Christian County Attorney John Soyars will not run for another term next year, choosing instead to retire at the end of his first term and to endorse Assistant County Attorney Lincoln Foster in the 2022 elections.
In an email to local media Thursday morning Soyars says, “I pledged to be the kind of county attorney who treated victims with understanding and compassion, defendants with justice and fairness and all with respect. I believe I have kept my word.”
Soyars, who formerly served as assistant county attorney under Mike Foster continues, “Upon reflection, I realized that when my term expires at the end of 2022, I will have served Christian County and the Christian County Attorney’s Office for 32 years. I am proud of this service. I have also recognized that it is time for someone else to have the opportunity to serve as your county attorney and have chosen to retire at the end of my current term.”
Lincoln Foster is the son of Mike Foster and has been an assistant county attorney and practiced law locally since 2012.
Soyars says “I have complete confidence in Lincoln and know Christian County will be well-served by him.”
He concludes with “It has been a privilege to be your County Attorney and I look forward to serving you until my current term expires.”
Read entire statement below:
Almost four years ago I announced my candidacy for the Office of Christian County Attorney. At that time, I expressed my hope in, and optimism for, our great county and its citizens. During the hardships our country has endured the last year and a half, my trust and faith in the people of Christian County has, if anything, gotten even stronger. Watching my fellow citizens come together and help each other has been a powerful and great witness to me personally. I believe the Christian County Attorney’s Office has played its part as well. I am very proud of the attorneys and staff in this office as we were never shut down by the pandemic, not for one day. There has always been someone available from this office to help our brave and dedicated law enforcement officers and victims of crime, around the clock, 365 days a year.
I have also worked hard to provide the best legal services to the various county officers and agencies represented by the County Attorney’s Office. Whether advising the County Judge/Executive, the Sheriff, the County Clerk, the Jailer, a Magistrate, the Coroner, a Constable or any other officer, I have tried to give each of them the best advice I could, all in the interest of serving Christian County.
I pledged to be the kind of County Attorney who treated victims with understanding and compassion, defendants with justice and fairness and all with respect. I believe I have kept my word.
Upon reflection, I realized that when my term expires at the end of 2022, I will have served Christian County and the Christian County Attorney’s Office for 32 years. I am proud of this service. I have also recognized that it is time for someone else to have the opportunity to serve as your County Attorney and have chosen to retire at the end of my current term.
This decision, while not an easy one, has been made less difficult by the fact that one of my Assistant County Attorneys, Lincoln Foster, has decided run for County Attorney. I have complete confidence in Lincoln and know Christian County will be well-served by him.
It has been a privilege to be your County Attorney and I look forward to serving you until my current term expires.
Lincoln Foster