Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine, who has held the post for two decades, is fighting to keep his job against a challenger who says the office needs an overhaul. Makayla Danner, the most senior attorney in Omaha's law department, argues it is time for change, pointing to budget overruns and gaps in juvenile justice as reasons voters should replace a man who has run the office since 2006.
Kleine has served Nebraska's 4th Judicial District for 20 years, according to KETV, and he is asking voters to let him continue. “I'm asking people for their vote, humbly asking them to continue in this job,” Kleine told the station. He has emphasized his experience and leadership in the office, saying he assembled and mentored a team of attorneys and wants that work to continue.
Danner, for her part, has built her campaign around the idea that two decades is long enough. “It is time for change,” she said, per the same KETV report, framing her candidacy as a break from the status quo rather than a continuation of it. She has spent her career as a City of Omaha prosecutor since 2004, handling cases that the Nebraska Examiner reports have ranged from traffic violations to child neglect and assaults.
Budget Fight Becomes a Central Campaign Issue
Money has emerged as one of the sharpest points of disagreement. Danner said the county attorney's office consistently goes over budget, telling KETV, “the county attorney's office currently consistently goes over budget. I'm going to balance that budget.” She has pointed to her own budget experience, noting she has trained attorneys in Kleine's office while appearing alongside them in court.
Kleine's team currently consists of about 60 attorneys, according to Plains Sentinel, which also reports he was first elected to the post in 2006. The incumbent has not publicly disputed Danner's budget characterization in the available reporting, and he has instead framed his pitch around continuity, telling KETV he sees no need to change a system he believes is working well.
Juvenile Violence and Mental Health Resources in Dispute
Both candidates agree that juvenile crime has grown more serious over the past two decades, even as they differ on solutions. Kleine acknowledged that more young people, including 14-, 15- and 16-year-olds, are involved in very serious violent crimes than 20 years ago, the KETV report notes. Danner highlighted juvenile justice as an area needing attention and said Kleine himself had told KETV that juvenile justice was at its highest level he had seen that year.
Danner has also raised concerns about the Board of Mental Health, saying its noncompliance rate exceeds 50 percent for both regular program participants and sex offenders. Kleine identified mental health as a broader concern as well, saying more resources are being directed toward the issue but that more experts are needed. The Douglas County Attorney's office itself handles Board of Mental Health petitions, which per Douglas County's clerk office can be completed in person at the county attorney's office, with faxed or mailed petitions requiring notarization, and the board's regular hours running Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Beyond individual policy fights, Douglas County's juvenile justice reform effort has emphasized using data to guide decisions and tailoring responses to each child's circumstances, according to Douglas County, Nebraska. Separately, the Douglas County Sheriff's Office has noted that between 2023 and February 2025, 20 juveniles between the ages of 13 and 18 in the county were charged with murder or manslaughter in connection with 13 homicides, and that 10 of those 20 were on juvenile probation at the time they were charged.
Transparency and Public Trust Also at Stake
Danner has promised greater transparency if elected, saying she would share county attorney office numbers and build cooperative partnerships. She said she grew up in the community and wants a justice system that works with and for residents. Kleine, meanwhile, said he provides the public information within legal and ethical boundaries, adding that he answers questions when asked but sometimes cannot disclose much about an active case.
The Douglas County attorney is an elected position carrying a four-year term, according to Douglas County, Nebraska's government website. Danner, a lifelong Omaha resident, wife and mother of five, won the Democratic nomination after defeating former Douglas County Deputy Attorney Amy Jacobsen in the primary, a result confirmed by Omaha.com. Kleine, a Republican, is seeking his sixth term in the role he has held since 2006.
Election Day in Nebraska falls on November 3, giving Douglas County voters less than two weeks to weigh two sharply different visions for the county attorney's office — one built on two decades of institutional continuity, the other promising fresh oversight of the budget and a renewed focus on juvenile cases.
