A two-term Bath City Councilor and local attorney believes his plan to re-vamp the District 6 district attorney’s office will serve the public in a more effective manner.

David Sinclair, 45, is the Democratic candidate for district attorney for Lincoln, Knox, Waldo and Sagadahoc counties.

He is the first opponent that incumbent Republican DA Geoffrey Rushlau, 61, of Dresden has had in eight years.

Sinclair has been in private practice in Bath since 2010. He previously worked 15 years in the technology management field. He believes his past experience in both professions will make the DA’s office more effective by becoming more efficient.

“I’m convinced we can do better,” Sinclair said about his candidacy. “We can better serve the community’s needs through a couple of small, but important changes in our prosecutorial policy and procedures.”

Sinclair proposes streamlining procedures within the DA’s office and at the same time protecting important information used by the assistant district attorneys in court.

Sinclair wants to replace the “unwieldy” practice of assistant district attorneys carrying legal papers into court in a large bin. Sinclair calls this an ineffective method that puts the files at risk, as well as slows down the entire legal process.

Sinclair wants to use technology to put the files more readily available to all those involved in the judicial process.

“Some cases may be ready, but the judicial process is ground to a halt because another prosecutor has the file,” Sinclair said. “This is not only a poor use of resources; it’s a disservice to all members of the community who have business before the court and are forced to sit and wait for everything to be gotten into order.”

On the policy side, Sinclair wants the DA’s office to become proactive in combating re-offenses or recidivism. He believes there is an opportunity to prevent those convicted in becoming second and third time offenders.

Sinclair quoted state statistics that showed 66 percent of first time offenders commit another crime within three years. He wants the District 6 prosecutorial offices to expand on two Restorative Justice Programs sponsored by state government.

“I think it’s clear the model works,” he said. “We need to increase the partnership level with the state to decrease the crime rate in our community.”

As the district attorney, Sinclair believes the job entails more than simply charging, convicting and jailing offenders. He wants to focus on preventing first-time offenders from progressing to more dangerous crimes that threaten local communities.

By reducing re-offenses, Sinclair said the prosecutorial office would be able to focus more on drug abuse, elder abuse and mental health issues. He characterized substance abuse and mental health issues as major factors in the crime rate.

“Once these changes are implemented you’ll see the cost of prosecution and incarceration start to decrease,” Sinclair said. “We can use those savings to fund mental health and substance abuse programs. Funding was pulled away years ago, and now we need to return to providing people with the help they need.”

This is Sinclair’s first attempt at running for district attorney. Rushlau has served in the position since 1994. He was appointed by former Gov. John McKernan to fill a vacancy. Rushlau has been reelected four times.