Four seek new judge position

Two Flathead Valley attorneys and two judges are running for a new Flathead County District Court judge position.

Attorneys Phyllis Quatman and Rich De Jana, Flathead County Justice of the Peace David Ortley and Kalispell Municipal Court Judge Heidi Ulbricht are vying for the position, created by the 2009 Legislature to help the three current District Court judges handle growing caseloads.

Since this is a nonpartisan election, the top two candidates in the June 8 primary will advance to the Nov. 2 general election.

Early voting for the primary begins Monday.

Rich De Jana

Kalispell attorney Rich De Jana specializes in civil, real estate and business litigation and estimates he has tried close to 300 cases. De Jana said he is an experienced litigator in the areas of land use and real estate.

If elected, he said, he intends to speed up the court process, since the courts are running behind. He also wants to focus on applying the law as it is written.

“I’m good at problem-solving and I can make a decision,” he said, noting that a good judge must be able to make decisions quickly.

“I’m very confident and I understand what I’m doing,” De Jana said. “We need someone who will roll up their sleeves and work.” He said he would do so.

David Ortley

According to Flathead County Justice of the Peace David Ortley, the thousands of criminal and civil cases he has presided over have prepared him for a position as a District Court judge.

“With few exceptions, the work I have done in the Justice Court is the same as the work as the District Court,” he said.

According to Ortley, Flathead County Justice Court is one of the busiest courts in the state, in a year handling approximately 4,400 civil lawsuits, 11,000 tickets and 350 criminal complaints and approximately 400 orders of protection.

“I have a strong work ethic and passion for my work as a judge,” he said, adding that he handles the work himself, without the aid of a clerk or research assistant.

But he said being busy doesn’t mean he rushes through his cases.

“I have demonstrated my ability to think independently as a judge and that I have the patience and judicial temperament required to make sound decisions based upon the law and facts and not upon personal ambition or special interests,” he said.

He said he has treated those who appear before him with the utmost fairness and respect and takes time and patience to listen to every aspect of a case. “The courts are for the people and I have strived to ensure that the people have meaningful access to their court,”  Ortley said.

“I will continue my practice of being respectful of all who appear before me and fair in my decision-making. I am not afraid of the work that needs to be done and the unique demands placed upon the judge. I will also work for the improvement of judges and the judicial system as it responds to the 21st century needs of those who need its services.”

Phyllis Quatman

“District Court is backlogged, that’s why we created this position,” said Whitefish attorney Phyllis Quatman. She said the position requires someone “who can hit the ground running” and shoulder an intense caseload, and her experience makes her the one for the job.

Having prosecuted numerous major felony cases in California as well as handling many criminal defense, family law and civil litigation cases in the Flathead Valley, Quatman said she is up to the task of handling the felonies and major civil litigation that District Court sees.

She said a District Court judge needs to have the “muscle memory to make quick, effective and accurate decisions” which would save taxpayers money as well as save clients a lot of stress and money that stem from delays.

“I’d like to streamline criminal day so private lawyers aren’t sitting around for hours,” she said. She also would like to see people be able to enter pleas more expediently, without having to go into a lot of detail or undergo cross examination.

These are just some of the new ideas Quatman said are part of the “fresh outlook” she would bring to the position.

“I’m independent. I haven’t been part of the current justice system that’s piloted us for the past few decades,” she said.

If elected, Quatman said she would seek to implement a drug court to hold accountable felony drug and DUI offenders who are sentenced to treatment and probation; implement a domestic violence calendar dedicated to holding convicted batterers accountable; calendar cases more efficiently; and expedite routine court proceedings.

There is so much backlog, “some decisions are a month out,” she said.

But the overarching reason voters should choose her? “My experience,” she said.

Heidi Ulbricht

Kalispell Municipal Court Judge Heidi Ulbricht said her judicial temperament would make her a fine District Court judge.

“I have a lot of patience,” she said, adding that she allows people enough time to fully discuss their case before issuing a timely decision. And Ulbricht doesn’t have a backlog in her court.

If elected, she said, she would bring innovation to the court. She runs one of the first DUI courts in the state and helped to institute one of the state’s first imaging systems for a court of limited jurisdiction.

“I wasn’t satisfied with running a court as it always had been run,” she said, adding that she is always looking for ways to expand and improve, as well as make the court system fair and reliable.

In her 16 years as a judge, Ulbricht said she has recovered $200,000 in victim restitution.

“Through my experience as a judge, attorney, wife, daughter, mother of two and volunteer, I’ve seen the challenges we all face. I have found compassion, kindness and fortitude to be important. And I strive to live and work with these guiding principals in my everyday life.”

Ulbricht, originally from Boise, Idaho, said she dreamed of moving to the Flathead Valley since working as a waitress at the West Glacier Cafe in college. She achieved that dream, first working as an attorney in Kalispell in 1992 and then being elected city judge in 1994.