Recently retired judge announces run for Hennepin County attorney

A recently retired district court judge has announced her candidacy for the job of Hennepin County’s top prosecutor.

Martha Holton Dimick says she decided to step down from her role as a Hennepin County district court judge to run for Hennepin County. She cited “growing frustration that my neighbors are feeling in the face of rising crime and blatant racial injustice” and her desire to address those failures, as well as “rebuild trust in the County Attorney’s office.”

Dimick was previously a deputy city attorney for Minneapolis in 2009 before being appointed by former Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton as a Fourth Judicial District judge.

In her campaign announcement, Dimick highlighted her nearly 20-year residency in north Minneapolis and her strategies to stop a surge in violent crimes “while compassionately handling low-level offenders who are often better served with mental health or addiction treatment, instead of incarceration.”

She also highlighted that she’s received support from Minneapolis City Council members Lisa Goodman, LaTrisha Vetaw and Michael Rainville, former Minneapolis Police Chief Tim Dolan, former Hennepin County Commissioner Jan Callison and others.

The state announced it started accepting applications for Dimick’s seat in December.

Other candidates in the race include former prominent defense attorney Mary Moriarty and DFL lawmaker Ryan Winkler.

Meanwhile, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced that he isn’t pursuing another term.

The election will take place in November 2022.