PORT TOWNSEND — After announcing last month his intention to run for a third term this year, Jefferson County Superior Court Judge Craddock D. Verser has reversed course, deciding to step down at the end of his term.
Verser has endorsed Port Townsend attorney Keith Harper as his replacement.
The two issued a joint press release this week.
Verser, 62, had undergone treatment for pancreatic cancer in Seattle beginning in July.
Visiting judges from other counties and pro tems substituted for him until he returned to the bench earlier this year.
“I wasn’t getting the assurances from my doctors that I needed to go ahead,” Verser said Tuesday.
“If I had to go through further invasive treatment and am away from the bench for an extended period of time, it costs the county money and is an inconvenience to all the parties in the judicial process.”
Verser said input from his wife, Joyce, whom he married in 2010, helped cement his decision.
Although he had announced his intention to run again, partly because he would be able to transfer treatment to Sequim, Verser had second thoughts.
He said he expected he would be challenged in the election — though no one had stepped forward — and that his cancer would become an election issue.
Harper, a court commissioner, would make a very good judge, according to Verser.
Verser said he contacted Harper to ascertain his interest.
The candidate filing will begin Monday and extend through the following Friday.
The top-two primary will be Aug. 7. The general election is Nov. 6.
Verser was appointed to the bench by Gov. Gary Locke in 2004 to succeed Thomas Majhan, who died of cancer while in office.
Voters elected Verser in 2004 as well as in 2008, when he ran unopposed.
“It was a tough decision to not run,” Verser said. “I’ve been a good judge for eight years, so maybe it’s time that I go do something else.”
Harper, 58, is a native of Port Townsend and a 1972 graduate of Port Townsend High School.
He has practiced law in Port Townsend since 1980 and served as a court commissioner, judge pro tem, part-time city attorney and part-time city prosecutor.
He said he had no aspirations to be a full-time judge prior to Verser’s contacting him last week.
“They should receive fair and unbiased decisions and given the reason why a decision was made.”
Neither Verser nor Harper said they knew of anyone else intending to run for the position. though Harper “has heard about a few people who may be running.”
Court Commissioner Noah Harrison — who said he does not intend to run — said Verser will be missed at the courthouse, both personally and professionally.
“I am saddened that he has chosen to not run again,” Harrison said.
“He is well-regarded, and his replacement will have big shoes to fill.”
In the top-two primary election, if more than two candidates file for a contest, the two-top vote-getters will advance to the general election.
If there are only two candidates, the primary is nonbinding.
If there is only one candidate, he or she will win the election, unless a majority or write-in votes support another candidate.
________
Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
