Dani Falesnik, independent candidate for Winnebago County Sheriff, announced today the withdrawal of their candidacy, citing concerns about splitting the progressive vote and a commitment to ensuring the strongest challenger to the current administration advances.

"This campaign was never about a title," said Falesnik. "It was about proving that the office of sheriff belongs to the people — and that a woman, a therapist, a non-officer has every right to run it."

Falesnik, a Licensed Professional Counselor with fifteen years of experience in mental health and human services, launched the campaign on a platform centered on trauma-informed policing, constitutional rights, opposition to mass surveillance technologies including FLOCK license plate readers and AI dispatch systems, and ending the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office 287(g) agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

On the 287(g) Agreement and Immigration Enforcement:

"One of the central reasons I entered this race was the 287(g) agreement that Sheriff Matz signed in March of 2025," Falesnik stated. "That agreement turns our local jail into an extension of federal immigration enforcement. It deputizes our local officers to do the work of an agency that has repeatedly demonstrated disregard for due process, constitutional protections, and basic human dignity."

Falesnik called for the immediate termination of the agreement and advocated for a broader restructuring of federal immigration enforcement.

"Your sheriff should not work as a yes-man for a corrupt federal system," Falesnik said. "Local law enforcement exists to serve this community — not to act as a force multiplier for agencies that operate with near-zero accountability. I believe ICE should be abolished. Not because I don't believe in laws — but because the institution as it currently exists has proven itself incapable of operating within the bounds of the Constitution. Every 287(g) agreement pulls us deeper into that failure at the local level."

Falesnik points to reporting from the ACLU of Wisconsin, which condemned the Winnebago County agreement as part of a growing jail-to-deportation pipeline across the state, and noted that Winnebago County is one of thirteen Wisconsin jurisdictions that have entered into such contracts.

On Trauma-Informed Public Safety:

"A candidate who is unwilling to actively champion trauma-informed approaches has no real interest in public safety," Falesnik stated. "They have an interest in control. And this community deserves better than that."

Falesnik emphasized that trauma-informed care is not a fringe concept — it is an evidence-based framework that improves outcomes for crime victims, reduces recidivism, and builds community trust. Without it, Falesnik argued, law enforcement perpetuates cycles of harm rather than interrupting them.

On Systemic Misogyny, Racism, and Trust in Authority:

Falesnik also addressed the broader cultural landscape that shaped the campaign experience:

"The reality is that this country has a deep, systemic problem with misogyny and racism, and it permeates our institutions — especially policing. People don't trust authority for a reason. Trust isn't owed; it's earned, and it has been repeatedly broken. We need to stop asking why communities are skeptical and start asking what authority has done to earn their trust."

Reflecting on the August gubernatorial primary, in which David Crowley's resurfaced history of sexist and homophobic social media content preceded a dropout-and-return cycle ultimately backed by Democratic establishment figures, Falesnik expressed frustration with the party's priorities.

"When the establishment revives a candidate with that kind of documented record — while a qualified woman of color who ran on substance is cast aside — that sends a clear message about who the party is actually protecting," said Falesnik. "It's not the community. It's power. And progressives who care about real justice should be paying very close attention."

On the Withdrawal and Endorsement:

Despite these frustrations, Falesnik framed the withdrawal as a hopeful, strategic choice.

"I'm stepping aside on my own terms. I refuse to split the progressive vote, and I refuse to let people who were never going to play fairly dictate how this story ends. I'm endorsing Jason Rippl because this seat matters, and he represents the most viable path forward right now. But my endorsement comes with expectations. My platform doesn't retire with this candidacy."

Falesnik outlined continued priorities for community engagement regardless of who holds the office:

• Terminating the 287(g) agreement and opposing local entanglement in federal immigration enforcement

• Active public monitoring of the sheriff's office — its conduct, its use of surveillance technology, and its budget

• Building sustained pressure for trauma-informed, rights-respecting law enforcement practices

• Challenging unopposed elections and the normalization of insider control

• Holding all candidates — regardless of party — to the same standards of accountability, transparency, and respect for human rights

"I'm a therapist. I help people for a living. And I know that healing doesn't come from avoiding hard truths — it comes from naming them clearly and moving forward together," Falesnik concluded. "That's what this campaign did. And that's what this community will keep doing, with me or without me in the race, but I'm not going anywhere."

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