City prosecutor charged with DUI makes rare public appearance at campaign forum

City Prosecutor Adam Papini chose to face a roomful of his peers Friday afternoon to talk openly about his beleaguered campaign as a candidate for municipal court judge.

“I stand before you today as a humbled man,” he said, speaking from a podium in the basement of the Spokane Club during a judicial candidate forum hosted by the Spokane County Bar Assocation. “As many of you know, by newspaper accounts, I was charged with DUI in the city of Cheney on June 4 of this year. So I have the unique perspective as a judge candidate. I know what it’s like to be someone charged with a crime.”

It was the first time since June 4, when Papini was cited for driving with a blood-alcohol level of 0.161 with his 10-year-old son in the car, that the candidate has talked openly about the charges. It also was the first time Papini has publicly given voters any insight into what he would do if elected judge, and the type of things he would like to change in municipal court.

In the months following his arrest, Papini did not return evaluation requests from the bar association.

He also didn’t return multiple requests for comment for stories on his DUI arrest and campaign and did not return a request for an interview with The Spokesman-Review’s opinion editor on candidate endorsements. The phone number he included on his campaign filing paperwork was no longer in service, and his campaign email did not return questions.

“I was ashamed by the charge,” he said Friday. “As many people who were charged with the crime, I was ashamed.”

During his prepared five-minute speech, surrounded by other judge candidates, including his opponent and incumbent Judge Tracy Staab, the candidate talked about his growth as a prosecutor as he’s moved from a punitive to a restorative mindset. He noted his work helping to create downtown Spokane’s community court – a court that offers alternative sentences such as community service to low-level crimes.

Papini told the room of legal experts how the experience has shaped his view of the legal process.

“I’ve come to realize that the crimes we described as misdemeanors are more than just misdemeanors,” he said. “They affect people’s lives. They affect the victims of crime, and they affect the individuals accused of a crime.”

In his closing statement, Papini told the room he didn’t expect to win, and that he wasn’t asking for their vote. Rather, he hoped they would “hold judicial officers accountable” for limiting access to justice.

“I’m asking for you to stand up, as lawyers, as judges, and demand change,” he said. “We need to change.”