Braving periods of intermittent rain, a crowd of over 50 people intently listened to a debate between the three Republican General Sessions Court Judge candidates.
The program at Centennial Park in downtown Dayton across from the historic Rhea County Courthouse lasted over an hour with the candidates answering questions that were submitted by the public prior to the event.
It was put on by Dayton realtor Bailey Hufstetler.
The debate was moderated by Melody Shekari, president of the Young Lawyers Division of the Chattanooga Bar Association. Mr. Hufstetler said this was done to have an independent, unbiased moderator.
Incumbent General Sessions Court Judge Shannon Garrison started the program by answering the first question of the night followed by challenger Jace Cochran and Assistant District Attorney General David Shinn, who covers the courts for the DA’s office in Rhea County.
During the hour and 15-minute debate, comments to the questions got heated at times but the candidates retained their civility.
When asked about his qualifications to be Judge, Asst. DA Shinn said that he draws on his experience not only in the Attorney General's Office, but also from when he worked for the Tennessee Department of Corrections as a pardons and parole officer.
Attorney Cochran, when asked about his qualifications, said he has been practicing law for the past 10 years and has been in over 25 different courts in East Tennessee. He currently serves as Municipal Judge in Graysville and fills in from time to time at the city of Dayton in the absence of Judge Will Dunn.
Judge Garrison replied, "I started practicing law in 1997 and was elected as General Sessions Court Judge in 2014. By my recollection I have 17 years of experience before being elected and have served the past eight years as judge. I have 25 years of legal experience more than both (Shinn and Cochran) combined. I have heard thousands of cases and have yet to have a single one of them overturned on appeals.”
Many of the questions revolved around the drug problem in Rhea County. Attorney Cochran said that he would like to create a drug court like there is in Franklin County. General Shinn advised that the drug court in Franklin County is for felony cases only. “I would like to start a misdemeanor drug court in Rhea County, “said Asst. DA Shinn. He said that “the bus that drives most of the issues that we have in court is the drug problem. There are programs available. The second biggest problem is the victims when they come to court, they feel that they are not heard or treated fairly or don’t have a voice. I would make sure they are treated well and dealt with fairly.”
Judge Garrison said that he has sent people to rehab and has used resources that he has available but “until the person themselves decides that they want to stop, resources will be wasted on them.”
He said that he was in agreement with the other two candidates as to the fact that drugs is a big problem. “But when you say that you implicate so many other issues. What really caused them to start? Was it mental illness, poverty or who knows or a combination of many things. Drugs is the biggest factor facing Rhea County today.”