ROANOKE TIMES 

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, May 9, 1995                   TAG: 9505090094
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-1   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: KATHY LOAN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: DUBLIN                                LENGTH: Medium

SHANKMAN SET TO CHALLENGE SHOCKLEY FOR PROSECUTOR POST

Byron Shankman, a Dublin lawyer, is seeking the Pulaski County Democratic nomination to run against incumbent Republican Everett Shockley for commonwealth's attorney this fall.

County Democrats meet May 15 to nominate candidates for constitutional offices, such as commonwealth's attorney, and the Board of Supervisors.

If Shankman, 46, receives his party's endorsement, it will be the first opposition for Shockley since 1983. Shockley announced his re-election bid last month.

"If I do obtain the party's nomination, it will take a unified effort ... to dethrone Everett Shockley," Shankman wrote in a letter Monday to Democratic Party members.

Shankman said he believes public service is an important part of a lawyer's career. He sees his candidacy as giving county voters an option.

The results obtained in the courtroom by Shockley "can be achieved without as much expense to the county and less personnel," Shankman wrote in a news release.

"I'm not so sure a county this size requires two full-time assistants," Shankman said Monday. And, if elected, Shankman said, he would move into a county office in Pulaski rather than keep an office in Dublin, where he and Shockley each practice now.

Shankman has been in private practice in Pulaski County since 1973, the same year he received his law degree from the University of Virginia.

Shankman served as a member of the committee to establish the Legal Aid Society of the New River Valley and later served as chairman of the agency's board. He is a past president of the Pulaski County Bar Association and the Pulaski County United Way.

Shankman said in his news release that if elected, he would make prosecution and prevention of crime by juveniles and youthful offenders a priority.

He believes a commonwealth's attorney "should work in partnership with law enforcement agencies, the schools and community organizations to develop and implement a comprehensive approach to address the youth crime problem in Pulaski County."

Shankman lives in Pulaski with his wife and his three stepchildren. He also has two daughters.

Keywords:
POLITICS 


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