From the streets of Detroit hails one of Macon County’s newest prosecutors, a man who speaks fondly of community and justice.

Maurice Davis, 26, started as an assistant state’s attorney on May 24. He graduated from Florida State University College of Law last year.

The new job keeps Davis busy. He handles traffic cases, which means he works with people caught driving over the speed limit, without a license, without insurance or without wearing a seatbelt.

Many assistant state’s attorneys who handle these types of cases want to be felony prosecutors someday, and Davis is no exception.

“I’m from the inner city and I saw how violence has really torn the city apart. That’s another reason why I wanted to be a prosecutor, to help combat that violence,” said Davis, who also mentioned a love of community service as motivation.

Someday, he might prosecute violent criminals, but for now it’s traffic violators – and lots of them. Davis handles anywhere from 50 to 170 cases a day, and comes in an hour early, at 7:30 a.m., on Wednesdays through Fridays to speak with people facing traffic citations.

It’s a lot of work, but Davis has never shied from that. He started his first job at McDonald’s when he was 14 and worked a string of others throughout high school, including Denny’s and Comerica Park.

He also maintained a 3.5 grade point average, but Davis is humble about his work ethic.

“I was just motivated,” he said, shrugging.

At Michigan State, he worked on campus and joined Alpha Phi Alpha, a fraternity that often organizes community service. Once he gets settled, Davis hopes to look up other Alpha members who are living in Decatur.

Davis said his hero is former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, but his inspiration comes from his mother, who works at a bank and has four other children. He is also close to his two aunts, one of whom makes macaroni and cheese that Davis said he could eat for the rest of his life.

First Assistant State’s Attorney Jay Scott said Davis was chosen from a pool of 14 other candidates, all of whom were interviewed by a committee that included Scott and State’s Attorney Jack Ahola.

“He had a good prosecutor’s mentality,” Scott said of Davis. “It takes a certain personality to be an effective prosecutor, and we thought he had it.”

Rick Scott and Jennifer Carroll made their debut as the Republican gubernatorial ticket Thursday and met small but enthusiastic crowds on a three-city flyaround.

In Brandon, Orlando and Jacksonville, Scott and Carroll talked up the importance of creating jobs in a struggling Sunshine State and Scott criticized Democratic rival Alex Sink for supporting “the Socialist policies of President Obama.”

Carroll — an African-American state representative, Navy veteran, small business owner and immigrant from Trinidad — brings gender balance as Scott’s running mate and offers a sharp visual contrast to the lanky Midwesterner who presided over the expansion of the Columbia/HCA hospital network.

“Working together, we will broaden the base of our party, reaching out to every Floridian who wants a better future for their families,” Scott said as he introduced Carroll to TV cameras for the first time near her Fleming Island home. The site was the entrance of Naval Air Station Jacksonville, with a sleek-looking Blue Angel jet in the background. In attendance was U.S. Navy Adm. Kevin Delaney, Carroll’s former boss.

In Carroll, Scott gets an experienced legislator who can help guide him through Tallahassee, still a strange world to him. And already she’s creating enthusiasm among Republican activists eager for something positive after the bitter primary between Scott and Bill McCollum.

“It’s awesome. It’s nice to have new blood,” said Michelle Beaudoin of Brandon at the day’s last stop at a party headquarters in Hillsborough. “It will be two people who haven’t been career politicians.”

Mary Ellen Ludeking, who owns a Jacksonville small business, called Carroll an asset to the GOP ticket. “Jennifer is a very good person with high morals and a high work ethic who served our country,” Ludeking said.

At a storefront GOP office in Jacksonville, Scott was flanked by Carroll on his left and his wife, Ann, on his right. Most of the senior advisers on Scott’s campaign are women as well.

Sink, the Democratic nominee, said Carroll’s race and gender will not matter to Florida voters.

“We’re going to be focused over the next weeks on the vision for Florida,” Sink said. “And I think people when they go to vote, they’re past all these gender and racial issues. They’re really looking at the candidates and the messages and the commitments that the candidates have to changing the future of Florida.”

