Raised on the Olympic Peninsula, Joe Lombardi fell in love with the outdoors and the welcoming community. He received his bachelor’s degree in History from the University of Washington. Graduating during the recession, Joe found a difficult job market, so he worked in construction and waited tables to make ends meet.
Joe’s middle brother lost his life to mental health and substance abuse issues. This experience pushed him to go to law school so he could serve his community and help people going through similar challenges. Joe returned to the University of Washington, where he earned his J.D and volunteered at a pro-bono clinic serving people facing homelessness.
After law school, Joe began working as a deputy prosecuting attorney in Kitsap County. He prosecuted criminal cases ranging from DUIs to major crimes, successfully trying multiple murder cases during his time as a felony deputy. He also became well known in the practice of juvenile criminal law, giving him a broad understanding of how those in our community move through every step of the criminal justice system. Joe’s personal experiences with his brother give him a nuanced outlook on prosecution that many lack – his reputation for fairness and empathy is balanced with his abilities to successfully obtain convictions at trial for even the toughest cases. Joe has taught many attorneys that you can be a formidable prosecutor without disregarding the humanity of criminal defendants.
Unfortunately, Joe saw firsthand how the Kitsap County Prosecutor’s office fell into disarray in the years following the pandemic. He was one of the many attorneys and staff that left the office due to mismanagement and a lack of leadership. He continued to serve his community and prosecute criminal cases on the state level as an Assistant Attorney General in the criminal division of the Washington State Attorney General’s Office. There, he prosecuted defendants from fraudsters who conned homeowners out of their life savings to predators who preyed on children online.
After a year of high-level state prosecution, Joe realized he missed practicing in the community he knew and loved. Kitsap was Joe’s home, and he decided to return and continue to serve his community by taking a job as a public defender with the Office of Public Defense in the summer of 2024. Joe has since protected the rights of hundreds of indigent defendants who could not otherwise afford legal counsel and has earned a reputation as one of the best public defenders in the county.
Joe Lombardi is running for Kitsap County Prosecuting Attorney because consistent mismanagement and a crisis of leadership has led to:
Joe Lombardi will restore the Kitsap County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to the highest standards of safety and justice. He will:
