I haven’t written here for about a year. I’ve joined some good folks in North Carolina in a fight to save the dwindling woods and open spaces from development. This cause of saving animal habitat and life giving woods has provided me with an outlet for my need to advocate and given me a new set of friends. And, it has kept me very busy.
Reviewing my seven previous chapters, I believe the worst of my experience as a public defender for King County is covered sufficiently to warn both my former colleagues who labor on and potential new recruits. Although Rick Lichtenstadter retired when I did, 12/31/2019, many of his enablers remain. Anita Khandelwal is still Director of the Department of Public Defense. She promoted Lichtensadter to be her right hand knowing of his senior selection gender discrimination, and she hard fought against the women’s suit for justice. Lichtenstadter’s protege’, Ben Goldsmith, succeeded him as managing attorney of TDAD. Goldsmith was responsible for much of the retaliatory work conditions inflicted on Sheila LaRose (see the Detour posts). The special caste of senior attorneys continue to be paid more than all other non-management attorneys (who do the same work) and no one else can ever apply for a senior salary position. It’s not the senior attorneys’ fault but it’s not fair either. If you still work for King County Department of Public Defense or are thinking of working there, just know what lurks within.
I am mostly done writing on my last and worst years of being a King County Public Defender.
But a few thoughts linger. Instead of waiting to publish until this chapter is complete, I’ll lay my final reflections here one or two at a time. Think work in progress.
I wish I could have finished my career without coming under the sway of a sexist middle management liar. Unfortunately, 2016 was the dawning of the platinum age of sexist liars. A sexist liar was elected president. Maybe Donald Trump’s dishonest personal and sexist attacks on Hillary Clinton throughout that year’s presidential race normalized lying and sexism for men in power, even those with only the microscopic power of a King County Public Defender managing attorney.
I hear that morale in King County Public Defense is still low. Many of the people who worked there when I did have resigned. Some of them are retirement age but quite a few are younger. All of the departed employees I’ve heard from or about are very happy to be out even with reduced income.
Observations 