Democrat files for associate circuit judge in Perry County

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- A Perryville native who followed his father into the practice of law is the latest candidate to challenge incumbent Associate Circuit Judge Michael Bullerdieck in this year's election.

Craig Brewer, 38, filed Wednesday for the Democratic nomination for the Perry County judgeship. Brewer said he sees the Republican primary pitting Bullerdieck against attorney Jason Tilley as opening up an opportunity in the traditionally Republican county.

"In order to stake my claim, now is the time," Brewer said.

The son of lawyer Dennis Brewer, he graduated from the University of Missouri School of Law in 1998. After working for a year in Columbia, Mo., Brewer returned to Perryville to join his father's law firm.

Bullerdieck, 60, was first elected in 1986. Tilley, a former public defender, is the brother of state Rep. Steve Tilley of Perryville, the Missouri House Republican leader. Both Tilley and Brewer are making their first bids for office.

In his years in Perryville, Brewer said, he has handled almost every kind of legal case. The variety of work is similar to that handled by an associate circuit judge, who sees all criminal cases at their inception and handles civil matters ranging from divorces and probate cases to lawsuits over unpaid bills, he said.

The decision to run isn't a criticism of Bullerdieck's performance, Brewer said. "I don't think there is any animosity or hostility," he said. "I think I would be good at the job, so I am going to go for it."

Republicans dominate Perry County politics, with only one Democratic elected official, Coroner Herb Miller. But that doesn't mean a Democrat can't win a contested race, with John Heisserer of Cape Girardeau defeating Benjamin Lewis in 2004 among Perry County voters for a circuit judge's seat. Lewis won that race on the strength of votes from Bollinger County in the three-county 32nd Circuit that also includes Cape Girardeau County.

Brewer said he will campaign on his community ties, including turns as president of the Perryville Chamber of Commerce board of directors and the Perry County Economic Development Authority, to attract voters.

"I don't consider myself much of a Democrat, and a Republican-Democrat distinction for this position is essentially nonsense," he said.

Filing for state and county offices continues until March 30.

rkeller@semissourian.com

388-3642

Pertinent address:

Perryville, Mo.