CHIMACUM – The two candidates for the Jefferson County District Court judge race, which will be on the Nov. 2 general election ballot, described their priorities during a regular monthly meeting of the Jefferson County Democrats this week.
About 40 people attended the forum at the Tri-County Community Center in Chimacum on Tuesday.
Incumbent Judge Jill Landes, 60, is being challenged by Port Townsend attorney John Wood, 65, in her bid for a second term.
The county has only one district court judge, and the position is nonpartisan.
The election is not on the Aug. 17 primary ballot. Voters will decide the race in the Nov. 2 general election.
“We are in the middle of the greatest recession since the Great Depression,” Landes said.
“We are forced to come up with ideas and processes that will help to generate revenue, even though the courts are not a revenue generating branch.”
Landes began with an explanation of district court’s purpose, saying that it handles everything from misdemeanors and traffic infractions to name changes and parole violations.
“Judge Wapner started this years ago when he called it ‘The People’s Court’ and that is what it has become,” she said, referring to Joseph wagner and his television show.
Landes said that one of her revenue-saving ideas is to allow people to quash warrants by paying a fee, which saves the state the cost of incarceration.
Wood, who has not held elected office, said he was running in order to “change the judicial temperament” of the District Court.
“My belief is that everyone who goes to court is treated in a civil and respectful manner,” he said.
“They should feel like they have been listened to, and should end up with respect for the legal system even if they did not get what they wanted.”
When Landes was asked whether her experience at the beginning of her term was comparable to Wood ,she claimed a greater breadth of experience in both courts.
Wood, she said, has most of his attorney experience in Superior Court, which can be quite different from District Court.
Landes also took issue with Wood’s characterization of the office as “the lower court,” saying “in this day and age the courts are on an equal footing.”
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
