For the first time in nearly 40 years, the district attorney’s office in Marion County is being contested. Incumbent District Attorney Paige Clarkson is facing a challenge from Spencer Todd, a 33-year-old public defender from Salem. Clarkson has been the county’s top law enforcement official for four years and has blamed state leaders, including the governor, of undermining public safety by pursuing criminal justice reforms. Spencer Todd has worked as a public defender in Marion County for eight years and supports criminal justice reforms that focus on mental health services and treatment for nonviolent emergencies and offenses.

Clarkson and Todd join us to share their perspectives on criminal justice, policing and public safety.