This is a column by Aaron Sparks, the father of Jackson Sparks. The Waukesha County DA primary election is on Aug. 13.
My name is Aaron Sparks, and I’m the father of 8-year-old Jackson Sparks, the youngest victim of the Waukesha Christmas Parade Attack. My wife, Sheri, and my oldest son Tucker wanted to share our thoughts on the Waukesha District Attorney race.
We first came to know Deputy District Attorney Lesli Boese and the rest of the prosecution team at the start of the Waukesha Christmas Parade Attack trial, and we were blown away by her compassion for all the victims and their families. We knew right away, Lesli and her team were the right team for the job.
Lesli and her team had the skill, experience and determination to make sure everything was done by the book. The trial was madness, a circus! But Lesli and her team were careful to take the time to explain the process and worked closely with all of the victims and our families. She also worked closely with law enforcement officers to make sure no stone was left unturned.
We know a lot of police and first responders that responded on that day, and they all share high opinions on how amazing Lesli and her team were during the entire process. There wasn’t room for error. This case was like nothing Waukesha County has even seen! It was very apparent through the trial that Lesli and her team took the challenge both professionally and personally and would do everything in their power to make sure all of the victims and their families saw justice.
Once I began researching all the candidates, I learned a lot about Deputy DA Lesli Boese that I didn’t necessarily know before. After doing that, I am thoroughly convinced she is the far superior candidate for Waukesha’s next District Attorney. Lesli is the hometown candidate! She knows Waukesha. She has lived and worked in Waukesha County her entire life. She has spent her entire legal career as a prosecutor in the Waukesha DA’s office. That’s 29 years!
The true heart of the “why” the Christmas Parade Attack happened is pretty obvious to all of us victims. Inappropriate low bail. The Milwaukee County DA’s office let a multiple violent offender back on the streets, on multiple occasions, with inappropriate low bail. Waukesha County residents and their loved ones paid the price for these mistakes. This multiple violent felon should never have been on the streets to cause so much pain, suffering, and death. Our families and our children paid the price for that mistake. Some paid the price with their lives. We cannot afford to let this happen again. We cannot let failed Milwaukee County “soft on crime” policies seep into Waukesha.
So, with that said, it bothers me a lot when I hear the other candidate say on social media posts that they are the “#WaukeshaStrong” candidate. The other candidate is not from Waukesha County like Lesli is, the other candidate didn’t work tirelessly on the Waukesha Christmas Parade Attack trail, and it shocks me that there are candidates that have even financially supported (campaign contributions) the very same Milwaukee County DA whose policies directly lead to the Waukesha Christmas Parade Attack tragedy! It bothers me a lot!
There is only one #WaukeshaStrong candidate! It’s the candidate who helped make #WaukeshaStrong happen. It’s the candidate who finally did the job that Milwaukee County failed to do. It’s the candidate who put away the Waukesha Christmas Parade murderer away for 6 consecutive life sentences for each of those murdered (including our sweet 8-year-old Jackson), and 60 counts of recklessly endangering safety. One for each of the victims injured (including our oldest son Tucker Sparks); That’s 762.5 years of confinement.
This gave us a measure of peace and measure of justice that we needed to have. I know nothing will bring our loved ones back, but we needed justice. As Judge Dorow said to the attacker at sentencing, “This community can only be safe if you are behind bars for the rest of your life.”
We need to keep our community safe. There is only one #WaukeshaStrong candidate. That candidate is Waukesha’s own, Deputy DA Lesli Boese.
