Waushara County District of Attorney candidate questionnaire

Subhead

Matthew R.

Leusink

District of Attorney

Candidate

1. What are your qualifications for Waushara County District Attorney?

I think the three things that best qualify me to be the Waushara County District Attorney are my ties to the area, my dedication to prosecuting, and my experience as a prosecutor.  I went to elementary school in Markesan and attended high school in Princeton, where my father taught. We moved to the Richford area when I was in high school.  My parents have lived in Richford ever since, and I considered it home until I was hired full-time as an Assistant District Attorney.

I attended college at UW-Madison, where I graduated in 2010 with a B.A. in Political Science and History. I graduated from law school in 2013 from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.  During law school I interned at District Attorney’s Offices in Green Lake and Walworth Counties, which is what set me on my path to being a career prosecutor.  After graduation I worked part-time and volunteered at DA’s offices in Fond du Lac and Walworth Counties until 2015, when Walworth County hired me as an Assistant District Attorney.

What most qualifies me is the prosecutorial experience I have acquired over the past five and a half years.  The people need to be able to trust their District Attorney to handle serious offenses such as homicides, sexual assaults, and complicated financial crimes.  I have handled numerous different case areas and have prosecuted over sixty jury trials, including an attempted homicide, sexual assault, child abuse, robberies, burglaries, traffic offenses, domestics, and property crimes.  I have worked closely with law enforcement, not only in jury trials but also in the investigation stage prior to charging and in different stages of criminal proceedings.  I am running for District Attorney in Waushara County to ensure a competent, experienced prosecutor is running the office.

2. What are the duties of a District Attorney?

I believe the District Attorney has three functions: the lead prosecutor of the county, the office manager, and an elected official.

As an office manager, the Waushara County District Attorney presides over two Assistant District Attorneys and four support staff employees.  The DA needs to foster a productive work environment and ensure that taxpayer dollars are used efficiently.

As an elected official, the DA needs to take a leadership role in the community and sometimes work closely with other entities, such as the court system, other county officers, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the County Board.

In Waushara County, like many smaller counties, the most important role is as lead prosecutor.  The DA not only has to handle a caseload in addition to their other duties but also has to delegate cases to the other prosecutors in an efficient way and monitor them.  Further, the DA has to advise law enforcement on potential legal issues that come up during their investigations as well as formulate policies for issuing and handling cases.

3. If elected as DA what if any changes would you like to implement?

It would be important to take the time to learn about the practices already in effect and see what practices work and what need improvement.  This would also involve consultation with the other parties in the court system, law enforcement, and the community.  But in general, I would promote an approach to prosecution that is aggressive but fair, one in which every case is considered important, and where cases are not settled simply to avoid a trial.  I would also encourage a close working relationship with law enforcement.  Often officers and deputies put a great deal of work into their cases, and they deserve to be consulted about the status of their cases.

4. Do you support creating an option to charge low-level drug possession as a misdemeanor rather than a felony? Why or why not?

It is important to consider cases on a case-by-case basis.  In my time prosecuting serious drug crimes and property crimes, these defendants quite often began their criminal activity with simple possession of marijuana convictions.  Sometimes the facts of a case warrant charging a possession of a small amount of marijuana or a similar controlled substance as a ticket instead of a misdemeanor or as a misdemeanor instead of a felony.  Things that influence this decision include a person’s prior record, age, character, and needs.  Sometimes these factors warrant a harsher approach.  This is why it is important to talk with the arresting officer, who often knows more about a defendant than the report says.  I oppose adopting a blanket rule, and so long as marijuana is illegal in Wisconsin I would favor prosecuting violations.

5. What do you think is the most effective way to deal with low-level drug offenders?

There is no single way that is effective in all cases.  Simply because a defendant is arrested for having a small amount of a drug does not mean they have no substance abuse issues.  For some defendants just being introduced to the criminal justice system is enough to deal with their issues but some require more intense supervision, such as probation or possibly treatment court.  This is why communication with law enforcement officers is so important to learn about an offender’s background.

6. What programs and policies would you implement as District Attorney to reduce Crime and increase public safety in the county?

While all crimes are serious, I want the District Attorney’s office to emphasize aggressive prosecution in three separate areas: OWI prosecutions, felony drug cases, and cases with vulnerable victims, such as children and the elderly.  These are crimes where an aggressive approach is necessary to help serve as a deterrent.

Particular policies I would like to implement would be crafted towards ensuring that cases are dealt with efficiently and that the right decisions are made.  I want to set a goal for the office to take action on all referrals within thirty days of receiving them, either deciding to issue or conducting follow-up investigation.  While this might not always be possible, this policy would ensure that the office is monitoring cases and making sure cases are not forgotten.

I also would like to implement a policy requiring DA approval for modifications to offers made within two weeks of trial.  What this helps ensure is that offers are not changed last minute simply to avoid trial, but rather because it is the right thing to do.

Overall I think it is important for a new DA to wait to see what works in the office and what needs improvement before making significant changes.

7. Do you support mentor programs for first-time offenders ages 18-25? If so what would you do as DA to promote such programs.

I think that programs such as mentor and diversion programs can be effective, but they need to be offered to offenders because they have needs that can be addressed through these programs and not to get rid of a case.  Offenders in the program need to be adequately monitored by the DA’s office.  I would also require defendants to enter a guilty plea to the charge before entering the program so the state could proceed to sentencing if the offender fails the program.  The best way to promote these programs is by choosing the right participants and effective monitoring, as the success of the participants will help to promote the programs more than anything.

8. What do you consider as the biggest challenge facing the Waushara County District Attorney?

The biggest challenge facing the DA is bringing the office back into the position it was prior to District Attorney Anderson leaving in 2019.  The office has an excellent support staff, but, with retirements, there are multiple positions to fill.  The DA also has to hire an additional Assistant District Attorney position that has not been filled in over a year.

From the beginning of the year through April of 2020, and from late June 2020 to today, there has not been a District Attorney in the office. This has not only created a backlog of cases but has also affected the faith law enforcement has in the office.

It is going to take strong leadership to fill these positions with qualified candidates, eliminate the backlog, and restore the strong relationship with law enforcement, the court system, and the community that has existed in the past.

Publishers Note:  A questionnaire with these exact questions was emailed on Oct. 22nd to Laura Waite, a District Attorney candidate on the Nov. 3rd ballot for Waushara County.  She did not respond to the questions and two attempts were made by phone on Monday, Oct. 26th to let her know we did not receive any response.  Messages were left on her voice mail on both attempts.

 

 

 

 

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  • Matthew R. Leusink
    Matthew R. Leusink