CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The race for Nueces County District Attorney will soon be decided, that leader working closely with local law enforcement and other influential policy and governing bodies to provide stability throughout our area.
Democratic candidate Terry Shamsie has been practicing law for almost four decades. He said a core issue he wants to fix within the DA's office is funding and pay rates.
"The pay scale for assistant district attorneys starting pay scale and for experienced district attorneys assistance is probably between 20 and 30 percent below market," he said.
Shamsie said his vast history also gives him an advantage in leadership.
"I was a county court judge of court five for about two and a quarter years, and then I was county judge for four years," he said. "So I have a probably an advantage on the administrative side."
Republican incumbent Jimmy Granberry said he is already familiar with working around staffing shortages. Granberry was sworn in last year after former district attorney Mark Gonzales announced his resignation, who at the time, decided to run for senate.
"Goals for the office is to increase the number of paralegals that we have so that the trial lawyers do lawyers things and the staff does the staff things," he said.
Granberry said that if he is re-elected, he wants to help secure more funding to keep and even attract more bodies to the area.
"We're 12 lawyers short, so with you know that light of staff we've got lawyers pitching in and helping in other courts they don't work in," he said.