.

"I think what you don't do," Hackl said, "is just leave a case hanging and unaddressed with either the law enforcement who brought the case to you, or the victims. There are only certain things you can say, again, under the rules and under statute in Wyoming that provide for privilege and confidentiality, but you say what you can so that the people feel they know what's going on. That's so important."

Callison also noted he thought staff attorneys were likely underpaid.

Disciplinary history

Hackl emphasized her years of management experience, including leadership experience working in the Wyoming Attorney General's Office, and in leading the Wyoming State Public Defender's Office for six years. She's said she was able to turn around the over-budget, understaffed office, and that she'd do the same with the DA's office.

Hackl was also the Cheyenne city attorney for two years.

Throughout the forum, Callison stressed the need for excellent communication between law enforcement and the DA's office. He also stressed a need to prioritize treatment for addicted offenders, but said when it comes to those who sell the drugs, plea deals shouldn't be considered.

Callison has said he struggled with addiction more than a dozen years ago. This "interfered with my ability to practice law, and I live in eternal regret for that," he said in response to a question about whether either candidate had been suspended or disciplined as an attorney.

Hackl complimented Callison's years of experience in the legal field and overcoming personal challenges like addiction, but she said his lack of background in management and criminal prosecution made her the better candidate.

Most recently, Callison was a staff attorney for about a year at Legal Aid of Wyoming. From 2008 to April 2021, he was a defense consultant on professional license disciplinary matters before Colorado licensing boards. Callison spent six years at the Colorado Attorney General's Office, where he prosecuted mainly administrative cases. He was also town attorney for Encampment in southern Wyoming.

As of early June, Callison was not licensed to practice law in Colorado, according to records, emails to the Wyoming Tribune Eagle and an interview with the Colorado state attorney regulation counsel.

For a two-year period in 2008-2010, Callison had his Colorado law license suspended in a settlement. He "neglected" six clients and did not follow the notice requirements regarding his "administrative suspension from the practice of law and his transfer to disability inactive status. Respondent later continued to represent a client while he was suspended," according to disciplinary records.

Callison has no disciplinary history in Wyoming, and "is currently licensed and in good standing," Wyoming State Bar Counsel Mark Gifford previously told the WTE. Callison was suspended in 2019 for nonpayment of annual license fees, and his membership expired in 2012. He was readmitted in 2021 after passing the bar exam and a character and fitness review, according to Gifford.

Hackl has been licensed and in good standing since she was admitted to the Wyoming State Bar in 1980, Gifford has said. She does not have a disciplinary history.

Hannah Black is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's criminal justice reporter. She can be reached at hblack@wyomingnews.com or 307-633-3128. Follow her on Twitter at @hannahcblack.