In the three-way race to succeed Cobb’s first female and longest-serving Judge Dorothy Robinson, Poole avoided a runoff, earning 49,797 votes (51%).
In a separate contest, voters retained Judge Reuben Green, who was appointed by Gov. Sonny Perdue in August 2010.
In the race to succeed Judge Robinson, Roland Castellanos was second with 25,537 votes (27%), and Van Pearlberg was last with 21,549 votes (22%).
Poole, who has been a juvenile court judge for nine years, has regularly filled in on Cobb’s superior court bench.
“I’ve been doing this for one week a month for nine and a half years,” Poole said. “I’m going to continue to do it that way. ... There won’t be any change in basic policy. I want to be efficient. I want to move cases efficiently.”
Roland Castellanos has previously been elected three times as a Cobb State Court Judge, but resigned that seat to seek the higher court seat. Van Pearlberg, a senior Assistant District Attorney in Cobb, resigned his seat on the Marietta City Council to seek the judgeship.
In the Superior Court contest between Green and Wade, Green had 54,712 votes (55%), besting Wade, who had 44,997 votes (45%).
Green said: “I’m grateful the citizens of Cobb are going to let me continue to serve and protect them.”
He was a U.S. Marine, an assistant district attorney, and a special U.S. prosecutor being appointed to succeed Judge Ken Nix in 2010. He and his wife, Heidi, have two children and are also foster parents.
Superior Court Clerk
The unusual and sometimes nasty race to succeed retiring Superior Court Clerk Jay C. Stephenson is not over yet. Rebecca Keaton and John Skelton are headed to a runoff on Aug. 21.
Keaton has 32,215 votes (48%). Next was Skelton, who took 26,329 votes (39%). Davis finished last, with 8,257 votes (12%).
Keaton, who earned her law degree at John Marshall, said: “We’ll run hard and do what we need to do to win the campaign.”
She is a wife and mother of three who lives in Kennesaw and said she wants to serve the people by using her skills to provide great customer service. She plans to implement one computer operating system and an “e-filing” system similar to the other candidates.
Skelton, who ran at the behest of incumbent Stephenson, said late Tuesday: “The best person for the job will get it.” He added that he hopes his opponent will keep the run off clean.
Skelton earned his law degree at the University of Georgia. He and his wife have two children.
Davis, of Powder Springs, was a perennial candidate for Cobb judicial races before being disbarred earlier this year.
State Court Judge
With four candidates seeking one seat in Cobb State Court’s lower division, Marsha Lake and Larry Burke are headed to a runoff on Aug. 21.
Lake was the top vote-getter, with 36,854 votes (39%). Burke had 24,870 votes (26%).
Gene Clark finished third with 19,055 votes (20%), and Joyette Holmes was last with 14,735 votes (15%).
“I’m very excited. This is the greatest county to live in,” Lake said. “Every decision that I make is going to be made around ‘Is it safe and effective and does it uphold the Constitution?”
Lake is a practicing trial attorney and owner of Lake and Associates, in Marietta. Lake has prosecuted and defended criminal cases. She and her family live in Kennesaw.
Burke, who has been an associate judge and regularly sat on the state court bench as a fill-in judge, said he’s “just going to carry the flag forward,” to the runoff.
“I already have a great relationship with the folks up at the courthouse, given the fact that I’ve been filling in there for the last 25 years.”
Burke earned his law degree at Vermont Law School in 1981. He and his wife, Barbara, have two daughters.
Post a Comment
Follow us on Twitter!