Active duty, at home and in Iraq, won jobGuardsman in Iraq had help on the homefront in his successful campaign for chief prosecutor in Clay County. When Clay County's new chief prosecutor takes office in January, he will be far, far away, where he has been for most of the past year -- Iraq's Anbar Province, overseeing a National Guard battalion. Maj. Brian Melton of Moorhead campaigned for the job from Camp Taqqadum, where he has been serving since March. With help on the home front from his wife and an assistant county attorney, he received more than 70 percent of the vote in the November election over lawyer Anita Flatt of Hawley, Minn. "Reputation had a lot to do with it," he said of becoming top attorney in Clay County, in western Minnesota along the North Dakota border. "What it really came down to, what was important to the voters, was trial experience and management." Melton has eight years of experience in the Clay County prosecutor's office, including at least 40 criminal trials. He also has spent 15 years in the Minnesota National Guard. In Iraq, he is chief of staff for a battalion working with the Marines. He plans tactical operations and manages personnel and logistics for about 1,000 Guard members. Melton decided to run for Clay County attorney after Gov. Tim Pawlenty appointed prosecutor Lisa Borgen to the judicial bench earlier this year. But Melton, who was sent to Iraq, needed to get the go-ahead from his wife because she would be his proxy. "I knew Kim would be doing the majority of the [campaign] work. She was definitely gung-ho; she was my best asset," he said. Until the campaign, Kim Melton, a stay-at-home mom to the couple's 7-year-old son, Noah, and 4-year-old twin daughters, Lauren and Taylor, was a political novice. Michelle Winkis, an assistant county attorney, served as campaign manager. Kim Melton put in busy days with the kids and long nights of campaign work. "My neighbors laughed at me because I'd be painting campaign signs in the driveway at 2 in the morning," she said. "The kids were great. They went in parades with me and went door-knocking." Melton was able to campaign in Minnesota during a two-week leave in October. The couple once talked about taking their kids to Disneyland during that time, but instead distributed pamphlets in Hawley, Barnesville and other neighboring towns. "We were having our together time walking the streets handing out literature," Kim Melton said. Before his deployment to Iraq, Brian Melton was at Camp Shelby in Mississippi for training. He also had spent time with the National Guard in Bosnia when the twins were infants. On election night, Melton arose early to start checking newspaper websites for results. He occasionally phoned Kim and Winkis, who were set up for what they hoped would be a victory party at the Moorhead VFW. About 6:30 a.m. in Iraq, he heard the good news. "I celebrated by going to breakfast and having coffee with a couple of my buddies and telling them I won," he said, laughing. A little help from friends Ken Kohler, who supported Melton, has been the acting county attorney since January. He will remain in charge of criminal matters and Winkis will oversee the civil and administrative side until Melton returns from duty. "With the age of communication, we e-mail with him all the time," Kohler said. "We'll survive, but we're looking forward to his return." Kohler said Melton's military service qualifies him for the Clay County job. "Who better to represent the county than someone who's willing to make a sacrifice like that?" Kohler asked. The Meltons met at Concordia College in Moorhead. He was commissioned as an officer in the Guard after college graduation in July 1991. He joined the prosecutor's office after graduating from law school at the University of North Dakota in 1997. Melton said he will be home in March and won't take a vacation before he begins work as chief prosecutor. "When you have 13,000 people that vote for you," he said, "they expect you to get to work right away." Rochelle Olson • 612-673-1747 • raolson@startribune.com |
