One Opponent in Circuit Court Elections

Election day for Buchanan County Circuit Court judges is only a few months away. So far only one man has decided to run against any of the current judges. On the second floor of the Buchanan County Courthouse, most of the names you see hanging around the rotunda aren`t likely to change. So far only one opponent hopes to see his name plate off his desk and hanging on the wall. Daniel Radke is challenging Presiding Division Three Judge Patrick Robb who`s been on the bench for 19 years. Radke said, "Because of the history that I`ve experienced in this county, once judges are elected they are usually elected until they decide to retire. Most lawyers are reluctant to file against an incumbent judge because the incumbent usually wins." Current Division Four Judge Dan Kellog says that difficulty shows the community is happy with the way things are. Kellogg said, "Once your in office and you`re doing a good job it`s hard for someone to give a reason to say why should they should vote a person out." Many lawyers including several Missouri Bar Members that attended a breakfast in St. Joseph say something else is keeping qualified candidates off the ballot. Attorney Dan Bouleware said, "We have a problem in the state of Missouri because we haven`t had judicial pay raise since 2000. What you need and what you want are experienced judges that are competent. We have some very good ones and we stand to lose some of the good ones if we don`t fix this pretty quick." Talking salary is a touchy subject right before an election. Every judge and opponent KQ2 spoke with says wearing a robe and sitting on this bench means more than a paycheck. Judge Robb said, "I was interested in being a judge, and salary was not a factor when I ran for judge and is not a factor today." Radke said, "I decided to throw my hat in the ring and run against the incumbent because I felt there was a need for change, so salary wasn`t a deciding factor in my decision making process." Judge Kellogg said, "I`m very blessed, so it`s hard for someone to feel a lot of sympathy and i`m not asking for it." It seems the jury is still out on the real reason only one opponent has decided to run. The last day a candidate can get a name on the ballot is March 28th by 5:00 p.m. Election day for Buchanan County Circuit judges is August 8th.