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Thursday, May 25, 2006

Four Eyeing County Magistrate Position

By Matt Gomez
Mountain View Telegraph
    Two Democrats and two Republicans are running for their party's nomination for the Torrance County magistrate judge position in the June 6 primary election.
    Incumbent Steve Jones and Bradley Franks are seeking the Democratic nomination while Melody Everett and Linda Jaramillo are hoping for the Republican nomination.
    All four candidates were asked the following questions:
    1. Why do you want to be magistrate judge and in what ways would you say you're qualified for the position?
    2. What do you see as the biggest issue in Torrance County that you could impact as a magistrate judge?
    3. What would you like to accomplish as magistrate judge?
    Their numbered answers below correspond to the question numbers.
    DEMOCRATS
   

Steve Jones of Moriarty, 54, has lived in Torrance County since 1983. He is married with three grown children. He holds a bachelor's degree in agricultural business and economics from West Texas A&M University. He has served as magistrate judge for 12 years and was previously Torrance County manager and president of the Moriarty school Board.
    1. "I'd like to continue my job," Jones said.
    Having served as Torrance County manager, Jones said he understands "the important connection between the county and the court."
    He gets a lot of satisfaction out of seeing that the courts are fair and impartial, he said, and he tries to see that people are treated fairly and justice is served.
    2. Methamphetamine, domestic violence and DWI are the biggest issues facing Torrance County, Jones said.
    "The only way that we're going to have an impact on methamphetamine is to take the battle to the schools, because as long as there's a demand there's going to be methamphetamine available," Jones said. "Even if the law enforcement agencies do a perfect job and eliminate every meth lab, it's going to come across the county borders from other counties and Mexico."
    3. "I want there to be more outreach to the young people in the schools because that's the only way I believe we're going to curb the meth and drug problem," Jones said.
    Jones would also like to see the county come forward with a work release program for nonviolent offenders that would keep them incarcerated at night but still allow them to work during the day.
    "I'd like for nonviolent offenders to continue to be taxpayers and keep their jobs and not get behind on their house payments, car payments and hurt their families financially," Jones said.
   

Bradley Franks of McIntosh, 42, has lived in Torrance County since 2002. He is a graduate of Baker High School in Oregon. He is single with no children and has held no previous public service positions.
    1. "I've seen a lot of mistakes being made in the lower courts that need to be rectified," Franks said. "People need to be able to have a chance to be heard ... they need to voice their opinion and feel they are being heard."
    Franks said he feels he is qualified for the position because he has privately studied constitutional law for 20 years.
    2. "To uphold the law, not enforce it," Franks said. "To make sure the folks that are before my court get a fair, impartial hearing and are heard. A magistrate has to be able to decipher the truth from fiction."
    Franks said he would be fair, impartial and consistent.
    3. DWI and domestic violence are both things Franks said he would like to address if he were elected.
    "DWIs I will land on with both feet ... if I can't drink and drive, then no one else can. As a magistrate I have to set an example."
    Franks also said he would like to unify all the police departments in the county under one "umbrella" as a sheriff's department.
    REPUBLICANS
   

Melody Everett of Estancia, 46, has lived in Torrance County since 1997. She is married and has one child. She holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from UNM and a doctorate of jurisprudence from South Texas College of Law. She has held no previous public service positions.
    1. Everett closed her law office in Albuquerque in September to run as magistrate, she said. Although she has no experience as a judge, she said her experience as an attorney, dealing with tax and bankruptcy in particular, qualifies her for the position.
    "If anybody thinks that tax or bankruptcy may not apply in a magistrate judge position, I think that it probably would a lot more than people realize," Everett said. "Bankruptcy is a pretty specialized area of law, but you deal with every other area of law in the process and taxes is code driven and so are our laws, so I think that it will actually be very beneficial."
    2. Everett said she realized methamphetamine is one of the biggest issues in Torrance County after a recent community forum about the problem in the county.
    "Meth labs are a huge concern," she said.
    Everett would use her position as magistrate judge to crack down on the problem.
    She said she would also concern herself with alternative sentencing to reduce jailing costs for Torrance County.
    3. "I would like to bring respect to the position," Everett said. "I would like to make sure it's held in very high regard."
    Everett also said she would also like to work toward developing a system to completely rehabilitate drunk drivers.
   

Linda Jaramillo of Estancia, 51, has lived in Torrance County her entire life. She is single with two grown children. A graduate of Moriarty High School, she served as the county clerk from 1997-2004 before taking her current position as deputy county clerk.
    1. "I've lived here all my life and I care about what goes on in the county," Jaramillo said. "I have a stake in this county."
    Jaramillo feels people in the county trust her, and she said she is a hard-working, honest woman who cares what happens to people.
    2. Methamphetamine is the biggest issue in Torrance County, Jaramillo said.
    "Meth is a horrible drug, and it's got a lot of young kids," she said.
    She would be hard on people caught dealing methamphetamine and would work to help prevent the problem by talking with the public and organizing people to help get the drug out of the county.
    "It's such an addictive drug and it's hard for (addicts) to get away from it," Jaramillo said. "I know once I get in there and start dealing with a lot of these people that are coming through the courts using this drug, I think I can figure something out."
    3. "What can I accomplish but to do my job well and honestly and fairly and to the best of my ability," Jaramillo said. "I think the experience will be rewarding for me."