Four attorneys seeking Houston County Superior Court judgeship

Four Warner Robins attorneys are in the running for a Houston County Superior Court judgeship.

The nonpartisan post is being vacated by retiring Chief Judge George Nunn, who has held the seat about 30 years.

The election of a new judge to replace him is on the May 24 ballot. If no candidate receives a majority of the votes, a July 26 runoff of the top two vote-getters would determine the winner. The new judge will take office in January.

G.E. “Bo” Adams touts his experience serving as a judge in other courts, while Jeffery L. Grube and Walter G. “Bo” Sammons Jr. play up their years of trial experience in Superior Court. Meanwhile, Bonnie “Michelle” Smith, who twice ran unsuccessfully against Nunn, said she volunteers her services to those who cannot afford legal representation.

None of the candidates has prior political experience.

Adams has raised about $51,730 in contributions for the campaign, including putting in $10,000 of his own money. He has spent nearly $18,764, including more than $4,000 for a campaign consultant and $1,000 for a photo shoot, according to his campaign disclosure report. He also spent more than $5,000 on catering for a fundraiser at the Houston Lake Country Club.

Grube has received about $10,000 in contributions and spent about $7,000, mostly on campaign signs, according to his campaign disclosure.

As of Friday, Sammons and Smith had not filed campaign disclosures that were due March 31, said DeAngelo Hall, information and training specialist for the Georgia Government Transparency and Finance Commission. The reports also were not on the agency’s website.

However, Smith produced a campaign disclosure form with an electronic receipt that showed her form was submitted April 4, which she said was within the grace period. She received $900 in contributions, spent $5,497.28 and reported a 2016 campaign indebtedness of $5,878.40. Her largest expense was the $3,607.56 filing fee. She spent the rest on signs, flyers and cards.

Sammons, who said Friday he thought the due date was May 9, acknowledged that he looked at the special election schedule rather than the regular election schedule. Sammons said he expects he will have to pay a $250 late filing fee and will file the form as soon as possible.

Sammons said he has received $275 in contributions but wasn’t asking for money. He has spent $24,868.87 out of his own pocket, mostly on large billboards. He also spent about $3,000 on signs. And he said he bought some T-shirts, cards and other campaign material.

Adams has been in private practice two decades

Adams has been in private practice with fellow attorney Ed Varner for 20 years. He has handled cases ranging from family law, personal injury and real estate to business and civil litigation.

He also serves as the Warner Robins Municipal Court judge, as an associate magistrate judge, and as a judge pro tempore in Houston County State Court and Houston County Juvenile Court.

Adams said he “got the taste” for a full-time judgeship.

“I think I was pretty well received with the lawyers and litigants that tried cases in front of me,” he said. “I think it kind of fits my personality somewhat - my disposition and temperament.

“Even though I like private practice, I’ve done it for 20 years, and this is like an opportunity not to just serve your client but to serve — it may sound kind of hokey — but the community at large as a full-time judge,” he said.

Adams also has served on the board of directors for the nonprofit Heart of Georgia Hospice and for Covenant Academy. He is a current member of the Rotary Club of Warner Robins and a past president of the Exchange Club of Houston County.

He noted that he has the backing of former Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue and other community leaders.

Grube has handled death-penalty cases

Grube, who has been in private practice in Warner Robins since 1979, has handled death-penalty cases as a criminal defense attorney.

Grube also is the Centerville Municipal Court judge and previously served as a Warner Robins Municipal Court judge and an associate juvenile judge in Houston County. In addition, he served for more than nine years as the Houston County school board attorney.

“I felt like it was something that I needed to do, because that’s the natural progression of being an attorney,” Grube said of seeking the post. “I’m still active enough in my practice to where I can play the game, but sometimes it’s time to step back and try to be an umpire.”

Grube is also known as the voice of the Houston County Bears football team. He has served as the public address announcer for the football team for the past 25 years.

He said his friends and colleagues encouraged him to enter the race.

“I can hit the ground running being a Superior Court judge,” said Grube, noting his trial experience in Superior Court and his experience serving as a judge in other courts.

Sammons has 27 years experience practicing law

Sammons has practiced law in Houston County for 27 years. He has tried cases in state and federal courts, and he has argued cases in the Georgia Court of Appeals and the state Supreme Court.

Sammons has represented defendants in criminal cases, including death penalty work, as well as clients in other cases, such as divorces, custody, child support and contract disputes.

“I’ve tried just about any kind of case you can try, and a Superior Court judgeship is a litigation position,” Sammons said of why he’s running for the post. “So, it’s sort of a natural progression ... It’s something I think I would do well.

“I’m prepared and experienced and would like the opportunity to serve in that capacity,” he said.

Sammons said he thinks he has a broader range of litigation experience than the other candidates.

Sammons was nominated for a Superior Court judgeship in 2006 by the Georgia Judicial Nominating Commission. Katherine K. Lumsden, a former chief assistant district attorney, was appointed to the judgeship by then Gov. Perdue.

For the past 20 years, Sammons also has represented the state Department of Human Services in cases that involved abused and neglected children. He also has helped raise about 20,000 pounds of food for the Middle Georgia Food Bank as part of a statewide initiative led by the Georgia attorney general's office.

Smith has been voluteering her services

Smith, who has been in private practice since 2001, said she has volunteered her services to help people who couldn’t afford legal representation.

Her nonprofit legal clinic, Community Legal, works on the premise that whatever legal service she provides, the clients pay it forward by doing something for someone else, Smith said.

Smith is a member of the U.S. Supreme Court bar, the group of attorneys allowed to practice before the nation’s highest court. But she has not argued a case before the U.S. Supreme Court. She has requested that a case be heard by the highest court but was denied.

She has argued cases at the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington D.C., and the Georgia Supreme Court in Atlanta, Georgia. Smith has handled real estate, employment, criminal, federal appeals, discrimination, and civil rights cases.

“I’m qualified, and I’ve been a resident of Houston County for, gosh, most of my life, and I really think that’s the best way to give back to your community,” Smith said.

Smith ran unsuccessfully for the judgeship against Nunn in 2008 and 2012.

“Houston County voters appreciate tenacity and perseverance,” Smith said. “ I am not the only candidate in Houston County who had to run multiple times before being elected. I just hope the third time is a charm,” she said.

This story was originally published April 30, 2016 at 8:30 PM with the headline "Four attorneys seeking Houston County Superior Court judgeship."