Judge candidates answer questions at public forum

Voters curious to learn more about the candidates for the 32nd Circuit Court and Associate Circuit Court stopped by Dexter Bar-B-Que on Thursday night to listen to the five men participate in a public forum at a meeting of the Southeast Missouri Pachyderm Club.

Trae Bertrand, Michael Gardner and Allen Moss are the candidates running for circuit court judge. Jeffrey Dix and Gary Kamp are running for associate circuit court judge. All candidates are Republicans and will face off in the Aug. 5 primary election.

Each was asked the same series of questions, the topics of which spanned from technology in the courtroom to preferred reading materials, and the candidates were asked to leave the room until it was their turn to approach the podium. The evening began with candidates for circuit court judge, each person speaking in a turn that reflects the order in which his name will appear on the ballot.

Moss, who has 27 years of experience as a lawyer and has been an assistant attorney general and municipal judge, estimates he has been the lead attorney in nearly 40 jury trials. He's seen the courts transition from paper to electronic filing, a change he said he initially resisted but now embraces. Moss also voiced his favor for using electronic monitoring as an alternative to incarceration for nonviolent offenders.

As one of his questions, Moss was asked to rank a list of five characteristics -- intelligence, integrity, compassion, experience and fairness -- he believed most important for a judge. Integrity ranked at the top of his list.

"What sets us apart from the rest of the world is our judicial system," he said. "We settle our disputes in a courtroom in a dignified manner, where everyone has an opportunity to be heard."

Gardner, a local lawyer who previously served as a clerk at the Missouri Supreme Court for Judge Stephen Limbaugh Jr., also placed integrity in the top slot. Unlike Moss, he ranked intelligence over experience because "experience doesn't do any good without intelligence."

When asked about his thoughts on the effectiveness of alternative rehabilitation efforts such as drug court and DWI programs, Gardner said he was a "big believer" in drug court.

"One thing I would like to do if I'm elected circuit judge is try to expand drug court throughout the entire circuit," he said. "A lot of folks in Perry County have told me they would like to see drug court there."

All candidates voiced their favor for drug court, but Bertrand pointed out it's not a perfect system. Lack of funding is among its problems, he said.

Bertrand, who has practiced civil and criminal law for nine years, said he believed technology was an asset in the courtroom and that more could be added to the 32nd circuit. For example, he said technology could help make the process of obtaining search warrants more efficient.

When asked to rank the five characteristics, Bertrand said he believed compassion was most important. The presiding judge often oversees the most complicated, serious and high-profile cases in a circuit, and he said it was important for people to be able to relate to the judge. He also placed experience at the bottom of his list, and said being elected to the position would be a learning experience for any candidate.

The associate circuit judge candidates wrapped up the night, answering the same series of questions. Dix, who has nearly 30 years of experience as a lawyer, said he believed drug court was very effective and wanted to expand the number of alternative rehabilitation programs by creating a veterans' court to handle minor offenses. He said he's already been speaking with officials from the veterans' hospital in Poplar Bluff, Missouri.

Kamp, the longtime incumbent, called the existing programs successful but acknowledged they had little to do with the world of Division III associate circuit court judge.

"The drug court and DWI courts have both proven to be very effective. Unfortunately, in my division, we don't get to use them, because neither one of them are set up to handle misdemeanor cases, and the vast majority of DWIs are misdemeanors," he said.

Division III of the Circuit Court primarily handles misdemeanor and felony criminal cases through preliminary hearings, as well as domestic relations, some city traffic cases and small claims.

srinehart@semissourian.com

388-3641

Pertinent address:

236 S. Broadview St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.