Taking a Stand: Judge’s race sure to be interesting
What could otherwise have been an uneventful election year has turned into a real political slobber-knocker with the unexpected retirement of Circuit Court Judge Charles Haston.
It’s every attorney for himself, or herself in the case of Peg Stewart. Now is the time to grasp for the coveted bench with the retirement of Judge Haston.
What makes this election even more intriguing, besides the fact there will be no incumbent, is there will be so many candidates. The vote-splitting possibilities are endless, making a prediction a literal impossibility. Had it been three or even four candidates, then there may have been a chance to project a front-runner. However, it appears we could have as many as seven or eight getting in the race.
At last count, Bart Stanley, Richard McGregor and Bernard Smith had all turned in their papers. Besides them you have Robert Newman, Bill Locke and Keith Smartt picking up qualifying papers, meaning they are eyeing the job. Added to those you have Peg Stewart and Al Johnson, both talking like they are candidates.
So, we’ve got eight as we speak, not counting those who may be quietly contemplating a run, which could include folks like Thomas Bratcher and Judge Larry Ross, even though Ross says he is not planning on getting in.
Now if I were going to breakdown the upcoming race, I’d have to give an early advantage to Smith, Smartt and McGregor. This is not because they are better than everyone else, but it’s because they were in elections back in 1998. This means they’ve got their campaign faces on already, after pounding the political pavement just four years ago.
A pre-existing political machine and name recognition should be a great advantage in what will be a short campaign. Of course, on the downside for the trio is the fact they all lost in 1998.
Then you’ve got the intangibles. For Stanley, you’ve got youth at age 32, which could serve as a two-edge sword. He is quick to point out Haston was just 37 when he first assumed office, so a young judge wouldn’t be without precedent. For Stewart, you’ve got the female gender, which could perhaps get women thinking about what it would be like to have a female judge.
For McGregor, you’ve got the experience of having served on the bench in relief of Haston for many years. For Smith and Newman, you’ve got the best name recognition from their years as attorneys here. The same is true of Locke who served as DA for eight years.
Of course, with all the vote splitting here, Van Buren County and it’s approximately 2,000 votes could be a deciding factor. If one of the candidates could dominate the mountain, they could be over the top. A key there is if Al Johnson, a Spencer attorney, gets in the race. Otherwise, the three former candidates I spoke of earlier have a good advantage because they’ve already campaigned on the mountain. It should also be pointed out Stanley is the county attorney for Van Buren County, possibly giving him an advantage up there.
Other potential side notes include what happens if both Locke and Newman get in the race, seeing they are brothers-in-law? Heck, part of the fun there will be to see who carries the family. And what if Bratcher gets in the race against his law partner, Bart Stanley? Talk about fun around the office. Who gets to hang their sign there?
Bottom line is this is a year where the election is truly a toss up. I’d say the front-runner won’t become apparent until the last vote is counted. And, as a mini-prediction, I believe just over 2,000 votes will get some lucky candidate elected.
(Duane Sherrill is crime and court reporter for the Standard. He can be reached at 473-2191 or by e-mail at [email protected].)