11/18/2009 Werden elected officer for Iowa County Attorneys Association
JOHN WERDEN
"Maintaining access to justice is one of our priorities. We advocate full funding of the judicial branch for full-time judicial presence in every county of the state. And that's an issue very important to me. ... The Legislature hasn't exactly done us any favors. It makes some of us wonder why we should go to Des Moines and lobby for more user fees when we're not going to get them back into the Judicial Branch."
-- Carroll County Attorney John Werden, newly elected secretary-treasurer of the Iowa County Attorneys Association
Carroll County Attorney John Werden has been elected secretary-treasurer of the Iowa County Attorneys Association.
Werden, 53, who was an at-large director for the ICAA last year, was elected to the one-year term during the association's fall conference at Coralville Nov. 8-11.
The ICAA, a nonprofit organization with unpaid board members, maintains coordination among Iowa county attorneys and promotes uniform and efficient administration of criminal justice by cooperating with law-enforcement agencies, monitoring legislation and providing continuing education for prosecutors.
Werden has been a member since being elected county attorney in 1998 and has served in several capacities over the years, including committees for computer and case-management projects.
As a director Werden sat on the ICAA's executive board, which sets priorities on which to lobby state lawmakers and conducts training for prosecutors and law-enforcement officers. The board also writes various manuals and publications for prosecutors' everyday use on areas like criminal law and guidelines for charges, searches and seizures, highway safety and OWI.
As secretary-treasurer, Werden will be responsible for the ICAA finances and for taking minutes of board proceedings.
Although he was elected to the positions of director and secretary-treasurer, Werden's progression the next two years to association vice president and president will be automatic, presuming he's elected to a fourth term as county attorney in 2010.
He would become the association's third president from Carroll County. Barry Bruner, who was county attorney from 1981 to 1998, was president in 1989 and Bruner's father Robert was president in 1967.
Werden says he views his service to the ICAA as a means to contribute to his profession.
He also benefits by building relationships with other prosecutors, both county attorneys and those in the Attorney General's Office.
"People who have lots of experience, you can get them on the phone and bounce a situation off them and get their insight," he said. "At that personal level it gives you an opportunity to see the forest for the trees and adds a professional dimension. It helps me see at the end of the day that I've really accomplished something, whether it's helping a situation turn out well for someone or helping a victim or a family or a child."
Werden said the ICAA is in good financial shape and he wants to help steer the association's legislative priorities, particularly in regard to state funding of the judicial branch.
Iowa's court system is in tough fiscal straits, with state budget cuts forcing furloughs, reduced clerk's office hours and reduced staffing.
"Maintaining access to justice is one of our priorities," he said. "We advocate full funding of the judicial branch for full-time judicial presence in every county of the state. And that's an issue very important to me."
Criminal, juvenile and mental-health proceedings handled by county attorneys constitute more than half the court caseload in every Iowa county.
"So as consumers of Judicial Branch services we have strong reasons to support maintaining a full-time court system throughout the state," he said.
The Judicial Branch receives $160 million, about 2 percent of the state's $7 billion budget, and generates $150 million through fines and fees.
"We're not happy with the funding that has happened," said Werden. "We just think the Judicial Branch needs special treatment because it is special. We don't really have any programs that we can cut. Most of the money we get goes to employee salaries."
Reducing staff and hours won't save the taxpayers any money as long as the criminal and civil caseloads keep rising, Werden said.
"It's really going to be a cost shift," he said. "Peace officers will have to travel more to get warrants and go to court. Mental health treatment will be delayed, and that process is tough enough as it is. And a lot of the costs are going to be shifted to the litigants."
The state raised fines and fees last year, yet the Judicial Branch is still experiencing a funding crisis.
"The Legislature hasn't exactly done us any favors," said Werden. "It makes some of us wonder why we should go to Des Moines and lobby for more user fees when we're not going to get them back into the Judicial Branch.
"We need to get the message out: Don't cut us any more. We're slow enough."
The ICAA will also be lobbying for modification of the state sex offender residency law to improve public safety, and improved definitions for sex- and child-abuse offenses.
"The Legislature did very little in criminal law last year. They were busy on budget matters," Werden said. "We're going to be shooting with a rifle next year and zero in on the things we want."