As for Scott’s reference to Socialism, Sink said: “He obviously doesn’t know a thing about me, does he?”

Carroll said she supports Scott’s hard-line views on illegal immigration and in support of a state law similar to one adopted earlier this year in Arizona.

“The bottom line is legal immigration. We cannot reward people for their illegal acts in coming to this country,” Carroll said. Even for legal immigrants like herself, she said, the process is “cumbersome, tedious and not friendly,” adding: “One thing we have to get away from is the race factor, because immigrants come from different backgrounds, like myself, from Trinidad. Not always Mexican.”

In the Republican primary, Carroll supported McCollum and chaired a statewide African-Americans for McCollum group. Explaining that decision, she said: “Bill McCollum came into the race early … I was loyal to my word. At the end of the day, a man’s word and a woman’s word have to be their bond.”

Carroll said she was approached months ago about her possible interest in being Scott’s running mate. She was considered for a similar post by Charlie Crist four years ago and twice ran unsuccessfully for Congress.

Scott, who has campaigned against “career politicians,” portrayed Carroll as an outsider, even though she has been a member of the Legislature for seven years and is part of the leadership team as a majority whip.

“She’s an outsider. She clearly says what she thinks,” Scott said. “She was absolutely the best choice. … We talked to a lot of people.”

Carroll, 51, was born in Trinidad, came to the United States at age 8 and enlisted in the Navy in 1979, serving 20 years and retiring as a lieutenant commander, aviation service officer. The self-employed owner of a public relations consulting firm, she was the first black Republican woman elected to the state Legislature and previously ran the state Department of Veterans Affairs under former Gov. Jeb Bush. She is married with three children, including Nolan, a rookie with the Miami Dolphins.

Scott joked that with his four years of naval service as a radarman, coupled with Carroll’s two decades of service, “We can probably make sure all the helicopter pilots never get lost.”

Carroll joined Scott in hitting the Republicans’ core message of linking Sink to President Barack Obama and his policies.

“This is a critical election for Florida,” Carroll said in Jacksonville. “Our opponents embrace the failed policies of Washington, D.C. They believe in growing government instead of growing jobs.”

Asked how Carroll would create jobs, Scott said: “She knows, just like I know, that the way you get an economy going is, you get government out of the way. You’ve got to reduce regulation, and you’ve got to downsize the size of state government.”

Carroll’s debut on the statewide stage wasn’t gaffe-free. Citing Scott’s “7-7-7″ plan to take seven steps to create 700,000 new jobs over seven years, she turned to her running mate and said: “Seven years, 7,000 jobs, right Rick? Seven hundred jobs in seven years.”

Angela Alsobrooks has been out of the Prince George’s County state’s attorney’s office for eight years and sees her run for the office’s top position as a chance to get back to her first love: prosecution.

Alsobrooks worked as an assistant state’s attorney in the county from 1997 to 2002, starting first as a domestic violence prosecutor and later working on juvenile court, narcotics and major crimes cases.

When her then-boss, current County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D), left the state’s attorney’s helm in 2002 to lead the county, he appointed her as the education liaison for his administration. Two years later, he appointed her as the executive director of the county Revenue Authority, where she currently works.

If elected as state’s attorney, Alsobrooks said she would like to encourage partnerships that would provide alternative sentences for low-level and non-violent offenders and encourage gang-resistance education.

She also vows to seek grant money and audit the office’s budget to find room to hire more attorneys. The office has 75 attorneys, but the high number of cases leaves county prosecutors with the heaviest case load per prosecutor, according to the state’s attorney’s office.

Specifically, Alsobrooks would like to appoint more attorneys to work on gang and domestic violence cases, where she believes grant money is currently the most plentiful, and would like several more attorneys to work as community prosecutors, maintaining working relationships with residents and police in specific neighborhoods.

“Those relationships go a long way,” Alsobrooks said. “People in their communities generally know where the issues are, and if you’ve engaged them, they will be very helpful in solving the issues in their neighborhood.”

