Four Candidates Vie for Two

Positions as O.C. 'Side Judge'

By M. D. Drysdale

Perhaps the most surprising election day contest to crop up in 2006 is a four-way race for the position of assistant judge of Orange County.

One incumbent and three newcomers are running for the two assistant judge positions—also called side judges

It's not an unimportant election. The side judges are most famous for sitting on each side of the actual appointed judge in superior court in every county in Vermont. Depending on the kind of case being decided, they can have an important role in shaping the decision in the case. With extra training, they can also preside over some cases themselves—even though they do not need, and generally don't have, a law degree.

The cases they can preside on include uncontested divorces, traffic actions, and small claims. These may not be the most glamorous court cases, but each one is very important to the people caught up in the lawsuits.

Even more important than their judicial work, some might say, is the fact that the two assistant judges are the administrators of the county. They run the place. They make decisions about facilities in the handsome but under-sized Orange County Courthouse. They create a county buget, which they are then able to pass along to the county's 17 towns and to their taxpayers.

The situation this election year is unusual because there is such a lot of interest in the position. There are four candidates, incumbent Prudence Pease, of the Tunbridge's Pease Family Farm, who was chosen in the Democratic primary, and Joe Anthony, a career law enforcement officer, who was chosen in the Republican primary. Later, two more candidates, both from Chelsea, filed via petition to be placed on the ballot as Independents. They are John Doyle, former owner of Doyle's Store, and Dawn Sprague, who is an estimator for Real Log Homes and a volunteer in Chelsea schools.

Four years ago, two brand new assistant judges were elected—Prudence Pease of Tunbridge and Russ Hotchkiss of Chelsea. This year, however, Hotchkiss elected to run for the same position in Washington County, where he worked for years. Pease is running for reëlection, but there is one "free" seat.

Profiles of the candidates follow below, based on information submitted by the candidates.

PRUDENCE PEASE

Prudence Pease of Tunbridge is the only incumbent assistant judge running for office, the only Democrat, and the only one who doesn't live in Chelsea.

She is one of only eight assistant judges to have been certified to preside over three areas of expanded jurisdiction in court—uncontested divorces, traffic and small claims.

She also said she's proud of the work she and co-judge Russ Hotchkiss have done in county administration, lowering th county tax rate from $2.20 to $1.96.

She noted that she and Judge Hotchkiss have spent much time in studying the expansions needs of the courthouse.

"A wide variety of options have been studied," she said. "No decisions have yet been made. However I have made informational presentations to selectboards across the county seeking input and guidance from voters."

Pease and her husband Jon Pease live on the Pease Family Farm in Tunbridge and have six children. Their eldest son, Nick, recently returned safely from duty in Iraq. 

A graduate of the Commuity College of Vermont with an A.B. in accounting, she also attended the Snelling Center for Government and the Vermont leadership institute. She has worked for Families for Children’s Mental Health, the Community Partnership of Orange/Windsor, and for Vermont Community Leadership Training.

Her volunteer experience includes Vermont Job Start, Central Vermont Community Action, Orange County Parent Child Center, Vermont Legal Aid, the Tunbridge School Club, and the Vermont Guernsey Breeders Association, among others.

JOSEPH ANTHONY

Joseph A. Anthony of Chelsea, Republican, is the only candidate for office with a campaign brochure.

Currently he is a member of the staff at the Brookhaven Home for Boys in Chelsea. A graduate of Hamilton College, he holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in criminal justice management.

He has had an extensive career in law enforcement, he said. "I have held every rank from patrol office to police chief and director of public safety."

He is former police chief of Vergennes and followed Randolph's Police Chief Jim Krakowiecki as chief in Thetford. His awards during his career include a medal of valor and distingished service medal, he said.

"I feel my past experience and education has prepared me to serve the residents of Orange County as an assistant judge," Anthony said.

He told The Herald that he hopes to use "creative management and grant procurement" to upgrade the Orange County Courthouse without raising taxes.

JOHN UPHAM

John Upham, 46, moved to Chelsea in 1980, when his family purchased Doyle's Store and made it Upham's for 26 years, selling the store earlier this year. 

His childhood was spent in Suffield, Conn., where he attended elementary and high school. He completed an associates degree in agricultural business from SUNY Cobleskill.

After moving to Chelsea to operate Upham's store, he learned the art of custom meat cutting from Ken McFarlane, "which," he noted, "I still do to this day."

In 1981 Upham joined the Chelsea Volunteer Fire Department and is now the deputy fire chief.

He's also been an active member of The First Branch Ambulance Service for eight years.

"You might see me on the soccer fields in the fall," he said, "as I am a certified state soccer official, a duty I enjoy a great deal. You may also have seen me on the slopes of Sugarbush, where I can combine one of my favorite pastimes with working as a member of the ski patrol. 

Since 1987 Doyle has been married to Deb Lemieux, a Chelsea native who is currently employed at Historical Publications in Tunbridge. Their family includes Laura, 17 (a senior at Chelsea High School currently enrolled at VTC in the VAST program), Kimberly, 16 (a junior who participates in the Riverbend Emergency Services), and Michelle, 13, (an eighth grader).

Upham said that he considers himself a Republican. He's listed on the ballot as an Independent, but that's just because he missed the filing deadline to run in the Republican primary, he said.

He said he is more interested in the administrative aspect of the assistant judge's position, than in the actual judging.

"You're really not a judge; I don't have a legal degree," he pointed out. "The first priority is really county administration."

DAWN SPRAGUE

An avid community volunteer, Dawn Sprague, of Chelsea, has worked as an estimator for Real Log Homes for the last five years.

She said she is looking to take on the challenge of the county courthouse. She filed to be on the ballot as an Independent.

"I want to be a part of the community and be a prominent member of our community," she said. "I joined The Friends of Chelsea School, as its elected secretary, a year ago. It has been wonderful, fun and rewarding to help the school that I went to and that my daughter goes to. And now I would like to do more.

"I think that I can do a great job as assistant judge. I am organized. I always complete a project that I start. I listen to what a people want, and do my best to help them in any way I can."

Sprague graduated from Chelsea High School and the Randolph Area Vocational Center in 1994. She received a degree in Architectural and Building Technology from Vermont Technical College in 1996. She has been married to her husband, Wayne, for the last eight years and they have two little girls, ages four and seven.

Sprague invited anyone with questions about her candidacy to email her at dwkm20@yahoo.com.