Neal wins second term as Bonneville County prosecuting attorney
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IDAHO FALLS — Randy Neal secured his second term as the Bonneville County Prosecuting Attorney in a close race with challenger John Malek.
Neal earned 6,932 votes (53%), while Malek received 6,063 (47%).
While both attorneys earned more than 6,000 votes — Neal ultimately pulled ahead by 869 ballots.
“Bottom line, it just allows us to move the work forward,” Neal said, commenting on the results. “That’s always been the goal is to try to reach those good outcomes so that we can have justice for our victims and deterrence for those who want to cause trouble.”
He said that Tuesday’s victory provides stability and a solid basis for moving the office forward.
“I hope … that we can bring the community together, address the crime problem and work with our law enforcement partners and our federal partners to address some of the challenges that we will see later,” Neal said.
His priorities are to ensure “sentencing outcomes which reflect the community’s desire for justice,” and to stabilize the office, which currently has a staffing shortage.
He also said he looks forward to working with the new Bonneville County Commissioners.
In a statement to EastIdahoNews.com, John Malek wrote, “Thank you to the thousands of voters who were willing to give me a chance. That I was relatively unknown when the race started two months ago makes the tremendous amount of support I received all the more humbling.
“…Despite this loss, I look forward to working alongside all of you the best I can to help keep Bonneville a safe place to love, work, and raise our families. Congratulations to Mr. Neal on his win tonight.”