Alsobrooks, 39, of Upper Marlboro said she would like to provide more transparency in the office by keeping the community up to date on major cases. In the Ronnie White case, in which a young man accused of killing a police officer was found dead in his jail cell and no one was ever charged in his death, Alsobrooks said she would have discussed the evidence with the public to explain why a prosecution was never made.

Current State’s Attorney Glenn F. Ivey (D), who is not seeking re-election, endorsed Alsobrooks as his successor Monday.

“She’s head and shoulders above the other candidates,” Ivey said of Alsobrooks.

Donnell Turner, a former county assistant state’s attorney who worked alongside Alsobrooks, said Alsobrooks’ strong work ethic and likeable personality make her a frontrunner.

“You need to be able to deal with a lot of different people — judges, defense council, legislators — so it requires a real knack to deal with those people,” Turner said.

Angela Alsobrooks

Position sought and party affiliation: State’s attorney, Democrat

Place of residence: Upper Marlboro

Time in county: 39 years

Age: 39

Place of birth: Suitland

Current occupation: Executive director of the Prince George’s County Revenue Authority

Education: Bachelor’s degree in public policy from Duke University in North Carolina and juris doctorate from the University of Maryland School of Law.

Community associations: Member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, First Baptist Church of Glenarden and Duke University Alumni Association; a board member of Leadership Prince George’s; active participant in Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation events and fundraisers.

Professional associations: Member of Maryland State Bar Association, J. Franklyn Bourne Bar Association, National Parking Association and American Management Association.

Family: Single, 5-year-old daughter.

Campaign office address and telephone: Friends of Angela Alsobrooks

1101 Mercantile Lane, Suite 220 A, Largo, MD 20774.

301-418-8451

Candidate’s website:

www.angelaalsobrooks.com

Today, Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA) officials announced the promotion of Joseph Bryant, Jr. of Bear, Delaware, to be the bi-state agency’s new Police Administrator, succeeding Col. John R. McCarnan who retired in January after 16 years of service to the Authority. Prior to his promotion, Mr. Bryant served as the department’s Deputy Police Administrator for the past 10 years.

Joseph Bryant, Jr. has more than 34 years of progressive law enforcement experience, including more than 25 years of police supervisory and management roles with two major law enforcement agencies. “I am honored to have the opportunity to lead the Authority’s nationally accredited police department,” Bryant said. “Given the unique dual-state jurisdiction and policing powers of the department, it’s a great opportunity to use all the skills and knowledge that I’ve gained throughout my law enforcement career. I look forward to working with the dedicated men and women of the DRBA Police Department as we continue our mission of public service, crime prevention, and highway safety.”

In 1976, Mr. Bryant began his law enforcement career as a police officer in the New Castle County Police Department. During the next 23 years, Mr. Bryant quickly rose through the ranks of the New Castle County Police Department. Prior to retiring from New Castle County in 2000, Mr. Bryant was promoted from Captain to Major in 1998, responsible for the Operational Section of the Department and the Human Resources Unit. During his tenure with the New Castle County Police Department, Mr. Bryant managed nearly every major police unit in the department, including the Uniform Patrol Section, Drug Enforcement Unit, Community Service Unit, Internal Affairs Unit, K-9 Units, and Traffic Services Unit.

“Joe has a unique combination of law enforcement experience, operational skills, and leadership abilities that will prove invaluable to the Delaware River and Bay Authority,” said Jim Walls, Chief Operations Officer at the DRBA. “He has a tremendous record of accomplishments and we are fortunate to have someone of his caliber leading our police department.” More than 50 individuals responded to the Authority’s search to lead the department of 67 sworn officers and support personnel. The Authority arranged for the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) to participate in this comprehensive candidate assessment and selection process.

Mr. Bryant earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Delaware. He also has received specialized professional training at the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia; the Senior Management Institute for Police Executives at Harvard Law School; and International Association of Chief of Police Seminars. Mr. Bryant has also been heavily involved in the public safety community, currently serving on the Board for the Delaware Police Chiefs’ Foundation and as a member of the Delaware Police Chiefs’ Council, Salem County (NJ) Police Chiefs’ Council, and Cape May County (NJ) Police Chiefs’ Council. He also serves as Vice Chairman of the Delaware Chapter of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives.

