Ralph Uttke has held the position of Langlade County District Attorney for quite some time now. In the fall election, he will have opposition. Bob Barrington, who ran the Antigo Area Shoppers Guide for many years, will be running against Mr. Uttke.
In the article in the Antigo Journal, there is mention of treating people equally, which just doesn’t seem like the court system here as we have ever known it. It would be a welcome change.
You can read the full article in the Antigo Journal HERE.
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I think Uttke almost got voted out last election. Unfortunately his opponent was also a Republican. A lot of voters didn’t realize the DA vote was during the Primary and not in the regular election. Had people realized they needed to vote in the primary, I think Uttke would have been voted out.
“The residents of Langlade County deserve a fair and just district attorney, one that treats everyone equally…sounds like Bob also feels that there are questionable actions involving Uttke.
It’s about time we had someone seriously interested in running against Uttke. Maybe this is the first step in a change for the better.
Good for him! I will be backing him 100%!!!!!!!!
I haven’t decided who am I going to vote for, as I am ready for change; but Barrington has very little experience and that concerns me in such an important position. I would feel a lot better if he had been out of law school for only a year and had more experience then a few months. This is the type of position that experience and knowledge of the legal system is critical. Barrington appears to be a better candidate than the idiot that ran against Uttke last time. Maybe if he served under a district attorney for 5 years-then he would be a lock.
I agree about the inexperience but maybe the Langlade County judicial system needs an upgrade.
Uttke is a confusing person. He can be a nice guy and know his stuff one day, and the next make himself look like a complete fool. At a presentation about sexual harrassment at the high school when asked about rape, he said “There is no crime with the word rape in it, it’s all different degrees of sexual assault or harrassment.” Apparently he forgot statutory (spelling) rape?
Uttke once threatened to have me arrested for contempt of court for “smirking” while sitting in the court room during a jury trial.
Nevermind that he has no power to enforce that threat!! What a chump.
GO BOB!!
Is anyone supporting Uttke? I don’t know the man but something tells me he will be gone after this election and it won’t be close.
Well, What do I think of Uttke? Well, I for one, know he is one of the biggest hypocrits I have ever seen. For years, Uttke would hang out at the Check Point Bar. What would he do there? Well, gamble, play cards for money, and such. lets refresh your memory, Shall we? Does any one remember when Linda Thiede, the owner of Check Point at the time, was areested for the whole pyramid scam deal? Well, that was gambling. So, its funny that the minute she was arrested. Uttke was never seen there again playing cards. Why, because initially, he had to prosecute her for doing the same thing as he was, gambling. Uttke was also very nasty to Linda, but at the business, where he was gambling, was a real gent. What a farst. As far as im concerned, I can’t wait for some one new to come in and set some of these people straight. I was just reading in the paper today, man gets jailed after 6th offense of drunk driving. Does that really sound like Uttke is doing his job. Hes all about plea bargains and cuting deals. Isn’t it time we take the drunks risks of from the streets and high ways, especially before they reach their 6th offense. That really makes me feel safe to go out at night and be traveling. WE NEED CHANGE in the court system here, and Uttke is the place to start. If we are looking for experience, I dont think that 6 offenses is showing just for experience. It sounds like inexperience to me. Any one else would probably be a nice change.
Statutory rape is not a crime, it is a name given for a violation of the sexual assault statutes. I’m sure he was trying to be literal, as you will not find the word rape in the statute book.
The pyramid scam was not gambling, there is no element of chance in the pyramid scams, the lowest person on the totem pole will always lose. In gambling, everyone has an equal chance of winning (although the house will always win).
The problem with plea bargaining is not Uttke’s problem. Although I would agree that some of the pleas are totally weak and absurd, it is more a matter of lack of court time. IF the pleas were not made, our court system would be so over-run that it would take even longer than it does now to clear a case. You will find that no matter where you look, cases are pled out, many of them for far less than the defendant deserves. I’m not supporting Uttke here, but he really is only a small part of the problem. He probably can’t try for bigger penalties because the prisons are full and he can’t sit on cases and take them all to trial because it would be several years before they were actually tried (and that is not justice either)
If you are not going to vote for Uttke, make sure it is because you think Barrington would have a good solution, not because of problems with the system itself.
Seems to me that I can recall Uttke was in on the pyramid thing too….. GO BOB
regardless of the name, statutory rape is a crime it involves sex with an underage person, and no im not quoting anyone. to me that is a crime i believe there r always different instances but it is all the same and it happens to much in small towns. if the courts would be a little harder on criminals then i think things would change, why cant they get off their butts and clean, pick up garbage and so forth do they need tv, exercise equipment, or all the amenities a person who works so hard to have. no they dont. cold meals and water only, let them live the way they deserve. and hey why not try some capital punishment especially if they r guilty without a doubt which many of them r.
