Magistrate Court Candidates… the First in 28 Years

The last time Fannin County elected a new Chief Judge of Magistrate Court was in 1988 when it elected Judge Newton, who served as judge until his death two years ago.  Running for the position are Danette Davis, Brian Jones and Sherri Walker. Ms. Walker is the incumbent in this race as she was appointed to fulfill the remaining two years of Judge Newton’s term. Both Ms. Davis and Ms. Walker worked and trained with the late Judge Newton. They said that their experience as clerks in the office has prepared them for the tight scheduling and communication management of the Magistrate Court   Mr. Jones is a Sargent in the Blue Ridge Police Department. He said that his experience diffusing conflicts as a police officer will help with communication and his understanding of misdemeanor violations will help him adjudicate cases.

Ms. Walker believes that her last two years as Chief Judge has proven her leadership skills and ability to operate under budget.  If elected for another term she will continue to move court documents from paper files to electronic files and make claims and forms electronic in order to increase the court’s efficiency.

One of Ms. Davis’ priorities would be educating court employees about the types of advice they give so people don’t mistake the clerks help for legal advice.  Ms. Davis also wants the court to return to sending court notices via certified mail.  She states up from that certified mail is not a cheap proposition.

Mr. Jones, like Ms. Davis wants to increase continuing education for court employees.  He also wants to increase court efficiency so that Magistrate Court remains a quick and inexpensive way to settle disputes.

FetchYourNews is compiling voters’ questions to the candidates.  If you have any questions for  Ms. Davis, Mr. Jones or Ms. Walker, submit them in the comments section at the end of the Fannin Elections Voters’ Guide. Please don’t include editorial statements in the question. FetchYourNews will be asking candidates these questions in interviews throughout the campaign season.

See Related Posts:  Fannin Elections Voters’ Guide: Names, Faces and Candidate Information