Former Johnson County Circuit Court Judge Mark Loyd isn’t ready to give up his gavel just yet.
Loyd, who recently ended his tenure as Circuit Court judge after 24 years, filed as a candidate for Franklin City Court judge on Thursday, the second day of filing for the 2019 municipal election.
He will run against Kim Van Valer, who has held the position for eight years. Both are Republicans.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
“That’s great. I think it’s terrific when a lot of people are interested in a position, and it brings it out to the public and gets them interested in it as well,” Van Valer said.
She’s running for a third term because she loves the work and sees the city court as an educational courtroom, especially for teenagers who may be facing their first traffic violation.
City court judges work part-time and hear traffic infractions and city ordinance violations.
Loyd started as Circuit Court judge in 1994, and served four six-year terms, during which time he tried several high-profile cases, including murder trials.
“It was not my desire to run for another six-year term,” Loyd said.
City court judges serve four-year terms.
Van Valer has also previously served as a county-wide judge, having first been elected in 1996 as Johnson Superior Court 3 judge.
More than 50 seats are on the ballot in cities and towns across Johnson County this year. So far, 19 candidates have filed.
Major party candidates have until noon on Feb. 8 to file.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”At a glance” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Other candidates who filed on Thursday:
Greenwood
Jeannine Myers, clerk
Whiteland
Debra Hendrickson, clerk-treasurer
Scot Ford, town council at-large
Prince’s Lakes
Troy Meadows, town council at-large
[sc:pullout-text-end]
