Bringing Accountability, Fairness and Efficiency to the Bench

SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Community Council hosted two candidate forums, April 9 and 11, covering eight races with 31 candidates in attendance. All candidates on the May 8 Special District Mail-in ballot and June 5 primary were invited. Ballots for the May 8 election were mailed April 18.

For the next three weeks, the Pathfinder will feature two of the races from the Candidate Forum. This week the Pathfinder features the candidates for the Missoula County Sheriff's and Justice of the Peace that will appear on the ballot during the June 5 primary. Previous coverage of the Seeley Lake Rural Fire District and Seeley Lake Sewer District are available at http://www.seeleylake.com.

MCAT also recorded both candidate forums. They are available by following the links:

• April 9 Forum including U.S. Senate, Missoula County Commissioners, Missoula County Sheriff, Justice of the Peace and Seeley Lake Rural Fire District: http://69.144.69.99/Cablecast/public-site/index.html#/show/8653?channel=1

• April 11 Forum including U.S. House, House District 92 and Seeley Lake Sewer District Races: http://69.144.69.99/Cablecast/public-site/index.html#/show/8654?channel=1

Justice of the Peace – Department #1 (non-partisan): Incumbent Marie A. Anderson is running against Alex Beal for the four-year positions. Anderson was not in attendance at the forum.

Beal has been a municipal court judge for the city of Missoula for nearly two years. He is also an attorney and practices in Missoula and has practiced in the Bitterroot out of Hamilton. He has lived in Missoula County for his entire adult life and currently lives in Lolo with his wife and two boys. He attended law school and worked as a criminal defense attorney, worked with real estate and estate planning. He currently serves on the Lolo School Board.

Beal is running for the office of Justice of the Peace to bring accountability, efficiency and fairness to the race. Accountability means the courts must hold people accountable for their action but also the court must be accountable to the public.

What is the difference between a municipal court judge and Justice of the Peace?

Beal responded that a municipal court judge only hears misdemeanor cases within the Missoula City limits. Justice of the Peace hears misdemeanor cases for the entire county as well as does initial appearances for felonies and handles smaller civil manners under $13,000. District court judges handle larger civil cases and felonies.

In addition to accountability, what are the other two issues you would like to bring forward?

Beal said efficiency and fairness. Justice of the Peace is considered the people's court addressing smaller cases, "Smaller in dollar value, not in importance." Often there are no attorneys representing the people. He feels too often judges get fixated on process including all the paperwork. He said if someone wronged someone else, document it and bring it into court. The case will be heard and dealt with, "It doesn't need to be overly formal."

What about fairness?

Beal said fairness is about making sure the justice system is open to everyone for civil cases and there aren't too many barriers precluding them. In criminal cases, when consequences are applied, they must be real and certain but also something the offender can actually do. Too often courts impose a fine that goes unpaid. It is sent to collections and is never addressed again. "That doesn't do anything. That is a bad way to do things." Beal highlighted that he has taken steps in municipal court to make the community service program more robust. If someone can't pay the fines, the offender is going to do something and the city will see a benefit.

There are two Justice of the Peace races up this election cycle. Why did you choose this race versus running against Landee Holloway in Department #2?

Beal said that he has worked with Judge Holloway in the past. He continues to work towards building a bridge between the city and county to make sure the courts are working together. He has been very successful in doing that with Judge Holloway.

How would you be different from Marie Anderson on the bench?

Beal said he realized a couple of years ago that while he was a good lawyer, he is also a pretty good as a judge. Part of it is the people. He said when someone comes before a judge, their problem is very important to them. "They have a story to tell. It's important to hear that story and to listen to it. It's important to make sure they understand that you care about that process because that is how people believe in the government."

Do you have any ideas about how to make Justice Court more accessible to rural parts of the county like Seeley Lake?

Beal said that there has been talk about having a day for court in Seeley Lake. That became unattainable because a clerk and attorneys must travel with the judge. However he would be interested in exploring options to utilize technology like Skype to link rural residents to the courts in Missoula. Through partnering with an organization like the Seeley Lake Community Council to facilitate the other end of the conversation and in cases where jail would not be associated or it is a pre-trial conference, there is no reason not to meet through teleconference.

Closing Statement

Beal said that while the Justice of the Peace is not always the most exciting race, it is a very important job in the grand scheme of things for the court system. He said it takes someone who is interested in that job, interested in the people who come before the court and is interested in doing it and showing up for those things.