Four Are Running

For O.C. Side Judge

The Secretary of State's office this week confirmed that Orange County voters will have four candidates this November for the usually-obscure position of assistant judge.

Assistant judges, also called side judges, are lay-people who may sit with the regular judges in some cases in Superior Court.

Just as important, the two assistant judges are the top administrators of county business, preparing the budget and helping to administer the county facilities, including the Chelsea Courthouse and attached lock-up.

In Orange County their role has generally been non-controversial, but in Windsor County, the existing assistant judges, especially longtime judge Bill Boardman, have encountered electoral opposition for their administration of county affairs.

For the last four years, the Orange County assistant judges have been Prudence Pease of Tunbridge and Russ Hotchkiss of Chelsea. For both, it was their first public office.

Hotchkiss decided not to run again this year, in order to seek the same position in Washington County, where he once worked. He confirmed last week that he and Pease had difficulties working with each other during part of their tenure, but said all policy issues have now been strraightened out.

Pease will be on the November ballot as a Democrat, and Joseph A. Anthony of Chelsea will be listed as a Republican, as both ran in the September primaries.

However, in the last two weeks, two new candidates for assistant judge have surfaces. Dawn Sprague and John D. Upham, both of Chelsea, have successfully filed as Independents.

In November, therefore, Sprague and Upham will join Pease and Anthony in a rare four-person contest for assistant judge.

The Herald will publish more information about the candidates in a later issue.