To the Editor-

I am writing to support David Knaapen, Assistant District Attorney in the Portage County DA’s Office, who is running for the position of Circuit Court Judge in Portage County.

I have been working with David Knaapen to develop the Central Wisconsin Center for Nonprofits which was created to house two local charitable organizations, Justiceworks and the 2617 Club. We have been working together on an ongoing Capital Campaign to refurbish the building that the Center acquired on Strongs Avenue.

I find David to be a man of great integrity and vision, and an excellent resource in our fund-raising efforts. He has a genuine concern for the fate of the unfortunate people who break our laws and pay the price through incarceration. A sympathetic attitude towards these offenders must be coupled with serious effort to provide them support and mentoring when they come out of jail or prison. Under David’s leadership, Justiceworks has done just that. They provide mentoring help to offenders after they come out, and they also help them acquire job skills and reintegrate themselves into the community. David’s guidance was instrumental in achieving these signal objectives.

Our activities together have strengthened my conviction that David is ideally suited for the position of Circuit Court Judge in Portage County. He has excellent training and experience in Portage County and elsewhere in Wisconsin, for a total of thirty years as attorney or prosecutor. He has also worked for the Public Defender’s Office.

A sense of fairness, absolute integrity and concern for the people who are in our correctional system are all hallmarks of David’s character and temperament. I believe he will make an outstanding judge in our community.

Here is a remarkable person of sterling qualities. Please vote for David Knaapen, for Circuit Court Judge in Portage County.

Sincerely,

Dr. Padmanabhan Sudevan
Stevens Point