Meet the candidates running for Portage County sheriff in the November election
After a primary win in August, incumbent Mike Lukas, a Democrat, will face Republican challenger Scott Kenneth Noble for Portage County sheriff on Nov. 8.
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The Stevens Point Journal asked each of the candidates to address important issues in the county and why they believe they are the best candidate for the position.
Mike Lukas
Age: 54
Occupation: Sheriff of Portage County
Scott Kenneth Noble
Age: 53
Occupation: Teacher (sociology, history and social studies) and former child protection social worker
Campaign website: Scott Kenneth Noble on Facebook
Why are you running for this office?
Lukas: I am running for office because I love the community in which I live and serve, and I want to keep moving Portage County forward. There are still many things I want to accomplish and numerous projects I am in the middle of completing, such as new body and car cameras for the entire office.
Noble: To protect the constitutional rights of the citizens in Portage County.
Why are you the best candidate in this race?
Lukas: I have eight years of experience as Portage County sheriff, and I know what the job requires. I have shown that the citizens of Portage County, our county board members, other elected officials and my staff respect me – and we’ve been able to work together to accomplish many goals.
Noble: I am the best candidate because I will be a representative of the will of the people in Portage County. I am a fierce advocate for constitutional rights and civil liberties. I will work very diligently and swiftly to implement constitutional peace deputies in Portage County.
What are residents telling you are their most important issues, and how would you address them?
Lukas: Drugs and personal safety. Dealing with the drug problem throughout Portage County and across the state is imperative. We have a central Wisconsin drug task force along with drug officers in each municipal law enforcement department. I am a strong believer in early education, and I support prevention programs in our schools. I also recognize the need for more treatment facilities being available in central Wisconsin. That is something I am working with the state to help implement.
Noble: Residents of the county are very concerned that our current department has been taping those detained in our jail before trial talking to their defense attorneys. That is a very serious violation of our rights. Our county insurance had to pay $90,000 in damages to settle the lawsuit. Residents are concerned about their businesses being shut down and are worried about having access to school policy meetings. Many are concerned about addressing the silent pandemic of mental illness. We have seen an increase in mental health issues since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
What can be done to educate the public about the dangers of fentanyl and reduce overdose deaths in Portage County?
Lukas: I believe Portage County and the Sheriff’s Office have both been very proactive in this area. The education aspect is important at all levels and starts in the younger years of school. I am on the board for the Portage County Coalition for Alcohol and other Drug Abuse Prevention. Their focus is on awareness, education and advocacy.
We have a full-time social worker and jail nurse in our jail facility. This allows for mental health evaluations and for scheduling appointments for drug and alcohol treatments. We have all our deputies now carrying Narcan to assist in case of an overdose. I also have requested to add more drug officers to our staff.
Noble: One of the important messages that our department will send out is that the best way to get off of dangerous drugs like fentanyl and many others is by using cannabis as an “exit ramp” off dangerous drugs. The current department believes that cannabis is a “gateway” to these dangerous drugs that lead to overdose deaths and that is just not true.
We will educate the public from the new department on the best practices in using cannabis for medication and recreation to move the public away from any temptation to using the dangerous drugs out there.
What can the department do to ensure that deputies respond appropriately and safely to situations that involve people with mental illnesses?
Lukas: Did not provide a response to this question.
Noble: This is one of the top concerns of the residents in Portage County. The current department is allowing folks with mental illness to be released to the streets of Portage County from institutions like prison, our jail and even hospitals with serious mental illness issues and there have been cases when these were from other counties many miles away.
This is a recipe for disaster and this will not be tolerated once the new department is sworn in. We will serve and protect the citizens of Portage County. That is our most important job.
What should the county do to handle the situation with jail overcrowding?
Lukas: When I took over eight years ago, we thought we might be able to remodel the current jail. After extensive research, we found the cost would be $26 million to bring the jail up to code. Simply remodeling would not increase the size of the jail, and we would still have a linear type of jail that is staff prohibitive.
Since then, as facilities have degenerated, maintenance has been done through a patchwork process. We are now to the point that our HVAC system is not working, we have plumbing backups and closets are being used for offices. It is time for a real solution. I understand the costs associated with building, but we need to act now for not only staff safety, but for inmate safety.
Noble: We will be moving away from incarceration and toward rehabilitation. We will be reducing recidivism by implementing a new job-training program right inside our current jail. We will be training inmates for jobs in construction and the trades to begin and will expand to other career options as we move forward over the next four years.
We will see a reduction in the need for incarceration as we move forward with a focus on rehabilitation, mental health services and job training. We will not need to build a new jail and courthouse in the industrial park.
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This article originally appeared on Stevens Point Journal: Mike Lukas and Scott Kenneth Noble vie for Portage County sheriff
