Court Will Get New Judge Early County Will Fund Position Beginning In January

Spokane County Superior Court judges will get a new colleague a little sooner than they expected.

And the county’s public defender will get money he says he needs to make it through the year.

After agreeing two weeks ago to pay for an 11th judge starting July 1, 1997, county Commissioners John Roskelley and Steve Hasson agreed Tuesday that the judge should start Jan. 1.

Commissioner Phil Harris voted against moving up the date, saying the county can’t afford the additional $75,000 in wages for the judge and his staff.

“We have to consider that a lot of people (from other county agencies) are already asking for money” and the commissioners can’t grant all the requests, Harris said.

Judge Robert Austin testified Tuesday that the court has an 18-month backlog of civil cases. He wouldn’t predict how much that would be reduced by adding an 11th judge.

Still undecided is where the new judge will hold court initially. There won’t be enough room in the courthouse until after some departments are moved into another building, a shuffle that could cost $1 million.

The commissioners’ decision to start the position Jan. 1 means outgoing Gov. Mike Lowry will appoint the judge, who would run for election in 1998.

Although Lowry’s staff disagreed, Austin said that if the position started in July, governor-elect Gary Locke would make the appointment.

Harris said during an Oct. 31 discussion about the subject that he didn’t want to leave the decision with Lowry because “I don’t like some of the people he appoints.”

In another criminal justice move, Harris and Roskelley outvoted Hasson to give the public defender’s office $150,000 to meet expenses this year.

Public Defender Don Westerman requested a $265,000 addition to his budget in September, saying he expected his office to handle about 600 more cases this year than last. Commissioners agreed then to give him $100,000, telling him to come back for more later, if necessary.

On Tuesday, Roskelley praised Westerman as “one of the best department heads for controlling his budget.” Harris was less magnanimous, saying he was approving the money because the state requires counties to give defenders the money they need.

Hasson said Westerman “has to learn to reasonably live within his means.”

, DataTimes