Judges, county executive take oath of office

Though they won?t be officially assuming their respective duties until Sept. 1, several newly elected county officials took their oaths of office Monday.

Circuit Court Judge Bart Stanley swore in General Sessions and Juvenile Court Judge Larry Ross, and then switched sides as Ross returned the favor. Ross then swore in County Executive John Pelham, and right after that the county court clerks.

Both Ross and Stanley and their staffs will serve eight-year terms, while Pelham will serve four years.

Pelham said he is ready to take on his duties and looks forward to working with commissioners and county and city government.

?We?re excited, looking forward to Friday,? Pelham said. ?There are a lot of things we?re anxious to begin working on, as I have spent a considerable amount of time actually mapping out about the first 30 days in office. So we look for Friday, our first day, to be a very busy day. We do not expect any downtime, and we?d just like to encourage everyone to feel free to come see us at any time.?

Ross said he is looking forward to beginning his second eight years in office.

?We?re excited,? Ross said. ?We made a lot of progress in the last eight years, and we still have a ways to go. We?ll be introducing new programs and making sure the law is enforced. That?s what we?re here for.?

Though his job addresses serious issues, Stanley said he likes the work and hopes to ultimately have a positive effect on those he deals with from the bench.

?I really enjoy my job,? Stanley said. ?I?ll say that first off. I enjoy coming to work every day. A lot of people tell me they wouldn?t want my job, but for some reason, I enjoy it. I think the clerks and the people around me do a very good job, and that makes it easy. I think our judicial system works fairly and efficiently in Warren County and Van Buren County, and we?re going to try to continue with the improvements and the strides we?ve made over the last four years to keep it up and make it even better.?