Some veteran Wyandotte County prosecutors will lose jobs when new DA takes office

Some of Wyandotte County’s most experienced prosecutors have been told they will not be retained when a new district attorney takes office in January.

Current longtime senior attorneys affected include Ed Brancart, Sheryl Lidtke and Mollie Hill.

In all, six attorneys and two members of the support staff were reportedly told that they would be let go.

The district attorneys office was closed Friday for Veterans Day, and none of those affected could be reached for comment.

District Attorney-elect Mark Dupree said Friday that after winning the Democratic primary in August over incumbent District Attorney Jerome Gorman, he set up meetings with the office’s 22 attorneys and more than 30 support staff.

Dupree is also a minister and son of a minister who upset Gorman, one of the most experienced prosecutors in Kansas who had been district attorney since 2005.

He was unopposed in the general election.

On Friday, of those who indicated they wanted to stay when he takes office, Dupree said that 49 of 57 total employees will be retained.

“I think that speaks volumes about the type of dedication and commitment many of the people have to serving Wyandotte County,” he said.

Dupree said by making the decisions now, he wanted to avoid the kind of situation that has arisen in other offices when a new district attorney took office and laid off employees on the same day.

That’s what happened in Johnson County in 2007 when Phill Kline became district attorney and fired seven assistant prosecutors and the office’s chief investigator.

That led to a lawsuit that was later dropped after Kline wrote each a letter saying he had “no criticism of your professional ethics” and said they were eligible for rehire with the office.

Steve Howe, one of the lawyers fired by Kline, defeated him in the 2008 Republican primary, won the general election and is now district attorney.

In Wyandotte County, Brancart, Hill and Lidtke are among the attorneys who handle murders and other serious felony cases.

Dupree said he did not anticipate any problems with handling those kinds of cases.

“We’re bringing in a lot of experience and talent,” he said. “We’ll absolutely be able to handle those cases.”

One hiring Dupree has announced is Damon Mitchell to serve as his chief deputy.

Mitchell, like Dupree, is a Wyandotte County native with more than 15 years of experience as an attorney.

Dupree said that he is focusing on a proactive approach to reach young people in the community to prevent them from committing crimes.

“I’m hiring people who come in with the mindset of helping and serving the community,” he said.

But he will also emphasize holding criminals accountable for their actions.

“By all means, we will go hard in the courtroom,” he said.

This story was originally published November 11, 2016 at 3:00 PM with the headline "Some veteran Wyandotte County prosecutors will lose jobs when new DA takes office."