Issues
Jonathan has been speaking with the other stakeholders regarding the establishment of a Veterans Court. This would be an avenue to address the specific needs of the veterans in our community. As a twice deployed veteran, Jonathan has seen the issues of his comrades. Many veterans come home with undiagnosed problems and sometimes it leads to self-medication and contact with the Criminal Justice System. Our returning Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmen deserve to have their unique issues handled with dignity and understanding. There has been strong support for a Veterans Court and I would make sure to work with the other shareholders to get one in place.
Wood County needs a more consistent voice. Training, along with clear expectation, will establish better communications with the defense bar and help re-build our relationships with law enforcement. Building up these relationships is something that has to start with the District Attorney. As a strong supporter of law enforcement, Jonathan will re-establish an avenue to prosecute civil forfeitures and address concerns of law enforcement. Also, Jonathan will work to establish better communication with the defense bar to facilitate a smoother and faster resolution of cases.
Wood County has one of the largest backlogs of uncharged cases in Central Wisconsin. Jonathan has already reached out to other prosecutors about assisting in reducing this backlog with a collective push. Once the backlog is under control, Jonathan will start setting clearer guidelines and expectations for getting cases addressed. The backlog has meant that law enforcement are not seeing their efforts adequately addressed. Victims have been waiting for news and restitution. Also, defendants have been sitting with no idea if they will be charged in a week or two years.
With the sitting District Attorney not running, Jonathan is the most experienced attorney in the race. Jonathan has worked in three District Attorney's offices in Central Wisconsin (Adams, Marathon and Monroe) and also interned in a fourth (Portage). He has significant trial experience and has handled Attempted Homicides, Arson, Burglary, Sexual Assaults of children and adults, Election Fraud and much more.
We need leadership. Leadership is a hard to define characteristic and involves mentoring others, setting examples, making the hard decisions and establishing clear communication. As a retired Army Officer who served in Iraq as an Executive officer, Jonathan was responsible for over 150 Soldiers. He was responsible for the training, operating, logistics and administration for all these Soldiers in stressful and difficult situations. Jonathan has also started up a small law firm from scratch with one of his former Soldiers. He managed the day-to-day of a company and oversaw the purchasing and supply of all necessary items. Jonathan has also been the Deputy Assistant District Attorney in Adams County for several years now. He oversees staff and assists in hiring of legal staff and attorneys. Beyond this, Jonathan has been involved in the training of attorneys Statewide. In private practice, Jonathan served on the Wisconsin State Bar Continuing Legal Education Committee. Jonathan is currently on the State Prosecutors' Education and Training (SPET) Committee and is a regular presenter at SPET conferences across the State.
Furthermore, Jonathan is a local voice. Jonathan grew up in Stevens Point and has lived here in Central Wisconsin most of his life. He has five children in the Wisconsin Rapids School system from 4K up to a senior at Lincoln High School. Jonathan is the only current candidate with these lifelong ties to the area.