BOLLINGER JUDGE CHALLENGED BY PROSECUTOR

MARBLE HILL -- Associate Circuit Judge Scott Thomsen faces a re-election challenge from Bollinger County Prosecuting Attorney Bill Hopkins.

Hopkins, a Marble Hill Democrat, wants his old job back. He served for 20 years as judge in Bollinger County before losing to Thomsen in 1994.

Thomsen, a Republican who lives in Marble Hill, said he has modernized record keeping and improved management of the office. The office has gone from handwritten records to computer records, he said.

He said he has improved financial management of the office too.

"I promised changes and I have delivered on the promises," said Thomsen.

The judge said his goal has to be to treat fairly everyone who enters his court.

Thomsen said: "I was not born and raised in Bollinger County. I think that has been an asset to being a judge. I haven't had any preconceived notion to rule in someone's favor."

He said a smaller percentage of cases have been overturned on appeal since he took office. "Those who deal with the court recognize the difference," said Thomsen. "There is no good, old-boy network."

Hopkins defended his record as a judge. "The way I ran the court system was as a conservative, law-and-order judge and people liked that type of judging," he said.

In contrast, he said, Thomsen came to the job from a background as a public defender. "They are very liberal," said Hopkins.

"I wasn't aware of any good-old-boy network. I am proud that I know the community and the people," the former judge said.

Hopkins said he often required defendants to perform community service work. "Knowing a person allows me to tailor a person's sentence, because I know what will work and what won't work," he said.

Said Hopkins, "There is no substitute for experience."

He said the court ran smoothly when he was the judge. "I always got a good report from the office of state courts administrator as running an efficient court and an honest court."

Thomsen has pointed to a past financial problem in the office as proof of mismanagement. Hopkins has insisted it was just a bookkeeping error on the part of an employee.

"There was no money lost," said Hopkins. "There was no financial mismanagement at all."

The state auditor's office found a shortage of more than $10,000 in the fee account of the Bollinger County Circuit Court Division 5 office in 1993. State Auditor Margaret Kelly said "numerous control weaknesses, including a lack of segregation of duties and little or no independent review" opened the door for irregularities to occur.

The court clerk who handled the funds resigned after auditors began reviewing the financial records.

Thomsen said two audits have occurred since he took office. He said those audits gave his office "a clean slate" regarding the handling of court finances.

BOLLINGER COUNTY ASSOCIATE CIRCUIT JUDGE CANDIDATES

Bill Hopkins

Name: Bill Hopkins

Party: Democrat

Hometown: Marble Hill

Age: 52

Education: Bachelor's degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia; law degree from the University of Denver.

Job History: As a lawyer, he was in private practice in Bollinger County for three years before becoming a judge.

Political Office: Has served in public office in Bollinger County since Jan. 1, 1975. Served as probate and magistrate judge and then as associate circuit judge. Gov. Mel Carnahan appointed him prosecuting attorney after he wasn't re-elected associate circuit judge in 1994. Carnahan had to make the appointment because no one ran for prosecuting attorney.

Family: He and his wife, Sharon, have four children.

Scott Thomsen

Name: Scott Thomsen

Party: Republican

Hometown: Marble Hill

Age: 34

Education: Undergraduate and law degree from Brigham Young University in Utah.

Job History: Served as law clerk for U.S. attorney's office in St. Louis and Salt Lake City. Worked in the public defender's office in Jackson for almost three years.

Political Office: Elected associate circuit judge in Bollinger County in 1994.

Family: He and his wife, Joanna, have five children.