Exactly when is the election – does anyone know?
The election is Tuesday, Sept. 9
september 9th i believe
My family knew Mr. Barrington many years ago, he was and i’m sure he is now a mean disrespectful person. He was the most mean person to his family members and anyone that worked for him or his family. He thinks he is better than anyone else, he is a snob in the upmost use of the word. As far as Uttke, well i wouldn’t trust him as far as i could throw him. Another dishonest person using his authority for his benefit. As for who to vote for, good question, it’s as bad as voting for a president. You never really know anything about there actual lives or how truthful they are. It’s one big gamble. If the people up for election were required to take a polygraph, drug test and compency test before being elected it would help all of us to make a wiser decision. But that only happens when you land a job that is able to srcew the little person because the company wants save a buck.
FactorFiction:
Let me first put my biases out front – I’ve been friends with Bob for about 5 years. So, while I don’t know what bad experiences you had with Bob, I can’t say I share your sentiments. Bob has always been nice, funny and a good friend. Moreover, I’ve never seen him act in a rude or otherwise inappropriate way towards his wife, son or daughter. In fact, I would say he’s a damn good husband and father. I would suggest that you get to know him again, regardless of whether you vote for him, Uttke or no one at all.
As for Bob’s qualifications, it’s obvious that he doesn’t have decades of experience and, sure enough, experience can be a good thing. Then again, experience doesn’t mean much if it isn’t backed by a solid foundation of raw intelligence, good principles and a healthy dose of common sense. If I have to choose between experience, idiocy, and bad principles on the one hand, and inexperience, intelligence, and a good moral base on the other, guess which way I’m voting.
Yes it is time for change, and Bob Barrington is the person to do this. Factorfiction, I can’t imagine Bob being a mean person and he definetly is not snob. I worked for him for many years and he was the best boss ever.He had the great ability to understand people from all walks of life and was always supportive to his employees. He was always fair and open minded. In addition he was involved with many projects in our community and followed thru on them to better our City. He was not just talk..he worked hard at what he believed in. Also as far as being out of law school for 1 year, take a look at the position he now holds in Beaver Dam. Quite an accomplishment for someone just out of law school. It is time for change and he will give us that. He will provide us with honesty and dedication, so get out there and support Bob.
FYI – I worked for Bob Barrington for over 8 years, and he was an excellent boss and was anything but mean.
Well i’m happy you all have had good experiences with Bob Barrington, the experience I had I will never forget. If you feel he will do a great job by all means vote for him, in my heart i cannot. What I was really getting at was, all people seeking election should have to have a polygraph test, drug test and compency test so all voters will be better informed. Employers do this when hiring someone for a job, why not in politics. Maybe this is being done and no one knows about it? I’m not saying Uttke is at all doing a great job, in fact i’m surprised that he lasted this long. It’s time America people started standing up, and quit falling for anything.
Factorfiction: I share your sentiments as to whom to vote for in this particular instance, the district attorney race. I have had past experiences with both candidates which left a really bad taste in my mouth as far as their ability to lead and serve. I will try to keep an open mind so that I can vote for who seems like the best but I am not sure Langlade County is going to get what it needs if either one wins this race.
I don’t particually care for either candidate. Yes barrington is disrespectfull. He thinks he’s better than everyone else. He may of been nice to his employees, but he has away of cutting down everyone else, including the business owners that were advertising with him. If you have never seen this from Mr Barrington maybe you should listen behind your back.
I’ve heard plenty negativity on both sides so not sure who to vote for, or if I even want to vote at all. It’s like the presidential race…who are we supposed to vote for if there’s no one worthy of our vote???
Antigo or bust…I am curious as to how Bob Barrington was disrespectful to you…perhaps you could expand on the subject. Did you go to the town hall meeting he had to get to know him better and hear his ideas and goals for the position he is running for?
Sherry – Please vote! Everyone should excersise that right in every election. You are a smart woman and honestly, you must know that far too many idiots also have voting rights. It’s unfortunate that many times we are forced to pick the lesser of two evils, but at least we can take a stand one or two issues if we have to.
Please do not forget the write-in option while voting. I have heard many of Ron Paul’s backers will be using this option in the presidential race.
I accidently entered Republican on the voting machine. I was unable to change it to Democrat once I bumped the Republican button.. I asked an election worker for help.. They said “sorry we can’t change it”. I wrote in Barrington in the write in box.. but it was counted as a Republican Write in.
My vote wouldn’t have made a difference, if it did.. I probably would do some serious bitching. But I won’t use the voting machine again.. Not that it wasn’t complicated, but in a primary if you press Republican and mean Democrat you are screwed. Maybe the election workers didn’t want to make the effort to fix my vote.. I see the voting machine in my district doesn’t give you a paper receipt either…
Oh well. Uttke won.. Best of luck..