My name is Holly Peace. Scott Ballard hired me as his legal assistant in August, 2003. I worked for him at Ballard & Ballard helping him defend criminals in Fayette County for a year, until he came to me one day and said he was running for District Attorney. He told me that he had a heart for protecting this circuit, and felt there was a need for someone to step in and do a better job of prosecuting. To do this, Scott gave up a much larger salary, opened his personal life to the public, and worked hard to campaign for the position.
He was elected by a slim margin - and the planning began. Scott implemented new ways of organizing and prosecuting cases. There were over 300 cases that were backed up in the system, and the first order of business was to get them all ready for trial. He hired a great team of prosecutors, investigators and secretaries that were committed to the serious job of protecting the circuit, and they worked tirelessly to get caught up.
The Assistant District Attorney position is one that is very demanding, for little pay (in the world of attorney salaries). And, as Rudjard Hayes points out, some can't continue the position forever and had to resign. I personally never knew of anyone who left because of Scott's management skills (including Rudjard, who at the time claimed other reasons for leaving the office). I myself left the DA's office in February of this year. I enjoyed my experience and job there - but the truth is, they couldn't compete with the salary range I was offered for a position as a legal secretary in Atlanta. Although I gained experience and knowledge of the system AND I felt Scott Ballard was the best boss an employee could ask for, there came a time when I had to move on for the sake of my family's financial future.
Early into Scott's term, he testified for Jeff Allen. He was a newly elected public official, and he made a personal decision to help a person in his church fellowship. He did not do this because he likes child molesters - he did it because he was subpoenaed to offer his personal opinion as to Jeff's character. I do agree that as a public official elected to oversee the good of the people - it was a mistake. I do NOT agree that Scott is soft on crime.
Scott Ballard is passionate about prosecuting criminals in this circuit. He has implemented a system that gets the criminals to court quickly, and doesn't keep victims waiting years for an outcome.
I can personally attest that he is a man that is trustworthy, loyal to victims and citizens, and passionate about his position as District Attorney.
I never worked closely with Rudjard Hayes since I was in the Fayette office and he was in the Spalding office. I do know that several employees could not work effectively and/or had personal conflicts with Mr. Hayes. I'm not one for office gossip, but what is not being released to the public is how many employees had complained about Rudjard. Many of us felt his intentions were to run against Scott from the minute he was hired. We warned Scott, but he dismissed our 'rumors' and kept him on staff. It was a rude awakening when we ran into Rudjard at last year's 4th of July parade wearing a shirt proclaiming he was running for DA. I know it hurt Scott's heart - Rudjard was someone he thought of as a friend and confidant. However, for the rest of the DA's staff, it was no surprise.
Scott's promise from the beginning was that he would run a straight forward campaign. No dirt-slinging or personal jabs - just the truth about how the DA's office has been a well-oiled machine in churning out tough sentences to criminals since Scott was elected.
It has frustrated me to see Scott stick to the facts about the cases we've won, and the numbers of years sentenced - while Rudjard assaults Scott's character and morals. The notion that Scott Ballard is not tough on crime, or that he likes child molesters is ridiculous. Being a former employee, and personal friend, I can tell you that it is not true.

Citizens of the Griffin Judicial Circuit - VOTE FOR SCOTT BALLARD. He is a man of integrity and has done wonders as the leader of prosecution in his first term.
You can trust he takes his position as District Attorney seriously, and that is not something I can vouch for in Rudjard Hayes.