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ELKINS -- Three of the four candidates running for the newly created Division II Circuit Court Judge seat in Randolph County spoke during a candidate forum this week.
Frank P. Bush Jr., William "Ty" Nestor and Jaymie Godwin Wilfong spoke during the event, hosted by the Randolph County Republican Executive Committee Tuesday night at the Elks Lodge.
Ray Lamora III, the fourth candidate running for the Division II judge's seat, did not take part in the forum.
Given three minutes to speak, each candidate gave a brief history of themselves.
Nestor, who is currently a Republican delegate representing the 66th District, announced in December that he would not seek re-election to the state legislature, in order to run for circuit judge. Nestor is the founder of the Nestor Law Office in Elkins.
"As a judge, I feel like I bring a lot to the table," Nestor said. "I have lots and lots of experience in various areas of law, it's just not criminal defense. I have represented and defended civil cases and doctors in medical malpractice…
"There's really nothing that is going to come before me as the next circuit judge in Division II that I have not seen before. And if I haven't seen it before, I promise to commit the hard work that it's going to take to understand it and properly assess the situation and make the proper decision that we can all be proud of."
Wilfong was asked to speak next, but she had lost her voice due to illness and was unable to speak during the event. Her husband, Matt Wilfong, read a statement in her place.
"Jaymie is a former Circuit Court Judge for Randolph County and former Family Court Judge for Randolph, Tucker and Grant counties," he read. "All told, she has served nearly 12 years of her legal career as a judge. She's the only candidate in Division II with experience on the bench.
"Jaymie believes she has consistently demonstrated that she is firm but fair, and understands first-hand how important it is to treat everyone in the court the same, regardless of who they are."
Wilfong began practicing law in 1995. She is the founder of Wilfong Law Office, PLLC in Elkins. She started Randolph County's adult and juvenile drug courts while serving as the county circuit court judge, according to information provided during the forum.
Bush, who is a former prosecuting attorney in Randolph County, was the final Division II candidate to speak at the event.
"The thing I bring to the table is 32 years of experience, and I've had every kind of case you can imagine," he said. "I prosecuted 450 felons, including murderers, drug dealers, child molesters, burglars, robbers, counterfeiters, and just about anything in the book. I have prosecuted and defended literally hundreds of abuse and neglect cases, and I can tell you those are the most heart-wrenching cases of everything I do… I love practicing law and this was my calling, I feel like I was born to this.
"It's been mentioned a little bit tonight, but I just want to clarify because I'm getting feedback from people that there is some confusion about the election," said Bush. "The legislature revamped the circuit for the state and in Randolph County they decided to give us two judges. They have divided the county into two divisions, but they are not geographically defined. There are just two divisions, and a candidate has to decide which division he wants to run in."
Early voting for the May 14 primary election will take place from May 1 to May 11. Randolph County residents wishing to vote early can do so at the Wees Annex on Randolph Avenue in Elkins or at the Russell Memorial Public Library in Mill Creek.