Shawano-Menominee County district attorney’s race on tap for November

SHAWANO — At least one local race is already shaping up for the November election, with the announcement of a challenge for the Shawano-Menominee County district attorney’s office.

Aaron Damrau, a Tigerton-based attorney who was elected last month to the Shawano County Board, has announced he will run against incumbent District Attorney Greg Parker, who has held that office since January 2007.

“I’m running for district attorney because I strongly believe our community can do better in effectively prosecuting crime,” Damrau said.

“Shawano County has been notorious for the last 50 years for being tough on crime. I’m running because I believe that in order to face the challenges of our time, we must be simultaneously tough on crime and smart on crime,” he said.

Parker said he believes his office has established a reputation for being tough but fair on crime.

“I have been and remain committed to aggressively prosecuting sex predators that victimize children within our community,” he said.

Parker cited more than 60 prosecutions brought against traveler sex predators as a result of working with the county sheriff’s department, Shawano police and Internet Crimes Against Children, or ICAC, units.

“The ICAC unit and I have prosecuted numerous child pornographers in the area, many of them receiving substantial prison sentences thereby removing them as a threat to children in the community,” he said.

“My prosecutors and I continue to serve crime victims in prosecuting domestic violence offenders, sex offenders and drug offenders,” Parker said.

“Our area continues to see increasing numbers of drug offenders who feed their habits by victimizing others,” Parker said. “We are seeing more drug traffickers bringing larger amounts of drugs into the community, and they are being aggressively prosecuted.”

Damrau said the drug epidemic has spiraled out of control over the past 14 years all across Shawano and Menominee counties.

“Using 1980s law and order tactics to address the drug epidemic isn’t working,” he said.

“Our counties need a district attorney who is able to think outside of the box and who is willing to listen to differing opinions and ideas,” Damrau said. “We deserve a district attorney who is willing to look to other counties for the best practices in addressing the drug epidemic; someone who is able to work as a team within the county to implement the best practices.”

Parker cited the establishment last year of drug court, aimed at prioritizing treatment over prosecution of certain offenders.

“Some drug offenders convicted of possession of drugs such as meth, heroin, cocaine and other highly addictive drugs are being offered drug court,” Parker said.

He said he, along with with Judge William Kussel Jr., probation and parole, the public defender’s office and sheriff’s department work as a team in managing the treatment and accountability process of the participants in the drug court.

“Finally, the recent addition of a new prosecutor in my office is a big help in chipping away at the backlog of cases in the office,” Parker said.

Other local races on the ballot in the Nov. 3 election include the county clerk, county treasurer and register of deeds.

The deadline to submit nomination papers is June 1.

tryan@newmedia-wi.com