Douglas County Prepares For New District Attorney

Mark Fruehauf Defeats Dan Blank

Dan Blank has held the Douglas County District Attorney’s position since 1990. Now in 2016 people have decided it is time for a new D.A and a new direction.

Mark Fruehauf was just 6 years old when Blank first came into office. Now in his thirties, Fruehauf will be unopposed for the job on the ballot this November after beating Blank in the primary.

Fruehauf comments, “It’s a humbling experience and it also sets a high bar if you will. Because I do not want to disappoint the voters.”

As for blank he’s proud of his long run as the Douglas county D.A and says his record will speak for itself.

Blanks shares, “I’ve got a personal philosophy, I’ve got a personal style. It doesn’t work for everybody but I think when you’re in public service like this position it’s very transparent. I’ve had nothing to hide and I’ve got nothing to be ashamed of and there’s been a lot of great success.”

He also adds, “I’ve had teenage girls and Taylor Swift said haters are going to hate, but you got to shake it off. So that’s my plan.”

Fruehauf is now working as a private practice attorney but previously spent time as a prosecutor in blank’s office as well something he believes gave him valuable insight.

Fruehauf says, “I’ve had the chance to see how that office works from the inside as a prosecutor, then from the outside as a defense attorney so I think there are some changes that can be made that will promote efficiency in the office and really help streamline how the cases are handled.”

Though it may seem like a big change to be voted out after 26 years of service Blank is taking it all in stride.

“You know there’s a lot of people that need the services of the D.A’s office, it would be irresponsible of me to crawl into a hole or be all pissed off and not do anything.”

And now on the mind of Fruehauf is his future as the new Douglas County D.A.

Fruehauf states, “You will not be disappointed. Like I said the margin of victory… I was very pleased to see that, but it’s also a very clear indication that people have high expectations for me. So the message is I’m never going to stop working to make sure that those expectations are fulfilled.”

Fruehauf will be unopposed in November because there is no republican candidate running. He will then officially take his seat in office later in the year.