OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. — Ottawa County continues to be the fastest-growing county in the entire state of Michigan, resulting in state lawmakers creating another judge position that will take effect next year.
In February, Governor Whitmer signed legislation adding a fifth judgeship to the 20th Judicial Circuit Court.
There are two non-partisan candidates up for the spot and 13 ON YOUR SIDE asked both to share their campaigns with the community.
On November 8th, residents of Ottawa County will have the chance to vote in the new judge that will handle family law, including abuse/neglect, custody cases, divorce, adoptions, and guardianships.
According to the county, this action was "a long time coming" for the state's seventh-largest and fastest-growing county.
"It's really exciting for Ottawa County," said Paul Kraus, one of the candidates up for the spot.
"It's an extremely in-depth portion of the law, and so much goes into it," said Mercedes Watts, the other candidate for the position.
According to a press release sent by the county in February, it wasn't until the additional judgeship was recommended by the State Court Administrative Office in the 2019 Judicial Resources Report that the need for this additional judge was more widely realized.
The press release also read:
"The weighted caseload docket analysis performed in 2019 showed a need for 10 judges between the Circuit, Probate and District Courts in Ottawa County, which, at the time, were served by only nine judges. Ottawa County also had the highest ratio of population to circuit court judge among the ten largest counties in Michigan at 72,623 to 1. Moreover, each circuit and probate court judge in Ottawa County was estimated to be spending 2,891.92 hours working on 2019 case filings, or an average of 55.6 hours per week. While the current judiciary is dedicated and hard-working, this level of work was not a sustainable practice over time.
Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic struck shortly after the Judicial Resources Report was released, which significantly slowed down the process of adding this seat."
"For me, it's all about being a problem solver," said Kraus.
Kraus currently works as a Senior Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for the county as the Family Division Unit Director.
With 17 years of experience, Kraus is the former deputy Holland City Attorney and family law private practitioner. He also previously worked as the Iowa Assistant Attorney General handling child and adult abuse matters. Kraus also previously held the position of Ottawa County's Bar Association President.
"We need judges that care about people, give people dignity when they're in court, and who can fairly apply the law to everyone that comes in their court," he said.
Kraus said he wants to represent everyone.
"It doesn't matter if you're a democrat or a republican or an independent, or where you live," said Kraus, "you're going to get a fair shake in my courtroom."
His opponent, Mercedes Watts, currently works for Ottawa County's public defender's office.
"I just want to help people, that's why I'm doing this," Watts said.
After graduating from GVSU and then DePaul University's College of Law, Watts opened her own firm where she practiced primarily family and landlord/tenant law. She then worked for legal services and was briefly an assistant prosecutor practicing family and criminal law. Now, she's a public defender and has been with Ottawa County for the last seven months
Watts said her main goal is to hold more hearings to get cases settled as fast as possible.
"I've seen what people go through when their children are taken, even rightfully so," she said, "and I feel like I have a good understanding of what those families need."
"I see the need for change," Watts added, "and I've seen firsthand the devastating consequences an over-burdened system has on the children of Michigan."
The new judge will be taking office on January 1, 2023, for an eight-year term.