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Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Ind. Courts - "Judge Spindler’s retirement opens seat"
Kara Lopp of the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette is reporting:
The victor of a primary election recount will square off against a longtime local attorney in the Nov. 7 general election to become the next Noble Superior Court 1 judge.Attorneys Robert Kirsch and Jon Owen are looking to fill the judgeship left vacant when current Judge Stephen Spindler retires this year. Currently, Indiana judges are paid $110,500 a year and are elected to six-year terms.
After a recount, Kirsch, 53, of Ligonier, won the Republican primary election in May with 1,419 votes, just five more votes than Albion attorney Steven Hagen received. Hagen had asked for the recount.
Kirsch, who said he’s spending much of his weekends campaigning door to door, said his main campaign issue has remained unchanged from the primary election. He aims to reduce the amount of time it takes for cases, especially criminal cases, to be resolved. * * *
Democratic challenger Jon Owen, 55, said Kirsch’s aim to reduce the amount of time it takes cases to get through court isn’t anything new. It’s something he’d work toward too, he said.
“That’s the desire of anyone going into office,” he said. “Nobody … sees any benefit in lingering cases, but everybody’s hands are tied based upon what’s going on in the system.”
A public defender in Noble County for 18 years, Owen said his experiences as a certified civil mediator and domestic mediator for at least five years have provided him tools he could bring to the table as judge. He also has experience representing juveniles and banks, he said.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on October 18, 2006 12:34 PM
Posted to Indiana Courts