You’ll not catch me wishing summer away, especially not today, as I’ve just enjoyed grilling a homegrown ribeye and eating on the deck. It’s not too warm, not too cold, and there aren’t any mosquitoes; last night’s storms washed all the pollen out of the air, leaving it crystal clear with the sharp contrast of the sun’s waning rays and shadows against the leaves.

But September 1 can’t come soon enough in some Anderson County political offices.

WATE reports on yet another multiple-DUI offender who struck a sweetheart plea bargain deal: 5-time loser Alvin Lacy will spend only two months in jail, followed by 11 months “supervised probation.” The blame for the plethora of plea bargains falls squarely on the District Attorney, who hasn’t personally prosecuted a case in more than a decade (maybe almost two).

Note: in this jurisdiction, “supervised probation” is a joke. The Director of Probation has dodged allegations of impropriety with female prisoners, evaded any consequences for irregularities in the County Audit, and has routinely taken checks for payment of probation fees — checks that, of course, bounced.

Murderers have gone free, and drug dealers are routinely back on the streets in less time than it takes for the arresting officer to complete the paperwork.

At the close of the August election, we will have a new District Attorney. The only question is, will the voters remember the deplorable record held by the current officeholder, and deny him the judgeship that he seeks instead. Although he’s running for Chancellor — a court that typically hears matters of equity and family law — the challenger candidate says he’ll hear criminal cases as well.

Just what we DON’T need.