Video courtesy of Reid Park Zoo. Read our latest update about baby elephant Penzi here: http://tucne.ws/1fjr

Attorney Laura Conover, who describes herself as an advocate for criminal justice reform, says she is up and running, ready to take charge of the Pima County Attorney’s Office.

Come January, Conover is expected to be sworn in as the county’s top prosecutor β€” the first new one in more than two decades. Barbara LaWall held the post for 24 years and did not seek re-election.

The winner of the primary will become Pima County’s top prosecutor since there is no Republican or other party candidates in the November general election.

On Wednesday, Conover said: β€œThe overwhelming victor in Pima County on Tuesday night was criminal justice reform itself. All three of the candidates had some measure of reform in their platforms, and with high voter turnout despite COVID-19, it is clear that Southern Arizona is mandating reform.”

Conover said she is β€œhonored to be the Democratic nominee to carry that banner of reform through the November election and into 2021.”

She said internally she is working with β€œa brilliant, high integrity transition team forming to study the office as it exists and to plan for progress. The budget will be reviewed to see where we can streamline overhead to start off strong in January.”

The office has an annual budget of about $40 million.

Conover said the β€œconstruction of the first fraud unit in 20 years is already underway, as of early this morning. I look forward to ongoing communications with staff and attorneys in the office as we look to the next chapter of justice in Pima County.”

She said externally she will β€œbe very hard at work on the causes near and dear to us as a community. I will be working to assist in any way I can so the voters have their voice heard on the Second Chances Act in November.”

The Second Chances, Rehabilitation and Public Safety Act is a statewide ballot initiative that will safely reduce the prison population, expand rehabilitative programs, reduce recidivism and create a more just sentencing system, according to its website.

Conover said she will continue β€œto assist in critical relationship building between law enforcement and neighborhoods.” And she said she also will partner with victim assistance agencies and see which programs are strong and where more resources are needed.

Conover had a sizeable lead over two veteran prosecutors in Tuesday’s primary election.

On Wednesday, with 100% of precincts reporting and 31% voter turnout, Conover had 57% of the vote and her closest competitor, Jonathan Mosher, had 36%.

Prosecutor Mark Diebolt was third with 7%, according to unofficial and incomplete results from Pima County Elections. Final results may not be known until Friday or possibly into the weekend.

Mosher conceded the race to Conover on Tuesday night, releasing the following statement: β€œTonight, the voters of Pima County have spoken. I congratulate Laura Conover and her supporters, and give my sincere thanks to everyone who worked so hard to bring our campaign of meaningful reform to the people. It has been an honor to serve the families of Pima County.”

Of the early results on election night, Conover said: β€œI feel good. I am certainly thankful for what appears to be a real mandate from the community for our vision for reform.

β€œWe are honoring the retirement of a 40-year administration, and thanking Ms. LaWall for her dedication to the community.”

β€œNow is a critical moment in time for us to move the system forward, recognizing that we must have a medical response to addiction as an illness so that we may focus our resources on the complicated cases of fraud and scam, domestic violence and the exploitation of vulnerable populations,” Conover said.

Conover is a criminal defense attorney who worked in superior and federal courts for more than a decade. During the campaign, she said she has dedicated her career to defending the poor and advocating for victims. She said Tucson is behind on criminal reform and there needs to be β€œa reframing of our priorities so that we have true outcome-based policies that are more responsible for the taxpayer and more humane.”

Mosher is a veteran prosecutor of violent crimes who took leave from the county attorney’s office to run for the leadership post.

Since 2005, Mosher has worked in the county attorney’s office, climbing from deputy county attorney to chief trial counsel to chief criminal deputy.

He also is a felony training supervisor and trains prosecutors in Arizona and out of state.

Diebolt, also a veteran prosecutor of violent crimes, is also on leave from the county attorney’s office while he campaigned to lead it.

Conover, Mosher and Diebolt all campaigned as advocates for criminal justice reform and favor treatment rather than jail for drug addicts arrested for low-level drug possession.

Celebrity birthdays: Aug. 6

Here are some of the notable people celebrating birthdays today, including David Robinson, Ella Jenkins, Leslie Odom Jr., Michelle Yeoh, Vera Farmiga and more.

Become a #ThisIsTucson member! Your contribution helps our team bring you stories that keep you connected to the community. Become a member today.

Contact reporter Carmen Duarte at cduarte@tucson.com or 573-4104. On Twitter: @cduartestar