Dave Pinto, a domestic violence prosecutor in the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office, appears to be the first person to officially announce a campaign to replace his boss, Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner, who will not seek a fifth term in 2010 but instead will run for governor.

Pinto announced his campaign at the St. Paul City DFL convention Saturday; he's also filed a statement of organization with the county elections office.

There'll likely be more candidates for the job, which -- like the congressional seat in Ramsey County held by Betty McCollum -- tends to be a long-term position once you're elected. Gaertner, first elected in 1994, is only the fourth person to hold the job since 1933.

Pinto said he'll be "smart on crime," which he says means "aggressively holding offenders accountable. But it also means seeking every opportunity to prevent crime from occurring in the first place.”

He said he'll will work closely with community organizations, neighborhood stakeholders and government agencies to address the root causes of crime.