During his career, Mr. Bryant has earned numerous awards and citations, including Delaware River and Bay Authority Police Officer of the Year; Chief’s Citation Award; National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives Officer of the Year Award; VFW Officer of the Year Award; Community Policing Award; Six Departmental Commendations of Merit; and Three Distinguished Unit Citations.

Mr. Bryant is an active member and Trustee Board member of Bethel AME Church in Wilmington; New Castle County Community Partnership; and the Wilmington Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. Married for 33 years, Joe and Sharon Marie reside in Bear, Delaware and have two children, Charita and Joseph, III; one daughter-in-law, Yvonne; and two grandchildren, Chloe and Joseph IV.

About the DRBA
The Delaware River & Bay Authority is a bi-state governmental agency created by Compact in 1962. It owns and operates the Delaware Memorial Bridge, the Cape May- Lewes Ferry, the Three Forts Ferry Crossing and the Business Centre in Salem, NJ. The Delaware River & Bay Authority manages corporate and aviation properties through its economic development powers – two airports in New Jersey (Millville Airport and Cape May Airport) and three in Delaware (New Castle Airport, Civil Air Terminal and Delaware Airpark). All DRBA operating revenues are generated through the bridge, ferry and airport facilities.

Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity members from across the nation will converge upon Washington, D.C. to lay the foundation for a better future for today’s youth. Sigma Day on Capitol Hill, September 14 – 16, 2010, will serve as a catalyst for positive change, as Phi Beta Sigma mobilizes support for legislation geared towards helping youth in a constantly changing world to identify and take advantage of positive opportunities.

Representatives of Phi Beta Sigma will advocate for the support of two bills, sponsored by Representative Brother John Lewis (D-GA): H.R. 789, The Teen Dating Violence Prevention Act of 2009 and H.R. 2616, The Securing American Families by Educating and Training Youth (SAFETY) Through Nonviolence Act of 2009.

The three-day gathering will begin with a reception on Tuesday, September 14th, where Sigma members will meet and network with their respective members of Congress.  On Wednesday, during a breakfast briefing, a motivational session will provide Sigma members information on proper protocol for interacting with members of Congress and advocating for legislation.  Brothers will spend the afternoon in communication with congressional leaders. Thursday, September 16th is Sigma Service Day, during which brothers of Sigma representing a diversity of careers will participate in a Career Day at the Sasha Bruce Youthwork, one of the largest youth organizations in Washington, D.C. The organization strives to meet the urgent needs of at-risk youth and families.

Joining Phi Beta Sigma in this cause are the Family Violence Prevent Fund, End Abuse Organization, Break the Cycle Organization and Men Can Stop Rape Organization. For more detailed information contact:sigmadayonthehill@gmail.com.

Dwayne Johnson has been elected to his second term as president of North Carolina Central University’s Student Government Association. At the time of the first term election, Johnson was the second student of the junior class to be voted into this position in more than 30 years of the university’s history. At this term, he is the first to get elected twice.

As president of the Student Government Association, Johnson is expected to represent the university at monthly association of Student Government meetings which rotate on the UNC campuses, prepare a year-long program with the help of his executive board and cabinet members, be involved with community service, support on and off campus programs, athletics and activities which students are involved in, provide mentorship to other students, assist the student body and administration and hold a position as a member of the NCCU Board of Trustees.

Johnson is a history, secondary education major and also holds membership in Phi Eta Sigma honor society, Alpha Phi alpha Fraternity Inc., and is a lifetime member of Southern Middle School’s Men of Distinction, under the direction of Bert Poole. Johnson is a 2007 graduate of Person High School where he was a member of the J V and varsity basketball teams, vice president of student council and held other student council positions under the direction of Margaret Bradsher and Allison Bowers.

Charlie Porter, the interim police chief at Alabama A&M University since 2008, has been named the school’s permanent chief, the school announced Thursday.

Porter first joined the A&M police force in 1991 as a captain.

