RALEIGH, N.C. — For its first endorsement of the 2014 election cycle, EMPAC, the Political Action Committee of the State Employees Association of North Carolina, has endorsed Boz Zellinger for the office of Wake County District Attorney.

Zellinger is an assistant district attorney and prosecutor in the Special Victims Unit of the Wake County District Attorney’s Office, focusing on homicides, crimes against children and sex crimes. He has prosecuted some of the most notorious murder cases in recent Wake County history, including the trials of Grant Hayes, Amanda Hayes, Brad Cooper and Joshua Stepp.

“North Carolina and Wake County need a strong district attorney with a proven track record in the courtroom and Boz Zellinger is it. Boz has the experience and the political will to do the right thing in the courtroom whether it’s winning a high profile murder case or going after public corruption,” said Wayne Fish, EMPAC chairman.

More than 10,000 SEANC members reside in Wake County, and the Wake County District Attorney has special statewide authority over certain aspects of election law, including campaign law violations of statewide and judicial candidates, making the office relevant to SEANC members across the state.

Zellinger, a SEANC member, has worked as an Assistant District Attorney his entire legal career, prosecuting and trying homicides as well as rapes, robberies, wiretaps, drugs, public corruption, animal cruelty, and a variety of other cases. He has also taught and worked closely with local law enforcement agencies on numerous investigations.

“The State of North Carolina is Wake County’s biggest employer, and keeping our streets safe is critical for the development of our community,” Zellinger wrote in a letter to EMPAC seeking the endorsement. “SEANC’s advocacy to protect state employees is well known in our office. As District Attorney I will always work to value state employees.”

Zellinger is also very involved in his community. He has served as a little league basketball coach at Laurel Hills Community Center for five years, and was recently nominated for the City of Raleigh’s Fred Fletcher Outstanding Volunteer award. He also served on the Sierra Club Capital Group’s Executive committee, is a Contemporaries Board Member at the N.C. Museum of Art, and has lectured and mentored students at UNC School of Law and Campbell Law School.

SEANC, SEIU Local 2008, is the South’s leading state employee association 55,000 members strong. With 2.1 million members, SEIU is the fastest-growing union in North America and includes over one million public employees who have united to improve their lives and the services they provide. To keep up on SEANC’s daily news, follow us on Twitter @SEANC2008 and “like” us on Facebook at facebook.com/SEANC.Local2008.