A desire to give back to their community is the primary reason for both Jefferson City municipal judge candidates to run.
Local attorneys Scott Evans and Angela Silvey are seeking the position, which was left open in November when Brian Stumpe was elected as Cole County associate circuit judge.
Municipal judge is a part-time position that earns $2,916.67 a month. Under the current schedule, the municipal judge holds court on Wednesdays every week.
Scott T. Evans
Evans has been in private practice for seven years with a total of 10 years practicing law in Jefferson City.
He ran for Cole County associate circuit judge last year but lost. Evans said he's running for municipal judge for many of the same reasons.
"It's a way for me to take ownership in my community," he said. "It's a community I care about. I'm raising a son here. I want to do what I can to make it as good as possible, as safe as possible and make it a good home for my kid."
Evans said he plans to keep his private practice if elected.
"This is not like a retirement gig for me. It's not like something I'll do as a side job to keep myself entertained," he said. "I would adjust my current practice and eliminate some of the areas that I'm practicing so that I have the time to commit to the to the city."
Evans has experience as a lawyer in the municipal court through representing clients with traffic violations.
However, he said, the court has a system in place for another judge to step in for a case the municipal judge has a potential conflict of interest in, such as representing the person in a different case.
Some conflicts, he said, are unavoidable.
"I'm not concerned about the conflicts at all," he said. "I think the system that's in place is more than adequately prepared to handle the conflicts."
Evans said he has a number of issues he'd like to look at if election, primarily people's accessibility to the court.
As the current system stands, he explained, a person gets a court date either in the morning or afternoon on a Wednesday. That can be a challenge for people who work full time or have children to care for, Evans said.
He said he'd like to look into options such as holding court one evening a month to reduce the stress of it in those situations.
Evans added he'd be open to allowing virtual court appearances, like some levels have during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Other key topics to look at, Evans said, are increasing court transparency through a digital platform where people could check in on their case, and he'd like to approach the Jefferson City Council about giving the court more leniency in dealing with slumlords.
Evans said the most important thing the municipal court does is help people who are going down a path of crime. He discussed doing so through connecting them with other agencies that could help in their specific situation. He said the people need to want the help, though.
"Maybe you've got a ticket for driving while revoked; well, maybe it's just because you don't know how to reinstate your license," he said.
"I will be focused on how can we help the people out, to get their situation corrected, so that they're not resorting to crime or are forced into some sort of crime. I'm not out to punish people, especially at the municipal level."
Angela Silvey
Silvey has practiced law for six years since taking over a now former attorney's practice.
She said she considered practicing law in Kansas City after graduating but decided she wanted to come home to Jefferson City.
Silvey ran for municipal judge in the last election cycle but lost. She said she wants this position to be more involved.
"I think it's important to give to the community, and that's something I've always tried to do," she said. "I think being on the municipal level allows me to still continue my practice but be involved in the community and be involved in the legal system."
Silvey's private practice has involved representing clients in the municipal court. Like Evans, she doesn't see conflicts of interest being a problem.
"There's usually an alternate judge that can handle those cases," she said. "You would just put those all at one time and handle those. I don't see that being a huge problem. Pretty much everybody that's held that position was in private practice before they started as municipal judge."
Silvey said the most important aspect of the job is to keep the court efficient and see that both sides are taking care of the taxpayers.
"(We need to) make sure we're following the law for people who come through on a traffic violation or maybe it's a 17-year-old kid that stole for the first time," Silvey said. "Do we need to put them in jail for stealing $20? Probably not. Do we need to make them do community service to maybe not do it again? Yes."
In terms of being efficient, Silvey said that largely falls on the municipal judge and goes back to ensuring they hear cases, not continuing them and putting them on other dockets.
"When we have court, we're getting things done," she said. "It's only one day a week, and so you've got to use that one day to get as many cases completed (as you can) and not just let cases linger."
Silvey is a supporter of virtual court appearances, like those being used during the COVID-19 pandemic, because it helps keep dockets moving and offers other options for attorneys in private practice.
For instance, she said, an attorney may need to be in three counties on the same day.
"Let's say I'm double-booked in a county, I can go to one county but then step out, be on a Zoom call, and so instead of having to file a continuance, I can actually work both counties at the same time," she said. "So as long as the courts are willing to do it, I think it's beneficial, and I think it does help keep things moving."
Silvey said, if she's elected, she would be the first woman to hold the municipal judge position in Cole County.
"I don't know why, but they never have," she said. "I did have someone at an event, and they said 'You don't really look like a judge' and I said 'Why? I'm not an old white man?' It's good to see some change. You don't see many females at the courthouse."