Retain Judge Strine

Dear Fellow Voters:

This year we have a contested race for our county Justice Court Judge (Justice of the Peace), a position held (unopposed) by Judge Bob Beitz for over 20 years until illness forced his retirement last year. As I happen to be friends with several people who work for the courthouse, I have been able to ask them questions and seek their opinion, and that has made me write this letter. As a single, low income parent, living in an economically depressed area and trying to raise a developmentally disabled child, I have personally found myself in Justice Court several times fro minor legal infractions or debt collections, and even though I may not have liked the final decision, I have always appreciated that I was treated with fairness and compassion. I am not perfect, but I try hard and I want to continue to have a Justice Court Judge who understands my personal and economic situation, and who will give me a chance to “pay my dues” in a manner I can handle.

I am not saying that Sue Cooperman is not qualified for the job as far as intelligence goes, but is that all that matters? Shouldn’t a person’s “people skills” be considered important as well, especially when you are dealing with the public? Right now I am very concerned about how Sue Cooperman might act if she is elected Justice Court Judge for our county. Why couldn’t she carry the west end of the county in the primary? Isn’t that where she lives, and aren’t those people her friends and neighbors? Why didn’t they vote for her? And what about her co-workers? The Justice Court Judge has some power over the lives of the people he or she deals with and, from what I have learned, if the way Sue Cooperman treats the other employees in her own office and other offices is an indication of how she might treat me, then I don’t want her elected. Some of the Justice Court office staff has been working there for years, how do they feel about her, and how does she feel about them? Also, her answer in last week’s paper concerning possible consolidation of the City Courts and the Justice Court was really without merit. Even I am aware that “crime is big business” and the sheer volume handled by each court is such that it is much more fair to the people of Thompson Falls, Plains and Hot Springs to have their own courts and their own judges. Even though Judge Beitz handled all of it for years, even he realized it had “outgrown” him, and was considering not renewing his city contracts any longer. And how can we expect one person to stretch themselves that thin and still make fair and informed decisions? Sure, the transition might have been easier had he not gotten sick, but the fact that it didn’t happen that way does not mean that it wasn’t coming, sooner or later.

So, I feel that even though a Justice Court Judge has to work within the law, the manner in which they treat people while doing so IS important and I urge you to vote to retain Judge Don Strine. Thank you!

William H. Butte