The Konk Life Candidate Interview
Meet Trish Gibson, Candidate for Public Defender
Chief assistant public defender Patricia “Trish” Docherty Gibson, 49, the 21-year veteran of the Public Defender’s office seeking to replace retiring Public Defender Rosemary Enright in this year’s upcoming election. Enright has endorsed Trish Docherty Gibson as the person most qualified to succeed her.
Trish has participated in many of the highest-profile cases in the Florida Keys and is “capital case certified” by the Florida Supreme Court, meaning she may defend those facing the death penalty.
Admitted to the Florida Bar in 1995, Trish recently completed a 15-year career as an adjunct law professor at Saint Leo University.
She is a Key West resident and married to former Key West City Commissioner Barry Gibson with whom she has a daughter, Taylor.
The Here are our 15 questions and her answers:
Konk Life: In 20 words or less, let our readers know why you believe you would make an excellent successor to Ms. Enright?
A. I have expertise – 21 years in the courtroom and 12 years managing our budget and supervising the Public Defender staff.
Konk Life: What are the top four factors you believe in particular qualify you for the position of public defender over the assets of any other potential candidate?
A· I have shown the commitment and dedication necessary to manage an important office like the Public Defender’s Office. I have 21 years of experience in the courtroom, handling hundreds of felony cases and hundreds of trials. As the current Chief Assistant Public Defender I am responsible for overseeing our three offices in Monroe County. This includes the training and supervising of 20 attorneys as well as 23 support staff, managing our budget while still carrying a caseload and doing trial work. I have been appointed by the local judiciary to the 16th Circuit Professionalism Panel and the 16th Circuit Pro-Bono Committee. I am also on the Department of Juvenile Justice Council, Monroe County Sheriff Suicide Prevention Task Force.
I understand the importance of a fiscally sound office. I have represented the Public Defender’s Office before the Florida Legislature regarding budgetary issues. When the State had mandatory budget reductions, the Office of the Public Defender was one of the local offices that did not have to furlough employees. That was a result of tightening our belts at the Public Defenders’ Office.
I have passion and love for the Public Defender’s Office. I consider this job more than a political office and more than a job. I have dedicated my entire career to this office. Even when I was in law school I wanted to be an Assistant Public Defender so I could help the most needy people. I have a strong dedication to this community and the clients I represent.
I have lived in the Keys continuously for 21 years. I am raising my Conch daughter in our local school system and am very involved in the community. I am a proud member of Key West Sunrise Rotary, Beta Omega Sorority, Business and Professional Women’s Clubs of Upper Keys and Marathon, Key West Business Guild, Key West Chamber, Lower Keys Chamber and Marathon Chamber.
Konk Life: Is your personal view on the death penalty a long-held viewpoint for you?
A. YES. I have spent decades studying the death penalty and participating as a member of the Florida Death Penalty Steering Committee. I am certified to be a lead attorney and have personally tried several death penalty cases in Monroe County. I have an in-depth knowledge of the law and I am acutely aware of differences of opinion regarding the death penalty.
Konk Life: What is your view today on those who oppose the death penalty?
My view is that everyone is entitled to their opinion. This is a debate we should have in this country to ensure that we get this legal process both politically and ethically right.
Konk Life: In your personal experience, have crimes and criminal behavior become more widespread in Monroe County in over the years?
No, thanks to the hard work of law enforcement and our residents. Statically overall crime has declined in Monroe County. However, some individual types of crime have risen so we do have to stay aware of our surroundings.
Konk Life: Do you feel the outlook is good for a peaceable future in the Keys even as the number of our visitors and residents increase?
- Absolutely. Citizens and law enforcement in Monroe County do an excellent job interacting with the community, engaging our youth, protecting our resources, participating in community clean ups, and volunteering every day.
Konk Life: What do you personally love most about Monroe County and the Florida Keys?
I love living and raising my daughter here in the Florida Keys. We have abundant natural resources and we love taking our daughter boating and teaching her how to fish and dive. Without our diversity and caring locals we wouldn’t be who we are.
Konk Life: What troubles you the most about today’s Monroe County and the Florida Keys?
A. Traffic. With one road out and one road in, we all have to slow down a bit!
Konk Life: What planning or political mistakes do you feel have been the worst to be made in the past decade?
It’s too easy to be a Monday Morning Quarterback.” All decisions come with consequences, some intended, some not. One might point to affordable housing as a missed opportunity. I think we, as a community, are always trying to make things better and that is what’s important.
Konk Life: Who is your most favorite character in the history of the keys?
Ernest Hemingway. As an avid reader in our book club for 19 years I love great stories. Hemingway tells his stories directly without a lot of distraction. Hemingway was an adventurer, fisherman, hunter, boxer and writer. He loved the Florida Keys.
Konk Life: Who is your least favorite?
I don’t really have a least favorite. Those that came before, both good and bad depending on your perspective, made this place what we have today.
Konk Life: So what is your favorite book?
“To Kill A Mockingbird,” which I read when I was thirteen. That book and how it impacted me is why I am a Public Defender today.
Konk Life: What is your favorite movie?
“The Wizard of Oz.” I love watching that movie with my daughter Taylor and it has always been one of my favorite movies. It reminds me of a time and place when life was more simple, that we should always have hope, justice will prevail and there is no place like home.
Konk Life: What is your favorite quote?
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