Archived News

Welch to seek second term as DA

First-term District Attorney Ashley Welch recently announced her candidacy for re-election at the GEM Country Republican Women’s Club meeting in Franklin.

“It has been an honor to be the first woman to serve as District Attorney for the seven westernmost counties of North Carolina, and today I’m announcing my candidacy for re-election,” she said. “I have served the people of our communities as a prosecutor for my entire career, and I’ve worked hard during my first term to make my office accessible, efficient and effective.”

Welch said her office has been open to the public during regular hours each week in every county for the first time in the history of the office, and that she’s worked together with elected legislators to be able to bring additional prosecutors and staff to an office that desperately needed the extra support.

“Working together with our talented and professional law enforcement officers we have been able to bring violent criminals to justice and we’ve made tremendous progress in ridding our communities of the drug dealers who ruin lives and families,” she said in a press release. “We’ve also partnered with our children’s advocacy centers and child abuse response agencies to give a loud voice to the littlest victims and send a strong message that we will not tolerate those who prey on our children.”

When she was first elected, Welch said she promised to be more than an administrator and she said she’s kept that promise by working in the courtrooms as a lawyer, and as a District Attorney she has personally sent drug dealers and violent criminals to prison for the rest of their lives.

Smokey Mountain News Logo
SUPPORT THE SMOKY MOUNTAIN NEWS AND
INDEPENDENT, AWARD-WINNING JOURNALISM
Go to top
Payment Information

/

At our inception 20 years ago, we chose to be different. Unlike other news organizations, we made the decision to provide in-depth, regional reporting free to anyone who wanted access to it. We don’t plan to change that model. Support from our readers will help us maintain and strengthen the editorial independence that is crucial to our mission to help make Western North Carolina a better place to call home. If you are able, please support The Smoky Mountain News.

The Smoky Mountain News is a wholly private corporation. Reader contributions support the journalistic mission of SMN to remain independent. Your support of SMN does not constitute a charitable donation. If you have a question about contributing to SMN, please contact us.