Letter to the Editor:

I worked for Bill Gibson for 14 years. It was like working with a team. Everyone was dedicated to doing the right thing for every citizen we served especially crime victims and law enforcement officers. Bill demanded that his staff listen to victims of crime. He cared about what they thought and what they had been through. I left the office last July, 10 months after Bill was suspended. It had become an irresponsibly run office. In all the years that I worked with Tony Craighead, I never heard him say a kind word about a victim or a law enforcement officer. Bill kept him because he is a good trial attorney. I know that Bill had to watch him closely at all times to make sure he was listening to the victims and their families and to law enforcement officers.

I was as concerned as others were when I found out about the letters to Chris Adams. I asked Bill why he sent the letters. He told me that he never intended to help Adams in any way, but that he felt he could give him hope. That is all he wanted to give to him. I realize that 35 years might not sound like a long sentence, but having worked in the system for many years, I know that 35 years is a really good sentence. We have had child murderers get less than 25 years after slamming a child's head into a wall to kill the child (this was the sentence after a jury conviction).

Bill has been so good to the people of the 13th Judicial District. I hate that this has become a political platform for politicians who are up for re-election. I am not sure why the same politicians are not questioning the TBI about their investigation that lasted almost 2 years and was a complete waste of taxpayer money. There was nothing criminal about this and these investigators had to know that. I was interviewed by the TBI and the questioning was aimed at nothing more than who Bill Gibson had dated his entire life. It was a "witch hunt". It became completely clear to me that it was nothing more than a few people Bill Gibson had angered who are now trying to hurt him.

While working in a political office for 14 years, I never felt the pull of politics during that time. Bill never "bowed down" to political figures. He never gave in or did things for monetary gain. He always insisted on doing the right thing for crime victims and victim's families. We never had to worry that someone might get mad because a person that had friends in high places committed the crime.

I was angry with Bill when I found out he had granted a post conviction for Tina Sweat. I asked him why he did it and he said it was the right thing to do. He felt she was going to make something with her life and she needed a chance to do that. He was right. While fighting the politics of this thing, she has been working hard to do just that. She was, and is, the perfect person to be granted a post-conviction.

Finally, I want you to know that Bill is the kind of person that makes others take a second look at themselves. He makes everyone around him want to be a better person. He is a kind and good man. He gives people hope. He has taken pride in his work and dedication to the citizens of this District. It would be a huge mistake to not allow him to be the District Attorney. There is no one that can do a better job. There is no one who cares more about people than he does.

Regina Holloway
Baxter, TN 38544