×

ELECTION 2020: 2 vying for Alpena County prosecutor

Cynthia Muszynski

ALPENA — Two attorneys with no elected experience — but each with experience working in prosecutors’ offices — are running for Alpena County prosecutor in the Nov. 3 election.

Republican Cynthia Muszynski, incumbent after being appointed to the position in March, offers 11 years as assistant prosecutor in the Alpena County Prosecutor’s Office against Democratic challenger Denise Burke’s experience in the same position in Lapeer and Otsego counties before moving to Northeast Michigan.

Working as an assistant prosecutor and prosecutor has given Muszynski an understanding of the cycles of hopelessness, abuse, addiction, and victimization that lead to crime and made it her goal to break those cycles, she said.

An Alpena native who wanted to be the prosecutor in her hometown since she was a teen, Muszynski said being from Alpena is an asset to a prosecutor. Knowing the community provides insight into the background of the people involved in the cases she prosecutes and helps her relate to the community’s issues on a personal level, she said.

Sexual assault cases are the hardest cases to prosecute — and, perhaps, the most emotionally traumatic for the victim, Muszynski said. As prosecutor, her top priority is to restructure the way sexual assault cases are handled by law enforcement, prioritizing those cases so evidence is gathered more quickly and victims move more swiftly toward closure.

Denise Burke

Other goals include increasing the size of the county’s drug court — which Muszynski helped start in 2009 — to allow more people with addictions to receive the court’s help.

Developing a new approach to juvenile cases is another of her priorities. Muszynski said she’s working with a small group of young people, seeking their help in developing a method for courts to better reach juveniles before they enter the court system.

Burke, who set up a private practice in Alpena in 1995, previously worked as an assistant prosecutor in Lapeer and Otsego counties. As an employee in the Wayne County prosecutor’s office, she worked on murder, rape, and gang violence cases, including working on cases presented to the Michigan Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court.

In Gaylord, Burke set up a gang violence program, established child abuse protocol for police, and provided training for police on how to testify in court.

Burke ran for the Alpena prosecutor seat twice before, in 2000 and 2004, and for the seat of 88th District Court judge in 2018.

If elected, Burke plans to improve communication between that office and police, defense attorneys, and victims.

Rape and mental health cases, especially, need to be handled better, said Burke. As prosecutor, she would insist on the creation of a protocol for all serious crimes. Police need to have a plan in place to help them gather information and communicate with appropriate agencies immediately to get a case to court more quickly, Burke said.

The process can run more efficiently than it is now, and she has proof of that because she’s made it happen in other communities, Burke said.

Denise Burke

AGE: 57

RESIDENCE:

Alpena

OCCUPATION:

Attorney

ELECTED EXPERIENCE: None

FAMILY:

Three grown children

Cynthia Muszynski

AGE: 38

RESIDENCE:

Alpena

OCCUPATION:

Alpena County

prosecutor

ELECTED EXPERIENCE: None

FAMILY: Married,

two children

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today