Mayor nominated for Superior Court judgeship
By Elizabeth Billips Associate Editor

Waynesboro's mayor is in the running for Superior Court Judge.

Mayor Jesse Stone announced Friday that he wants to fill the seat of retiring Judge Neal Dickert on the Augusta Judicial Circuit.

While the Judicial Nominating Commission of Georgia will continue to accept nominations from attorneys through the end of next week, Mayor Stone says the competition is already stiff.

District Attorney Danny Craig is among his challengers, as are Columbia County Magistrate Judge Wade Padgett and Augusta attorneys Clay Stebbins III and Freddie Sanders.

Mayor Stone says he is seeking the judgeship, in part, because of Burke County's lack of representation on the 11- judge circuit which presides over cases in Richmond, Columbia and Burke counties.

The last short-lived representation came when Gov. Zell Miller appointed Burke County's Bettianne Hart to a vacated Superior Court seat - but that was lost at the polls to Judge Dickert in 1996.

"Burke County hasn't had an 'elected' judge since (G.C.) Anderson left sixty-one years ago," Mayor Stone said, calling the county the "step-child" of the circuit. "We need a judge who is readily available to our area … not one who just comes down one or two days a month."

Since Superior Court judges must hear both civil and criminal cases, Mayor Stone, 51, hopes his range of experience will serve him well when the commission makes its recommendations.

While Stone specializes in commercial litigation, he also takes criminal cases and, for five years, taught college level criminal justice.

Right now, he has criminal and civil cases pending in five judicial circuits, including Augusta, Dublin, Atlantic, Ogeechee and Middle.

"Being familiar with other Superior Court circuits should prove helpful," he said.

In mid-October, the 18-member commission, which is chaired by former Georgia Attorney General Michael Bowers, will interview all of the applicants and recommend a "short list" of qualified applicants to Gov. Sonny Perdue.

Gov. Perdue will then handpick a successor to finish out the last 14 months of Judge Dickert's four-year term.

After that term expires, whoever is appointed judge will have to run in the 2008 general election.

If Mayor Stone is appointed, Waynesboro Vice-mayor Neal Leonard will serve as mayor pro tem through Dec. 31.