Nine in running for appointment to justice court

Published 12:00 am Friday, July 17, 2009

The qualifications of nine applicants will be reviewed for the vacant justice court judgeship in Warren County’s Southern District with an appointment expected Monday.

Names of six were made available after a Thursday deadline passed for applications for the interim appointment to the post held since 1997 by Joe Crevitt, who died July 2.

They included one of Crevitt’s sons, Jeff, a former investigator with the Warren County Sheriff’s Department; attorney and former circuit court administrator Lisa Anglin Counts; attorney and former chancellor Ceola James, who held the position briefly before losing a special election to Crevitt; Bree Lee Jr., a retired Vicksburg firefighter; Ruby Hunter, a former Warren County Sheriff’s deputy; and Sally Sheffield McDaniel, an employee of Sheffield Rentals.

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Three additional sealed resumes without name labels were submitted to the Chancery Clerk’s Office, Board President Richard George said as he delivered a list of names to the Board of Supervisors building on Jackson Street late Thursday.

One other name was submitted, but was expected to be withdrawn today.

George said resumes will be reviewed before Monday’s regularly scheduled supervisors’ meeting, when the board is expected to name its choice in time for the district’s next round of cases, to begin July 27.

Checks of residency and other qualifications will be done by county officials in advance of a board vote.

Applicants for the job must be 18 or older and live in the Southern District for two years before the appointment. A high school diploma or a general equivalency diploma also is required. A law degree is not.

In 2007, a task force called by the Legislature recommended several new requirements for the office, such as an associate’s degree and five years’ experience as a certified law officer, paralegal, court clerk, deputy clerk or court administrator. One recommendation enacted into law stipulated additional legal and judicial training. Salaries are set by the Legislature according to county populations. In Warren County, the position pays $40,075.

Appointees are now serving as tax collector and in two of the five election commission seats. Interim Tax Collector Antonia Flaggs Jones was tapped for the post held by Pat Simrall after the 16-year incumbent’s retirement in May. Elva Smith and Lonnie Wooley were chosen by supervisors to hold the election commission seats.

Qualifying for the special election ends Sept. 4, and those elected will serve through the next round of countywide elections in November 2011 until new, four-year terms start in January 2012.

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Contact Danny Barrett Jr. at dbarrett@vicksburgpost.com