Editorial: Williams best for D.A.

The most important decision facing city voters in this off- election year is the race for Philadelphia's district attorney.

District Attorney Lynne Abraham isn't on the ballot, having chosen to retire from the post she's held since 1991. That means new leadership for the office that handles more than 70,000 criminal cases a year with a staff of 300 lawyers.

The men seeking the job are Democrat Seth Williams, a former Abraham assistant, and Republican Michael Untermeyer, a former state deputy attorney general. The Inquirer endorses SETH WILLIAMS.

A victory for Williams on Nov. 3 might be a foregone conclusion in this Democratic-dominated city. But he's still the better candidate, and he defeated a field of strong challengers in the spring primary.

Williams served 10 years in Abraham's office, gaining management experience and learning the challenges of combating urban crime. He decided to buck the Democratic Party machine four years ago and came close to defeating Abraham then.

Williams and Untermeyer rightly want to focus their efforts on gun violence, but their approaches would differ somewhat. Williams envisions a broader enforcement strategy, including prosecuting illegal gun traffickers. He also vows to lobby Harrisburg for sensible and needed legislation restricting customers to purchasing one gun per month, to combat the problem of "straw" buyers.

Untermeyer wants tougher gun laws and a policy of "zero tolerance" on illegal handguns, ruling out plea deals in cases involving firearms. But Williams argues persuasively that prosecutors need plea-bargaining flexibility to win convictions in cases where the evidence might be weak, and without plea deals cases may get thrown out.

Williams would establish teams of prosecutors who are more familiar with specific neighborhoods, to encourage witnesses to come forward and to coordinate with police earlier when arrests are made.

Untermeyer's credentials are also impressive, including four years as an assistant prosecutor in Philadelphia and 11 years in the attorney general's office, where he headed up money-laundering probes against drug dealers.

Untermeyer favors bail reform, but his claim of the money to be saved doesn't stand up to scrutiny. (He wore an electronic ankle bracelet for 30 days during the campaign to show how the city could save money by moving nonviolent offenders out of jail.)

Williams has a more robust agenda for the district attorney's office, and more experience facing its challenges. He is the better choice for district attorney.