“I appreciate the university entrusting and having confidence in me to provide a safe and secure environment to the university,” Porter said.

Porter’s law enforcement career began in 1978 at the University of North Alabama. From 1987-91, he was a field investigative epidemiologist for the state Department of Public Safety.

Porter, a native of Corinth, Miss., then began his career at A&M.

He left Alabama A&M in 1997 after being cleared of a sexual harassment charge and rejoined the force in 2000.

A member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., and 100 Black Men of America, Porter is also affiliated with the Madison County Chapter of the Alabama Police Benevolent Association, the Fraternal Order of Police-Lodge No. 6, the Alabama Association of Chiefs of Police, The Fraternal Club of Huntsville Inc., Masonic Lodge No. 50 and Crime Stoppers of Huntsville.

He is a recent graduate of the 2010 FBI Citizen’s Academy Class.

Sharon Cole – an engineer with nearly 20 years of experience in the private, nonprofit and public sectors and who has worked on the local, state and federal levels of government – entered the Cuyahoga County Council race in District 10 yesterday.

District 10 consists of Cleveland Wards 10 and 11, Bratenahl, East Cleveland and Cleveland Heights.

“I am anxious to devote my energy and skills toward putting Cuyahoga County on a path to economic growth and restoring faith and confidence of residents in their elected representatives,” said Cole.

Raised in East Cleveland by her grandparents after the tragic death of her mother, Cole’s life and career have been defined by optimism, perseverance and a commitment to excellence.  She worked hard to earn engineering degrees from Purdue and Case Western Reserve Universities, two of the best engineering schools in the country, has managed technology projects for large corporations at Andersen Consulting, once one of the country’s top consulting firms, and has served Greater Clevelanders in a number of roles in the nonprofit and public sectors where she found her true calling.

Inspired to enter the public sector by the late Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones, on whose staff she worked as the economic and business development liaison, Cole is working hard to earn the support of many of the same constituents she served as a Congressional staffer.

Cole made the decision to seek the council seat in District 10 after the passage of Issue 6 last November.

“I owe it to my community to put my passion and ability to work in a greater capacity,” said Cole, who has worked for elected officials for the last five years of her career.  “While I know firsthand that serving constituents and being a behind-the-scenes advisor and staffer is important work, I realize that to make real change, I have to take greater risks,” she added.

Cole has always made time for community and political involvement.

She worked on successful campaigns of several elected officials, including State Representative Barbara Boyd, East Cleveland Council President/Mayor Gary Norton, East Cleveland Municipal Judge Sandra Walker, and Representative/Councilman Eugene R. Miller.

She has served as a member of both the Cuyahoga County Central and Executive Committees and was a delegate to 2008 Democratic National Convention.

In addition, she is a member of public service sorority Delta Sigma Theta where she serves on the Social Action and Technology committees, serves on the board of WECO, an organization working to increase financial literacy among low-income people and is an active member in her block club.

Cole’s complete biography is available on her campaign’s Facebook page, Sharon Cole for Cuyahoga County Council, District 10.

National, state and local dignitaries stood alongside other metro Detroiters on Monday at the ground-breaking of an education center at Wayne State University that will honor Detroit federal judge Damon Keith.

Keith, 87, senior judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit, has been a groundbreaker for civil rights for more than 50 years.

The Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights will be adjacent to the Wayne State School of Law in Detroit. The $5.7-million, 10,000-square-foot center, which is expected to open in 2011, will house an exhibit area, meeting and conference rooms and a 60-person lecture hall.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder called Keith a trailblazer and a towering role model for countless lawyers.

“He is my role model,” keynote speaker Holder said to a crowd of about 600. “Without him, there would be no me.”

A. Alfred Taubman, business and mall owner and a primary contributor to the center, called Keith a favorite son of the city. “Damon Keith helped shape us into a better people,” Taubman said.

Other speakers praised Keith as a trailblazing lawyer, revered judge, champion for civil rights and loyal friend.

“Role model” was a phrase that came up again and again.

