A local bill that would have made Rockdale's Chief Magistrate Court judge a non-partisan seat is stalled in a Senate committee, with only five more days left for this year's legislative session.
The bill, HB586, was requested by the county last year and approved in the House on March 31, 2011 as part of a local legislative package requested by the county. All of Rockdale's current House Representatives attached their names and signed off on it.
However, since then the bill has not moved out of committee on the Senate side. The bill has reportedly been signed by one of Rockdale's two senators, District 17 Senator Rick Jeffares (R-Locust Grove), but not by District 43 Senator Ron Ramsey (D-Decatur). Local bills need the unanimous support of local delegates.
Ramsey told the News on Saturday that the "delegation is working on it." He said the concern was in making a change to the form of government without imput from voters. He said it was possible he might look into a referrendum on the matter.
Representative Pamela Stephenson (D-Lithonia) said on Tuesday the House had completed their action on the bill and that no issues had come up when it passed through the House.
Magistrate Court judge Rudy Horne said Ramsey had not returned his calls as of Saturday. Horne wrote an email to Rockdale County's commissioners, asking them to urge Ramsey to sign the bill.
Horne wrote, "I finally started wondering what was taking so long and found to my dismay that our local delegation senator, the Honorable Ron Ramsey, was refusing to sign it. I am astounded. You would not have agreed to pay tax payer money to have the bill prepared if he had not agreed to support it. He has no reason not to sign it. He is a municipal judge himself, or at least he was, and he knows how important it is that all judges be nonpartisan."
Horne is running as a Republican for his sixth term in office. The Republican Magistrate Court judge nominee will face the Democratic nominee in the November general election. Local attorney Phinea Aten, president of the recently created NewRock Legal Society, is running for the Democratic nomination for Magistrate Court judge.
Aten said on Tuesday that although she felt legal positions should be nonpartisan, the status of the seat should not be changed in an election year.
"Not now because it’s already been publicized it’s a partisan race," she said. "Changing the game in the middle of the game would not be appropriate. But I think it would be appropriate legislation to pass in a non-election year... I think the issue is fairness and timing."
"I had assumed it was a non-partisan position," Aten said. "I think anyone involved in the legal process other than the lawmakers themselves should be a nonpartisan position." She added "Whether I am elected as a Democrat or as a nonpartisan candidate, I am going to give fair and equal treatment, regardless of their party affiliation."
Rockdale's Chief Magistrate Court judge and Probate Court judge are the only two elected judgeships that are partisan seats. Both Superior Court and the Rockdale State Court judge seats are non-partisan seats.
Non-partisan elections, such as the other judgeships and school board seats, are held in July 31. Partisan races have their primaries on July 31 and the election in November, when there is generally a higher voter turnout.
A senate bill introduced this year to make the Probate Court judge seat non-partisan as well, SB 497, has been signed by Jeffares but not Ramsey and has yet to cross over to the House side of the legislature.
