ALAMOSA — Anne Kelly, District Attorney for the 12th Judicial District, has announced her intention to run for re-election in November.
In a statement to the Valley Courier, Kelly writes, “I am committed to the San Luis Valley. In partnership with law enforcement agencies, community leaders and the citizens of this Valley, the District Attorney’s Office has risen from a place of dysfunction to a position of restored hope and trust. We still have so much work to do, and I am committed to continuing to raise the level of professionalism and competence in the Office.
“It has been an absolute pleasure over the last 18 months, meeting community members, listening to their concerns and advocating on their behalf. You have made me feel very welcome in your spaces, and I truly appreciate that. It would be my honor to continue to serve this very special place.”
Kelly first came to the San Luis Valley as a visiting prosecutor following the resignation of her predecessor. As she has stated before, after being here for just a few weeks, she felt personally compelled to come back and restore justice that had been lacking in the 12th Judicial District. As a result, she submitted her name to Governor Jared Polis in consideration for being appointed to the position.
Polis appointed her and she took the helm in August of 2022. She subsequently ran in November and was voted in by a sizeable margin.
As a result of her advocacy “from day one,” and subsequent support from county commissioners across the Valley, it was recently announced that the DA’s office will eventually be relocating to a site on Main Street in Alamosa, that will offer significantly more space, better accommodations for meetings and training and easier access to the public.
Kelly also states she has been able to hire a full staff of highly qualified attorneys, which had been an ongoing challenge for years. She and her staff have “cleared” a backlog of several hundred cases she inherited upon assuming the position while, personally, she has been to trial on “about 15 cases”.
Kelly has also investigated four officer-involved shootings, an unprecedented number of cases for the San Luis Valley.
