Voters in Concordia and Catahoula parishes will hit the polls in November to elect a new judge for the Seventh Judicial District.

The election comes after 24-year veteran Judge Leo Boothe faced mandatory retirement because of his age.

Three candidates qualified for the Division B seat — Jack McLemore Jr., D-Vidalia, Ronnie O. McMillin, D-Vidalia, and John Reeves, D-Jonesville.

Division A Judge Kathy Johnson, D-Jonesville, faces no opposition in the election.

The Seventh Judicial District encompasses Concordia and Catahoula parishes.

Voters have a responsibility to gather as much information as possible before casting a ballot, and plenty of you have been asking good questions. The Natchez Democrat has collected the questions many of our readers have e-mailed to us, posted online or mentioned in passing. We culled the list into fives questions and posed them to all three candidates last week.

The candidates were given three days in which to write out their own answers. Due to space limitations, each question had a maximum word count of 200.

The answers you will read below and inside today’s edition are the candidates own words.

The election will be Nov. 4.

Question 1: Why are you running?

John Reeves: I have been approached by a number of friends and family who have urged me to run for the office of district judge of Catahoula and Concordia parishes, the Seventh Judicial District for the State of Louisiana. I am a hard working lawyer who loves his work in the legal profession, and who is dedicated to bringing out the most fair and impartial result in civil cases. I believe my ability and my cordial nature among my peers, within and outside the Seventh District, will be of great assistance to me on the bench. I will be a “fair and impartial judge” in all matters before me. I will have the compassion to help those wronged by injustice, and the courage to correct that injustice.

Ronnie McMillin:I am running to offer the voters of my home the choice of a highly qualified and truly independent candidate of diverse experience who will execute the authority of office of judge as a position of trust held for the voters benefit. I appeal to the individual voters of Catahoula and Concordia parishes, who will be the persons to whom I will answer to should you see fit to elect me to serve you as judge. I will strive to uphold your trust. I have a wide range of legal experience, having handled criminal and civil cases as a prosecutor, defense attorney, plaintiff’s attorney and defendant’s attorney. I have represented governmental bodies, private clients and handled administrative matters. My experience in a wide range of legal matters as a trial attorney who has tried many complicated and emotionally charged jury trials, as well as “routine” bench trials, has taught that for those persons involved, justice, fairness and trust are equally as important for each and every person. Politics will not be welcome in my court or chambers. I will strive to earn your trust by hearing and deciding each case on its own merits and character.

Jack McLemore: I have represented almost 7,000 citizens of Concordia and Catahoula parishes in many types of lawsuits, negotiations, business formations and other transactions over a period of 35 years. For approximately 10 of those years, I represented the State of Louisiana in managing child protection service matters. I have the necessary experience inside and outside the courtroom to handle the job. Additionally, I have represented the Town of Vidalia as its attorney for the last 35 years with matters such as electric contracts, utility contracts, the hydroelectric facility and in encouraging and helping to facilitate the location of ALCOA, BASF, Fruit of the Loom, the Riverfront Development Project and all of the businesses located thereon. Furthermore, I have represented people from all walks of life, including but not limited to, those going through a divorce or child custody issues, couples buying their first home and farmers purchasing land. Based on my education and experience as not only an attorney, but as a Christian, father and a husband, I believe that I can follow the technical directives of the law while, at the same time, showing compassion for those who are going through some of the most difficult times in their lives.

Question 2: What makes you most qualified of the candidates? Why should people vote for you?

John Reeves: I have a wide variety of both civil and criminal law cases that I handle at Reeves Law Office in Harrisonburg, La. Additional areas of my civil law practice include family/domestic, estate planning, title opinions, successions and wills, real estate, civil litigation for both plaintiff and defense. I was an assistant district attorney for 18 years under John F. Johnson, and for the past six years, I have been a defense counsel in a wide variety of misdemeanor and felony cases for both the IDB (Indigent Defender Board) and in my representation of my private clientele on criminal matters.

Ronnie McMillin: I am the most qualified candidate because of the extensive legal experience I have in the varied types of cases most often handled by our district court. I have successful experience as a prosecutor and a defense attorney in criminal law, and successful experience as a plaintiff’s attorney and a defendant’s attorney in civil law. In my practice, I have current cases from Ruston to Gonzales in many districts, not just ours. As a trial prosecutor for 24 years, I personally handled over 100 jury trials, and more bench trials than I ever tried to keep up with. During my career as an assistant district attorney, I also represented municipalities, boards, districts and other political subdivisions. I am well qualified to serve as district judge. However, just as important as experience is my independence. I am a sole practitioner in my law practice and rely upon my work month to month to provide for my family, as do most of you. I am neither sponsored by nor affiliated with any other politicians for whom I am relying upon for support. I will obey the judicial canons and stop politics at the door of my chambers and courtroom. I will serve you.

Jack McLemore: I have represented almost 7,000 citizens of Concordia and Catahoula parishes in many types of lawsuits, negotiations, business formations and other transactions over a period of 35 years. For approximately 10 of those years, I represented the State of Louisiana in managing child protection service matters. I have the necessary experience inside and outside the courtroom to handle the job. Additionally, I have represented the Town of Vidalia as its attorney for the last 35 years with matters such as electric contracts, utility contracts, the hydroelectric facility and in encouraging and helping to facilitate the location of ALCOA, BASF, Fruit of the Loom, the Riverfront Development Project and all of the businesses located thereon. Furthermore, I have represented people from all walks of life, including but not limited to, those going through a divorce or child custody issues, couples buying their first home and farmers purchasing land. Based on my education and experience as not only an attorney, but as a Christian, father and a husband, I believe that I can follow the technical directives of the law while, at the same time, showing compassion for those who are going through some of the most difficult times in their lives.

