Malone announces candidacy

Last week, the race for Spokane County Prosecutor gained another contestant in the form of Frank Malone, local attorney and Gonzaga Law School graduate.

The incumbent, Steve Tucker, is running for a fourth term. In a controversial move last week, Tucker fired deputy prosecutor David Stevens, just after he announced his candidacy for the prosecutor's seat.

Tucker and Stevens are Republicans, while Malone is running as a Democrat.
Malone told the Spokesman-Review he decided to run for the office after listening to court house buzz regarding the general dissatisfaction about how Tucker is running things.

Malone says that his highest priority is righting the problems with 72-hour filings. When an alleged perpetrator is arrested and jailed for a crime, the prosecutor's office has 72 hours to file charges. Currently, this is not being done and after the allowed 72 hours expires, the suspect is turned loose. As a result, the crime is never accounted for.

Another problem high on Malone's list is the Jail Expansion Project. He doesn't believe that the voters are eager to spend a quarter of a billion dollars to complete this project in addition to the millions of dollars in operating costs. In light of the upcoming closing of the Geiger Correctional Facility in 2013 this is "a train wreck waiting to happen," Malone said.
In preparation for the possibility that the Jail Expansion Project will be voted down, the County Commissioners created the Bennett Commission to find alternative ways to handle the crisis.

The Bennett Plan is based on inter-agency coordination between the jails and the courts and other parts of the Spokane County criminal justice system. The problem, Malone says, is that the Bennett Plan is not being implemented.

"The Bennett Plan is essential to avoiding this train wreck. My promise to voters is that within six months of being in office I will prove to them that the prosecutor's office is carrying its share in coordinating with agencies per the Bennett Plan," Malone said. 

  
Born in Nassau, N.Y. Malone moved to Seattle with his parents and then on to the San Francisco Bay-Area and finally Spokane. He is a Vietnam and Desert Storm veteran, spending 27 years in the Air Force and the Air National Guard. He was navigator for the B-52 Bombers and the KC-135 Tankers.

Malone has been practicing criminal defense and family law since 1985. Recently, he added the work of assisting homeowners who are losing their homes in the current foreclosure frenzy.

Malone serves on the board for the Armed Forces Museum. He has been married for more than 25 years to Helen Malone, who serves as a trustee on local boards.
"She is my secret weapon in this race," Malone said.