“He is our hero,” said Detroit Mayor Dave Bing. “I don’t know that there could be a better person for us to emulate.”

The estimated 600 people who attended the ceremony spilled from beneath a canopy and braved threatening rain to witness the groundbreaking and tribute to Keith, 87, the grandson of slaves who now serves as senior judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit.

Holder quoted Keith, who challenged President George W. Bush by ruling it unlawful to conduct deportation hearings in secret. “Democracies die behind closed doors,” Holder quoted Keith as stating in a 2001 ruling after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Holder added, “Democracy lives and is strengthened behind the doors of Judge Keith’s chambers.”

Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm said she was among about 40 people present who were blessed to have clerked for Keith, who grew up on the west side of Detroit and was the first member of his family to attend college

“Some people are like divining rods that set you on the right path,” Granholm said. “Judge Keith has been like that. He taught us all about breaking ground. … not just to be good, good lawyers, but to be good people.

“Judge Keith’s legacy is too big to be in one building,” she said. “The true legacy of Judge Keith is all about action, so let us use this as the foundation for action.”

Edsel Ford, a primary contributor to the center, surprised Keith by presenting a portrait of him by metro Detroit artist Nancy Mitter.

The portrait will grace the main gallery of the center — which in addition to offering classroom and meeting space will have an exhibit featuring Keith’s life and work.

Dean of Wayne State’s law school Robert Ackerman said Keith’s good deeds extended beyond the legal realm. He cited Keith’s efforts to help secure a place for civil rights champion Rosa Parks to live after she was robbed in her Detroit home and his work to raise money for the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.

“He’s not only a great man, he is a good man,” Ackerman said.

The audience was filled with a who’s who of metro Detroit, including U.S. Reps. John Conyers and Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, former Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer, prominent attorney Elliott Hall, chief judge of Michigan’s 36th District Court Marilyn Atkins, Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Kurtis Wilder and a host of Keith’s fraternity brothers from Alpha Phi Alpha.

Even those not on the program were full of praise for Keith, calling the proposed center well-deserved recognition.

Television producer Ted Talbert recalled working on a documentary on black lawyers and judges several years ago.

He said: “Damon made it work because of his expertise, and he is the recognized dean of black lawyers and judges. He gave expertise no one else could.”

Several lawyers and judges credited Keith for their success.

“If it weren’t for Judge Keith and all he did over the years, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” Atkins said. “I’m so deeply in his debt for everything he did to pave the way, to lead this country to accept and respect African Americans in the judiciary and in the practice of law.”

Attorney Allan Kellman worked for Keith in the 1970s. “Judge Keith is a great humanitarian who truly brings the concept of justice to life whether dealing with presidents or the man in the street.”

Keith said he was honored by all the praises and hoped the center lives up to words dear to him.

“I hold the words ‘equal justice under the law’ closely,” Keith said. “I hope the words ‘equal justice under the law’ will guide the work done at the Keith Center.”

At a 2 p.m. ceremony June 1, the G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery Center for America’s Veterans at Mississippi State will dedicate its new day room in memory of a university alumnus killed in Iraq.

The program honors Air Force Capt. Kermit O. Evans Sr., a 31-year-old Hollandale native and 2000 chemical engineering graduate who died in 2006 when the helicopter in which he was traveling made an emergency water landing in Al Anbar Province.

Evans, a member of the 27th Civil Engineering Squadron at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., had been deployed with the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing at Iraq’s Balad Air Base. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. (For more, visit www.arlingtoncemetery.net/koevans.htm.)

At MSU, the Simmons High School graduate was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and had been a walk-on player for a year with the MSU Bulldog football team. He also was a Coca-Cola Foundation Scholar.

The Center for America’s Veterans (www.veterans.msstate.edu) is located in a former family housing unit at 126 Magruder St., just south of Hathorn Residence Hall.

At the ceremony’s conclusion, a bust of Evans will be unveiled in the dayroom, a recently renovated area at the location specifically designed for the leisure and study activities of campus veterans.

For additional information on the event, telephone center director Andrew Rendon at 662-325-6720.

For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.