Justice seeks re-election to busy court

By CHERY SABOL

The Daily Inter Lake

Justice of the Peace David Ortley has a challenger for his re-election bid - at least on paper.

Shawn Guymon filed in March for Ortley's Department 1 seat, but Guymon has not responded to requests for interviews about his candidacy.

Ortley is running again for the office to which he was first appointed in 1999. He took office in 2000 and was elected Justice of the Peace in 2002.

Ortley was a public defender and in private practice in Flathead County before he was appointed to the bench.

He has been at the center of change in Justice Court where the caseload has increased 10 to 20 percent a year.

Flathead County commissioners added a part-time judge to the office a year ago to help with the volume of cases. Starting in January, that second position will become full time. The commissioners also have budgeted for one more staff position in the office.

Still, Ortley said staffing "is wholly inadequate."

Currently, the office closes to the public daily at 4 p.m. so the staff can catch up on the day's work.

There are files and cases in which the court is "seriously delinquent," Ortley said.

He can foresee a time when the court begins night sessions and job-sharing for office staffers as solutions to the staffing problem.

Growth isn't likely to reverse itself in the Flathead, Ortley said.

The cases he sees don't represent a booming economy, he said. They often involve people who can't afford insurance, don't pay their bills or have disputes with landlords.

"I don't see our economy getting any better for the people we routinely deal with," Ortley said.

For example, out of 30 defendants he saw on one recent morning, 60 percent had no car insurance.

It reinforces for Ortley that the purpose of his court is not to generate revenue for the county. Imposing heavy fines on people who are in court because they can't pay for essentials doesn't serve justice, Ortley said.

Revenue "should never be our focus."

Ortley said that despite the challenges of dealing with a suffocating volume of cases, he enjoys the work he does and is proud of the office.

"We're doing the best we can. The bottom line is, I'm proud of how we've handled the growth."

Reporter Chery Sabol may be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at csabol@dailyinterlake.com