Currently Sanilac County District Court employs five people to perform all of the tasks associated with the Magistrates Office.  Other than the Judge, none of the current staff are attorneys.  Four of those employees including the District Judge divide up and perform the duties of Magistrate on a part-time basis with one full-time support staff. 

                The current staffing arrangement of this office is expensive to the tax payers of Sanilac County and in need of change.  A few years ago one Magistrate and one support staff performed the same duties, and that was before the era of computers.

                If elected District Judge I would return the Magistrates Office to one Magistrate/Attorney and one support staff.  I would return the Probation Officer to probation duties and the Court Administrator to their duties and return the duties of Magistrate to the Magistrate/Attorney and District Judge.

                The funding for this position would come from the existing District Court budget for salaries without an increase in cost to the taxpayer.

                The position of Magistrate/Attorney is nothing new.  Such positions have been in existence for years in Tuscola, Huron, Lapeer and St. Clair counties. 

                With a licensed attorney acting as Magistrate, he or she is able to conduct hearings in traffic matters, conduct arraignments and bond hearings in criminal cases and issue search warrants in addition to overseeing the duties of the Magistrate Office with greater understanding of the law.

                The creation of this position would bring Sanilac County in line with the current trend across Michigan and would relieve the District Court Judge of these duties which in turn allows the elected judge to concentrate his time on the Courtroom matters, Trials, Pretrial-Settlement Conferences and Sentencings.

                By using and reallocating existing resources this type of arrangement could be accomplished without added expense to the taxpayers and would greatly increase the efficiency of the Magistrates Office and District Court.

"The Magistrates Office is likely the only division of the District Court that most of the County residents will come in contact with through their lives.  It is therfore important that the office operate as effciently as possible to service the needs of the county."