Question 3: What do you think could be done to improve efficiency in the Seventh Judicial District Court courtrooms?

John Reeves: Yes, I would take an active role toward setting up a program encouraging young juveniles and juvenile delinquents of the “positive choices” they can make. But for the negative choices the juvenile delinquents have made that got them into trouble from the beginning, there is “hope” for them. Through a resolute conviction from their heart to make these “positive choices” in their lives, their life can be altered for the better. It’s their choice. I pledge to the voters of the Seventh District that I will go regularly to the schools of this district to encourage our youth of the positive choices they can make. I will work to further the rehabilitative efforts to assist those who are incarcerated who desire a positive change in their lives. I will work with the inmates in their rehabilitative efforts, to assist those who desire a positive change in their lives.

Ronnie McMillin: Efficiency in the courtroom should never come before justice and due process for each person involved. But there are ways in which these concerns may be addressed so that they are not mutually exclusive. One way to accomplish all these legitimate concerns is through the use of specialized courts to address two serious problems plaguing our communities. I will support and cooperate with all concerned branches of our government to establish drug courts and juvenile courts with a family court to follow. The system is currently something of a revolving door for drug and juvenile offenders, and could be greatly improved with no increase in cost to the taxpayer through having the offenders in a system that requires regular accountability as appropriate regardless of whether this requires weekly appearances with drug tests, reports on activity or whatever else may be appropriate. But to accomplish any improvement will require showing politics to the door. I am not conducting my campaign through the solicitation of politicians support, and I am neither seeking nor receiving assistance from politicians from any of the factions at odds at our courthouses. Removal of politics from our courtrooms and judges chambers is the first step.

Jack McLemore: If I am elected, my primary goal would be to ensure efficiency in the courtroom which in turn would save taxpayers money. I would like to institute a drug court in our district to keep repeat offenders and drug dealers off of our streets and to provide education and rehabilitation for first time offenders. The D.A.R.E. program has positively impacted many youth in our area through educational opportunities, and I believe that a properly instituted and run drug court could do the same. This would increase efficiency in the courtroom because the court and support staff necessary to handle these cases would be focused on one type of case during the specified time, which would enable them to streamline the processes involved. Additionally, studies prove that these courts work, and our people deserve our best efforts.

Question 4: What do you think is currently working best in the Seventh Judicial District Court system?

John Reeves: The efficiency and camaraderie of the courtroom personnel in both Concordia and Catahoula parishes.

Ronnie McMillin: The answer is the same for both as the jurors who serve when summoned for jury duty are clearly the best part of our system. During my 24 years as a prosecutor, I tried over 100 jury trials in Concordia and Catahoula parishes. The citizens who appeared for jury duty when summonsed often did so at considerable personal sacrifice, expense and inconvenience. But they did so willingly and without complaint, often enduring long periods of simply waiting to be called and then answering the same questions over and over, always to the best of their ability and truthfully. The value of their service is without bounds, and the collective wisdom of juries applying their accumulated lifetime and everyday experiences to complicated and serious matters has never ceased to amaze and impress me. Always, the service is without much in the way of thanks or credit, but it is given by our citizens as one of the costs of that citizenship, and I want to thank you jurors for it.

Jack McLemore: The spirit and integrity of the members of the court system and their employees, as a whole, provide the opportunity for all persons, regardless of race, creed or color, to be treated fairly and efficiently.

Question 5: What do you think needs to be changed in the Seventh Judicial District Court system?

John Reeves: A person, like myself, who will take an active role in encouraging the youth of our two parishes, and to further assist in rehabilitative efforts of those incarcerated who desire a positive change in their lives. I will be an active judge.

Ronnie McMillin: Canon 7A(2) of the Louisiana Code of Judicial Conduct makes it a violation for a Judge or Judicial candidate to have “publicly endorsed or publicly opposed another candidate for public office.” The meaning is clear. Judges should not be engaged in other political elections other than their own. I do not believe that this is a matter to be subverted by a fine reading of the statute, but obeyed. I believe the canons indicate that judges should not politic for other candidates. Politics will not be welcome in my courtroom or in my chambers, and I will not be involved in other public officials’ politics nor allow myself by inaction to appear so. I will not discuss cases before they have been heard, nor decide them before I have heard all the witnesses, evidence and argument in the courtroom. I will strive to earn the trust of my constituency by service such that each person served by my court will feel that no influence whatsoever affected the verdict except the merits of the case and the character of the witnesses. I will strive to have the court in whose authority I have been entrusted serve only you, the voters.

Jack McLemore: A positive change for the Seventh Judicial District Court System would be for each component of that system to be more involved with the community. It is not the job of the judiciary to police the community; however, the judiciary, like the Sheriff’s Office has with D.A.R.E., can reach out to the community through educational opportunities for its residents. An open and honest office that is understood by the community will lead to communication and education between the residents and the court system, which will allow the court system to better serve its residents. The community can provide valuable partnerships to the court system through support and educational opportunities for those who have physical, mental or substance abuse issues. Each of these issues permeates the court system whether they arise in criminal or civil matters. So in short, I believe that a positive change would be to deepen community involvement by the court system as a whole.