Nick Maybanks announced his intent to run for election for the Linn County Attorney position in the 2022 election.
Maybanks, born and raised in Linn County, says the position of Linn County Attorney is not just a job to him, he’s committed to keeping Linn County safe and thriving because it is where he and his wife are raising their two young daughters. Citing his long career and broad experience as an assistant Linn County Attorney and then as the First Assistant Linn County Attorney, Maybanks, 46, says he is the most qualified person for the position of chief law enforcement officer for Linn County.
“Recent incidents of multiple shootings, serious injury and death show there is more we can do to keep our community safe,” Maybanks said. “Under my leadership, the primary focus of our office will the prosecution of violent crime. For 21 years, this has been my specialty.”
Maybanks believes that a prosecutor’s obligation to seek justice also extends to the health and welfare of those people that his office prosecutes. Maybanks pointed to the early success of the Linn County Marijuana Diversion Program he helped devise as a model for diverting low-level offenses from the criminal justice system. Maybanks has plans to expand this program and implement other initiatives focusing on rehabilitation, restitution and reintegration instead of incarceration for low-level, non-violent offenders. He says these diversion programs will allow the attorneys in his office to dedicate more time to prosecuting violent crime.
During his long career, Maybanks has prosecuted some of the most high-profile cases Linn County has seen, including the 40 year-old cold case homicide of Michelle Martinko, the murder of Cedar Rapids Washington basketball standout Latasha Roundtree and several child abuse homicides, to name a few.
He received the Award for Excellence in Victim Services from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa for his work on the Michelle Martinko case. He also received the Staff Attorney Award of Merit from the Iowa County Attorney’s Association in 2015 and an award for Excellence in the Protection of Iowa’s Children given by the St. Luke’s Child Protection Center in 2013.
Maybanks, who will be running as a Democrat, emphasized the strong relationships he has forged over two decades with law enforcement, victim services and corrections as further proof that he is the most qualified person to be the chief law enforcement officer of Linn County. Maybanks takes pride in the “all-star” team of prosecutors he and former Linn County Attorney Jerry Vander Sanden assembled in the office and the confidence they have in him to lead the office.
Maybanks says he understands the solemn responsibility that prosecutors have to the public. He acknowledged that the position of County Attorney is an elected position but claims that there is very little about the job that is political and that it’s more about seeking justice and keeping people safe.
“A prosecutor’s only job, our only client, our only loyalty is to do justice,” he stated. “The cause of justice should make people’s lives better. I will do what it takes as a prosecutor to make the lives of the people of this community better.
“With me as County Attorney, the citizens of Linn County get the best of both worlds, a prosecutor with immense experience who is also forward-thinking, an advocate for victims who is tough, yet reasonable and a staunch protector of public safety who is also a protagonist for all the people.”
The election for Linn County Attorney will take place Tuesday, Nov. 8.