Johnson County Attorney Janet Lyness won’t seek re-election

IOWA CITY — Johnson County Attorney Janet Lyness announced Monday that she won’t seek another term and will retire after serving over 31 years in the county attorney’s office.

Lyness, 63, has been the top prosecutor for the last 15 years. This is her last year of her fourth four-year term, which ends Dec. 31. She was the first woman elected as the Johnson County attorney back in 2006.

“Representing the people of Johnson County as county attorney has been an honor and a privilege,” Lyness said. “I am proud of the work my office has done and the programs we have developed while I have been county attorney.”

Lyness graduated from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1989. After doing a clerkship for the 7th Judicial District Court in Davenport, she joined the Johnson County Attorney’s Office in 1990 as an assistant prosecutor. She was elected in 2006 and re-elected in 2010, 2014 and 2018.

During her tenure, she has worked with victim advocates from the Domestic Violence Intervention Program, Rape Victim Advocacy Program, NISAA African Family Services, Monsoon Asians and Pacific Islanders in Solidarity, and United Action for Youth. Those collaborations led to the development of new programs such as the Domestic Violence Open Hours and implementation of a domestic abuse assessment tool for law enforcement and the judiciary.

Lyness’ collaboration with mental health and substance abuse providers, as well as law enforcement and corrections, led to the creation of a drug treatment court, the marijuana diversion program and development of the GuideLink Center. The county attorney’s office also developed diversion programs to address racial and economic disparity in the criminal justice system.

“My office has accomplished many things during my four terms, holding violent offenders accountable while addressing problems we saw in the criminal justice system,” Lyness said. “There is more I hope to implement in the next year before the end of my term, especially in the area of decreasing gun violence.”

Assistant Johnson County Attorney Rachel Zimmermann Smith last week filed her notice of intent to run for Johnson County attorney but hasn’t made a formal announcement at this time.

The Johnson County attorney is the chief law enforcement officer and prosecutor for Johnson County. The county attorney’s office also provides legal representation for the Johnson County government offices and departments, represents the state in child protection cases and juvenile delinquency matters, and performs a variety of other duties as specified by Iowa law.

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