John Gish to run for re-election

John Gish of Washington is seeking re-election as Washington County Attorney. Gish has served as Washington County Attorney since Jan. 31, 2017 and has filed his nomination petition for the June 7 Republican primary.

“Since becoming county attorney, I have improved efficiency with a new software that has reduced our casefile management costs,” Gish said. “I have also built on my predecessor’s efforts by hiring a full-time collections coordinator and enhancing our efforts to help crime victims.”

Earlier this year, the Washington County Attorney’s Office announced it would increase the staffing of the office’s collections program to go after the $13.5 million in outstanding victim restitution, fines, and court costs in Washington County.

“Every day, I aspire to serve the people of Washington County in accordance with the Army values of loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage,” Gish said. “Personal responsibility and accountability are especially important, and those values are a big reason why I am advocating for an overhaul of Iowa’s sentencing laws. With rising violent crimes in Iowa, the system needs to give more power to prosecutors and sentencing judges, establish truth in sentencing, and increase penalties for violent offenses.”

Gish’s wife, Nicole, is a teacher in the Washington Community School District, and together they have a 10-year-old daughter and 6-year-old son.