I, Francis McGowan, am a Public Defender IV and have been employed by Mendocino County since 2014. I'm am also a Teamsters shop steward and the Public Defender Office representative on the public attorney negotiating team. Over the last several years its become increasingly clear that Mendocino County has trouble filling public attorney positions at both the DA's Office and the Public Defender's Office. It's my understanding that most recent Public Defender attorney recruitment attracted a bare minimum of qualifies applicants and that Mr. Hill was not happy with the quality of this small pool of candidates. It is also my understanding that the DA's office has a similar dearth of qualified candidates. Mendocino County is constitutionally mandated to provide indigent defense services. Therefore, I wholeheartedly support Mr. Hill's request to hire. I also encourage the board to consider increasing the pay of public attorney's. The marketplace is sending a clear signal -- our recruitments are not attracting qualified candidates -- and our current employees are leaving for more remunerative employment elsewhere. The board needs to act to ensure our criminal courts continue to operate fairly and efficiently.