Jack Douglas announces his upcoming retirement
Today I am announcing that I will not be a candidate for re-election to the post of Boundary County Prosecuting Attorney in 2020.
The first thing I want to acknowledge is to thank the many good citizens who have supported this office loyally and my efforts on their behalf all these many years. They put their faith and trust in me, and to the very best of my ability, I gave them the best and most conscientious office I believe I have ever been involved with. We have worked hard to earn and to retain your trust.
It has been a great privilege and honor to serve as the Boundary County Prosecuting Attorney these past about 18 years, and the various positions I held for the 24 years before that. It has been quite an interesting ride and adventure, taking me to various legal positions in Texas and in Idaho. In Idaho alone, I have served two different stretches as our prosecuting attorney, and also twice served as the deputy prosecutor for two different prosecutors as well. I am also thankful for the 12 years of service I was able to put in at the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office in Dallas, Texas.
During this 42-year career so far, I am also thankful for the previous public defender positions in Boundary County, Bonner County, and Shoshone County… all in Idaho. It has all served to educate me thoroughly as a person and as an attorney. I am grateful for all of it.
To have the success we have had takes strength of character, commitment and teamwork. I have worked with many fine professionals over the years, including many different judges, court personnel, attorneys, witnesses, victims and law enforcement officers. I have also been blessed to have been able to create and hire what I know to be an excellent staff that I am leaving behind at the end of this term. Again, I am grateful to all of them for their efforts and many kindnesses.
What does the future hold? Once this term ends in January 2021, I shall retire from this position, but not from the practice of law itself. The fires still burn strongly and there is still good work to be done on the behalf of others. In retirement, I will find my way to the correct path of service. It was never about the money or I would have gone into a very different area of
the law for my career. I wanted to make a difference helping people and that is what I am most proud of. I worked to make our home a better and safer place for all.
Looking forward and not backward, I wish to thank my ever loving and loyal wife April. No man could have asked for a better wife. She is everything I ever wanted and her loyalty and love have kept me going through the anxious times as well as the hap pleasure to share this journey with April and we are looking forward to embarking on more adventures together before the curtain finally comes down on our lives.
Finally, I acknowledge my deep debt of gratitude to God for all the joy and all the learning I have had in this life. I would never have made it without Him and I freely admit that. I wouldn’t want it any other way. I put my trust in God and it has been , all things considered, a good life.
In fact, I am delighted to say that as I look back I know in my heart that I would not have traded lives with any other human who ever lived. This was my adventure and it has been a fun and interesting “canvas” created from it.
Well, God bless you all and I hope the future holds nothing but the best for everyone. Be grateful for we have much to be grateful for.
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Jack Douglas is the prosecuting attorney for Boundary County.