Judge Wall resigns
POLSON — Justice of the Peace Chuck Wall resigned last Wednesday midway through his third term. The short notice has left the county commissioners struggling to find a replacement.
Former Montana State Supreme Court Judge Diane Barz, who resides in the area, has stepped into the position until an interim judge is selected.
The interim judge will take over until Jan. 1, when a new justice of the peace will take office. The position will be on the November ballot and the winner will preside over the remaining two years of Wall’s term.
At the meeting on Tuesday afternoon, county commissioners Paddy Trusler, Ann Brower and Bill Barron made the decision that it would be best for the interim justice not to be a candidate in the upcoming election. As Commissioner Barron said, “the interim can’t do the duties of the position and run a campaign at the same time.”
There are a number of candidates interested in the interim position, including: Terry Murphy, Gene Atherton, Ed Jonas, Lonnie Erickson, James Raymond, Joey Jayne, Ann Marie McNeil, Alan Booth, Dennis Devries and Kenneth Pitts.
The only requirements to hold the position are to be a Polson resident and over the age of 18. The commissioners said that they were no longer taking applicants for the interim position. For those interested in running on the ballot in November the deadline to apply is Aug. 22.
The commissioners are looking for an attorney so that they are familiar with the legal system. As Commissioner Brower said, “ the justice of the peace has to know a lot about legal procedure.”
Judge Wall sent out this prepared statement on Monday:
“Judges are - and should be - held to very high standards of conduct, both in their professional and personal affairs. One such standard is that they avoid any appearance of impropriety. In an effort to lighten the atmosphere and make both my office and my small-town Montana but very busy courtroom a more enjoyable and less stressful and intimidating place to work and appear, I have said some things that in hindsight were not becoming of a member of the Judiciary. No harm was ever intended. “In order to save my family and the citizens and taxpayers of Lake County the expense of continued legal proceedings, and to allow my position to be placed on the November ballot for a fair election of my replacement, I have chosen to resign my post and return to private practice of law here in Lake County. My wife, family and I feel good about our decision, and look forward to living a more private and normal life. “I appreciate the trust and confidence you have placed in me, am grateful for the opportunity to have served as your Justice of the Peace for the past 10 years, and hope that I have made some positive contributions to at least a few peoples’ lives. I look forward to putting my years of experience to work as a private attorney for the citizens of Lake County.”