Hamner upsets incumbent for prosecutor nomination

A previous county prosecutor and exceptional court choose has ousted the incumbent prosecutor, advancing to the November basic election.

Lance Hamner has won the Republican nomination for Johnson County Prosecutor with 58{a73b23072a465f6dd23983c09830ffe2a8245d9af5d9bd9adefc850bb6dffe13} of the vote. His opponent, incumbent Joe Villanueva, obtained the other 41{a73b23072a465f6dd23983c09830ffe2a8245d9af5d9bd9adefc850bb6dffe13} of the vote.

If Hamner wins the typical election, he will return to the prosecutor’s place of work for the 1st time due to the fact 2008. He previously served as Johnson County prosecutor from 1991 to 2008, right before functioning for Johnson County Remarkable Court 3 decide.

When Hamner declared his campaign, he said he was disappointed in how the prosecutor’s business has fared in new years, and mentioned its mission to rather and properly prosecute criminals was not currently being accomplished. The prosecutor’s business office has misplaced an “unacceptably high” selection of situations at demo, and is not communicating the way it should really with area officers and victims’ households, Hamner claimed.

Villanueva had been functioning for his first total time period in business office. He was picked via a 2019 caucus right after previous prosecutor Brad Cooper was taken out from place of work owing to his felony conviction. Villanueva, who was chief deputy prosecutor at the time, won the caucus from five other candidates.

Adhering to the announcement that Hamner experienced won, Hamner congratulated both of those his marketing campaign workers and Villanueva’s for working tricky this election.

“I’m guaranteed other strategies have worked this challenging, but I’ve in no way viewed any operate more challenging than this,” Hamner informed a group of Johnson County Republican officials gathered for an election observe bash at The Garment Manufacturing unit in Franklin.

Hamner was thrilled to be nominated by voters to serve yet another term as prosecutor. He has ideas to increase trainings and relationships with law enforcement.

“I’ve carried out this task in advance of I know how to do it,” Hamner claimed. “I’m seeking forward to constructing a more robust prosecutor’s place of work.”

Hamner characteristics his accomplishment to the tough do the job of his campaign workers and volunteers at acquiring his concept out. Both strategies worked tricky, he mentioned.

“The voters just accepted our information,” he stated.

Hamner has just one more election prior to he can consider workplace in January. Before he requires business office, he ideas on reaching out to other law enforcement companions to make confident the workplace hits the ground functioning when he takes over, he said.

Villanueva told the group at The Garment Factory that although it was not the final result he was hoping for, his staff ran a good, clean campaign. He was happy of the achievements the office environment has had beneath his tenure – something he designs to keep on until the conclude of the year, he stated.

He also strategies to aid Hamner’s transition when the time will come.

“I desire Lance the most effective of luck,” Villanueva explained shortly in advance of shaking Hamner’s hand, a symbolic end to the campaign.

HOW YOU VOTED

Lance Hamner: 58.4{a73b23072a465f6dd23983c09830ffe2a8245d9af5d9bd9adefc850bb6dffe13}

Joe Villanueva: 41.6{a73b23072a465f6dd23983c09830ffe2a8245d9af5d9bd9adefc850bb6dffe13}