Doucette ends his term
Lynchburg commonwealth attorney steps down after 11 years of service
SERVICE — Michael Doucette, 62, will retire after serving in the Lynchburg Common- wealth Attorney of office for 33 years.
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After 11 years of service for the Lynchburg community, Commonwealth Attorney Michael Doucette announced he will not run for re-election in November of 2017.
Doucette will step down from his position after his term ends Dec. 31, 2017.
Doucette said he wants the community to know that it is time for him to “explore new opportunities.”
“I have served in the Lynchburg Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office for 33 years,” Doucette said.
“The first 22 as an assistant and the last 11 as the elected prosecutor.”
Doucette said he is proud of his time in the office.
His 33 years in the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office matches the term-length of another well-known person who served in the office.
“This equals the length of time of Lynchburg’s longest-serving Commonwealth’s Attorney, the legendary ‘Cap’n Bob’ Yancey, first elected in 1894,” Doucette said.
With years of work under his belt for the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, Doucette thought back about how much he loved serving this community and his state.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed serving the citizens of Lynchburg and Virginia for those 33 years,” Doucette said.
“I have often said that I could count on one hand the number of days I did not want to go to work.”
Doucette also spoke of the amount of kind words people had said to him about his team’s performance, and mentioned the great deal of hard work his office did to get tasks done.
“I will always be very proud of the accomplishments and the professionalism
exhibited by the members of this office,” Doucette said.
“I routinely receive compliments from around the state as to the high reputation our office has attained.”
Though Doucette will no longer hold his position after Dec. 31, he still wants the community to know that he will still be serving them in some way.
He said he is now ready to face new challenges.
“At the end of this term, I will be 63 years old,” Doucette said.
“If I chose to run again, and was fortunate enough to be re-elected, I would be 67 at the end of that term. I have decided now is the time to make that leap.”
“I will carefully consider all of my options and pursue what is best for my family,” Doucette said.
“However, regardless of which option I choose, I hope and expect to continue serving the citizens of Lynchburg and Virginia in some capacity for years to come.”