Four contested races in Curry primary

CLOVIS — Curry County will feature four contested primary races this summer following Tuesday’s filing date.

Magistrate Judge Division 1 will feature a pair of contested races in the primary — Democrats are Nicole Roybal and Terry Martin, and Republicans are Keith Farkas and Janemarie Vander Dussen.

Four candidates also filed for the Magistrate Judge Division 2 position the primary will be the only contested race as Donald Sawyer, Stephen Whittington, Sean Martinez and Sean Burns are all Republicans.

The only other contested primary race comes in District 4 where Seth Martin and Dillon Lewis, both Republicans, are running for county commissioner.

Martin, a sorghum and wheat farmer, was appointed to the position by Gov. Susana Martinez in December last year following the resignation of former commissioner Ben Smith. State law requires candidates appointed in the first half of a four-year term must be elected to the remaining portion of the term.

Seth Martin said he wants to continue to serve on the commission due to the important role it plays in the county.

“I’ve been involved with it now since Jan. 2 when I got sworn in and since that time since I’ve seen what a vital role a commissioner plays in determining the future of our county,” Seth Martin said.

Lewis is a rancher who said he wants to give voters a chance to make their voice heard when it comes to the commission seat.

“The way that seat was filled by just an appointment, I think the people deserve to have an elected official sit in that seat and someone who has a good relationship with the Melrose community as well as the agriculture, because it’s a lot of an agricultural community in District 4,” Lewis said.

On the Democrats’ side for Magistrate Judge Division 1, Roybal is a certified paralegal and office manager and Martin is a building inspector for the city of Clovis who also serves as a member of the board of trustees for Clovis Community College and Clovis Municipal Schools.

Roybal said she’s running because she wants to cut down on recidivism, or the tendency of a convicted criminal to reoffend, in the county.

“I’ve noticed that there is a high amount of recidivism with the youth and there’s not really any programs that help them,” Roybal said. “I just feel like I could get in there and institute some programs for the youth or have some other programs other than just straight incarceration and probation to help rehabilitate and decrease the recidivism rates around here.”

Martin could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.

On the Republican side for Magistrate Judge Division 1, Farkas is a clerk at the magistrate court with 25 years of law enforcement experience who said service was his passion.

“I’ve been giving to the community. I moved here in 1975, made this my hometown, I’ve been giving to the community this whole time and I want to continue to do that,” Farkas said.

Vander Dussen has spent nine years as director of victim services at the Ninth Judicial District Attorney’s office and wants to use that experience to help both defendants and victims.

“I’ve been working with victims for the last nine years and I’ve been able to help them, so I also believe that I can help defendants improve their lives as well,” Vander Dussen said.

The Republican primary for Magistrate Judge Division 2 features four candidates.

Sawyer is a marriage and family mediator who previously ran for magistrate judge 16 years ago.

He said his background as a mediator qualifies him for the position as someone who can assess both sides of a case.

“I’ve been a chaplain for the last five years and had the opportunity to do jail ministry, to be honest with you I’ve had the chance to see both sides and how things operate,” Sawyer said. “I just feel like I can definitely make a difference being a mediator and looking at both sides of the situation.”

Whittington is retired state police officer, land developer and contractor who said he ran because he wants to help the community.

“I want to give back to the community,” Whittington said. “I believe magistrate court is the most important first step in the judicial system, so that’s why I’m doing it.”

Burns, a lawyer, believes someone with his background is best suited for the position.

“With both current sitting judges retiring at the end of 2018, I think the court needs one of the judges to be a lawyer,” Burns said. I have 42 years of experience as a lawyer that I can bring to the job and I think I’m better qualified than any of the other candidates.

Martinez said he wants to use his experience preparing criminal cases for the city of Clovis “to continue serving the community and to make Clovis a better place for the people and families to live, work and play.”

“I’ve been immersed in law enforcement for the past 10 years and very involved in the court system on a weekly, sometimes daily basis,” Martinez said.

Uncontested races are as follows:

• State Representative District 64, Republican Randal Crowder

• County Commissioner District 1, Democrat Angelina Baca

• County Commissioner District 3, Republican Chet Spear

• County Clerk, Republican Annie Hogland

• County Assessor, Republican Candance Morrison

• County Sheriff, Republican Wesley Waller

• Probate Judge, Republican Mark Lansford

Filing date for write-in candidates is March 20 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the county clerk’s office. Primary elections will be held from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. June 5.