Judge Dolan re-elected, Burger wins in Scott County

Circuit Judge David Dolan defeated Scott City lawyer Rebecca Reed in a Democratic primary contest in Scott and Mississippi counties Tuesday, collecting 3,184 -- nearly 68 percent -- of the combined votes.

Jamie Burger

The victory assures Dolan of re-election in November where he will be running unopposed for a fourth, six-year term.

Jim Glueck

In other races, Scott County Presiding Commissioner Jamie Burger cruised to victory -- with 3,083 votes -- over challenger Chelsea Hale of Perkins, Missouri, collecting 77 percent of the votes. Burger will face Jim Glueck, who defeated Will Yates and John Graham with nearly 60 percent of the votes in the GOP primary.

In the judge race, Dolan received 369 votes in Mississippi County and 2,815 votes in Scott County. Reed received 208 votes in Mississippi County and 1,312 votes in Scott County.

Before the vote, Reed said the Missouri Constitution requires a judge to retire at age 70 and Dolan would be forced to retire before the end of his term. Dolan has countered he could stay on as a senior judge and finish out a new term.

Reed said the Office of State Courts Administrator has advised that senior judges typically are used in a limited capacity, such as when there is a conflict and no other judge is available to preside.

But Dolan said before the primary that, if re-elected, he would be able to serve 2,140 days as circuit judge and the remainder as a senior judge.

Dolan was appointed as presiding circuit judge in 1998. Voters elected him as circuit judge in 2000 and re-elected him in 2006 and 2012.

jhartwig@semissourian.com

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