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Former prosecutor urges vote against Nifong in Durham DA race

By SAMUEL SPIES : Associated Press Writer, Nov 3, 2006 : 2:12 pm

DURHAM, N.C. -- A former Durham County prosecutor who lost in May's primary urged her supporters Friday to vote against District Attorney Mike Nifong, the embattled prosecutor at the center of the Duke lacrosse rape case.

Freda Black said voters should instead support Lewis Cheek, a Durham County commissioner who is listed on the ballot as an unaffiliated candidate. Upset with Nifong's handling of the lacrosse investigation, Cheek got into the race solely to beat Nifong: he has pledged not to serve if elected, which would force the governor to appoint a replacement should he win.

"I ask that you, the 10,000 voters who supported me in May, vote for Lewis Cheek. This district attorney's race truly stretches beyond all lines and the outcome will affect every citizen in Durham," Black said in a statement. "We have an opportunity on November 7th to better our community and our justice system. Please take that opportunity."

Nifong also face a challenge from Steve Monks, a Republican running a write-in campaign, who has also criticized the veteran prosecutor for how he has conducted the investigation into allegations that three Duke lacrosse players raped a stripper at an off-campus party earlier this year.

Monks, who received the support of just two percent of those polled in the only survey taken in the race, said Friday he would not drop out to clear the way for Cheek to make a clean run at Nifong.

"I reject the caretaker mentality of letting someone else ... choose our district attorney," Monks said. "Lewis Cheek is a candidate in name only and he is the spoiler here."

Nifong, appointed by Gov. Mike Easley to lead the office last year, fired Black the day he took over as district attorney. She said during her primary campaign that Nifong threatened the integrity of the lacrosse case by speaking often about it with reporters during the early days of the investigation.

Nifong won the Democratic primary 45 percent of the vote, beating Black and attorney Keith Bishop. With no one else on the ballot, he appeared headed toward an easy November election until Cheek and Monks began collecting signatures in order to enter the race.

Cheek got enough to place his name on the ballot as an unaffiliated candidate, while Monks only got enough to run as a write-in.

An assistant in Nifong's office said he was not in the office Friday. In a poll commissioned last month by The News & Observer of Raleigh and WRAL-TV, 46 percent of likely voters backed Nifong. Cheek had 28 percent, while 24 percent were undecided.

Along with former district attorney Jim Hardin, now a state Superior Court judge, Black prosecuted Durham novelist and one-time mayoral candidate Michael Peterson in a five-month murder case that was broadcast daily on Court TV. Peterson was found guilty in October 2003 of killing his wife and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

http://www.heraldsun.com/state/6-784581.html

* Freda works for the Clayton law firm, the one Gottlieb hired.

Okay.
Is it a coincidence that Gottlieb went to that firm?
Maybe that is why Nifong took over the investigation?

Is Gottlieb a "Freda" cop, meaning that is where his loyalties have been since maybe forever? (I am talking working relationships.) I would not think Nifong had as much contact with Gottlieb in traffic court as did Freda during that time.

I may be wrong, but my sense is Freda could relate to the rank and file better than Nifong (touchy, feely, male).

We have the courthouse crowd divided into groups, cliques,whatever.

Nifong
Ashley
Tracey
Stormy
Couch
Nifong is close with Judge Stephenson

Freda..she worked well with what cops and what other ADA's?
Obviously sheworked well with Orlando, hence the rumors.

Simeon is an idot who was caught in Hardins office looking for case files (or another lame excuse such as that) and shortly ended up declaring in the race for DA against Hardin.

The Herald Sun went with Hardin, but as the lesser of 2 evils.

I "think" I read the Bar sends recommendations to the Gov regarding an appointee.
So maybe The Bar and Hardin signed off on Nifong?
The Committee? Did they voice an opinion to the Gov?

Bar likes Nifong better than Freda? Finesse is President. That answers my own question.

Lastly, all those who expected Freda to endorse Nifong raise...... nah ,maybe on another board, but no one at FR.