Prosecutor candidate Garth Dano knows Grant County

MOSES LAKE - Voters may wonder if candidate Garth Dano would be a good prosecutor, but they need not wonder if he knows Grant County.

Although Dano was born in Ellensburg and graduated from Ellensburg High, he was raised partly on the Royal Slope. And he's had a long legal career in the county.

"At 11 or 12 I began working with my older brother Brian on our family farm in Royal City and George," Dano said.

Dano did that through graduation from high school. While he went to college in Santa Clara, Calif, he worked summers near Royal City for Harold and Judy Janett.

You could say farming is in Dano's blood. So is Lawyering. He was born the fourth child of attorney Harry Dano and Dorothy Dano.

Dano started his legal career at his now deceased father's practice. He worked alongside his brother Brian, another lawyer in the family.

After Santa Clara, Dano returned to Washington to study law at Gonzaga University. He moved to Moses Lake in 1980 and began practicing law with his father's firm.

"In the early years, during the '80s, I was involved in a lot of civil litigation with my dad, as well as handling divorce work, and I tried cases throughout that period," Dano said.

In the early '90s, Dano started handling criminal cases, felony and misdemeanor, in state and federal courts. He has been involved in cases throughout eastern Washington and has tried cases in virtually every county east of the Cascades.

"At this stage of my career, I've decided to run for the prosecutor's office to provide a public service to Grant County and hopefully make this a better place for everyone," Dano said.

"I am concerned about the growing problems with drug usage and farm theft," he added. "I hope to ease the problem of our overcrowded jail, and I also want to elevate the competence and skill level of the deputy prosecutors working in the office. That would translate into a better system for all of us and keep us out of unnecessary taxpayer funded litigation."

While campaigning, Dano visited with Police Chief John Turley in Mattawa and Police Chief Darin Smith in Royal City.

"I intend to work with them and other local law enforcement in southern Grant County to address their concerns," he said.