The “Leigh Gwathney Effect”? Give Me a Break.

Unpopular opinion, but I’m not here for the Leigh Gwathney slander, like at all. The “Leigh Gwathney Effect” on Paroles? Give me a break.

I have some bias, I’ll say outright. You do too. I’m certain that Gwathney does too. It’s in our nature to have leanings one way or another, even if they’re unknown to us. My bias is based on a unique perspective. I’m one of many who can say they’ve worked with Gwathney as a prosecutor. Fewer can claim that prior to being a prosecutor, they worked as a public defender, and only a handful of folks can say that before all of that, they worked as a parole and probation officer. I have some knowledge of the person, some knowledge of the context, and some knowledge of the environment. I’ve advocated to keep folks out of prison, and I’ve drafted letters to see others paroled. But I’ve also argued certain people into/back into prison and made sure that they stayed there. Personally, I like to believe I can see both sides of the narrative. That’s why it irks me to see columnists whom I otherwise enjoy reading crafting these short-sighted, one-sided narratives with Leigh Gwathney as the major antagonist… Snow White’s Wicked Queen, Cinderella’s Evil Stepmother, Forrest Gump’s Jenny (IDC IDC IDC, Jenny was the bad guy).

If anybody truly knows Leigh, they know that Leigh is as empathetic as they come. They also know…