Vernita Lee Bender

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Age: 43

Hometown: “I live in Valdosta and was born and raised in Moultrie.”

Nonpartisan race

Please list experiences or experience that would benefit you in this office:

“I am the only candidate seeking election to the Superior Court bench who is currently a sitting judge. As the Municipal Court Judge for the City of Valdosta for the past 7 1/2 years, I have efficiently managed the budget and court docket of one of the busiest municipal courts in the State of Georgia.”

What inspired you to run for office?

“Not too long after I learned of Judge Frank Horkan’s pending retirement, I was in Moultrie and I decided to go by the old courthouse. As I neared the courthouse and stopped to gaze at the bell tower, I thought, it’s time for me to bring home the knowledge and experience I have gained practicing law and serving on the municipal court bench. It’s time to really show kids that your roots matter, your community matters, and service matters. To me, it was the perfect fit.”

What do you hope to accomplish in this office?

“As a superior court judge, I intend to fulfill all the responsibilities and duties required of me under the law while also serving as a role model for our youth in both my professional and personal life. I intend to fortify the community’s faith in our justice system by always being forthright and fair.”

What is your vision for the area?

“I envision the five-county area that includes the Southern Judicial Circuit as being a place where school-aged children visit the courthouse and learn about civic responsibility and our court system in a positive educational environment, a place where litigants know they will be given a full opportunity to be heard, and a place where consequences matter. On a broader scale, I see the community moving forward while still maintaining its core values and beliefs.”

    

Where do you see Valdosta, Lowndes County, South Georgia in the next five years?

“2019 and beyond, I see the South Georgia area thriving and flourishing with less crime, more business opportunities and advances in education.”

Jason Cain

Age: 48

Hometown: Hahira

Nonpartisan race

Please list experiences or experience that would benefit you in this office:

“Five years as a Juvenile Court Judge; two years as an Assistant District Attorney; five years as a Solo Practitioner; nine years as an Assistant Public Defender. I have seen the courtroom from the perspective of a Juvenile Court Judge, Prosecutor, and Defense Attorney. I believe this would be beneficial if elected as the new Superior Court Judge.”

What inspired you to run for office?

“When Judge Frank Horkan retired it created an opening on the Superior Court Bench. With my background and experience I believe I am well qualified for this job. As an attorney I represent one side of the issue that being my client’s. The judge is neutral. I want to make a difference in our community. On a case by case basis I believe I could make a positive impact on our community as a whole.”

What do you hope to accomplish in this office?

“If elected my goal is to be as fair as I know how to be. I would listen to both parties or sides of an issue and apply the applicable law fairly and impartially.”

Brian Allen McDaniel

Age: 44

Hometown: Moultrie

Nonpartisan race

Please list experiences or experience that would benefit you in this office:

“For almost 19 years my work has had me involved in various aspects of the Superior Court almost daily. I began in 1995 in a private practice in Moultrie that had a general trial practice with an emphasis on domestic/family law and criminal defense. In 2001 I went to work as an Assistant District Attorney and have risen to Senior Assistant District Attorney in this Circuit. I have been the sole or lead counsel in approximately 80 jury trials in Superior Court. I have received training in the death penalty and have worked on a death penalty case. I successfully prosecuted this area’s first criminal street gang case and after a three week trial convicted nearly nine gang members. I have prosecuted dozens of child molestations, child abuse and murder cases in Superior Court. I have handled no less than 50 cases on appeal and argued before the Georgia Supreme Court and the Georgia Court of Appeals.”

What inspired you to run for office?

“This position is an open seat, being vacated by the retiring Judge Frank D. Horkan of Moultrie. It is vital to the health of the Southern Circuit to have at least one of our five judges reside in the major communities. Two Judges currently reside and work out of Valdosta, two live and work in Thomasville and there is only one in Moultrie, and that seat is up in this election. Law enforcement, victims advocates, the women’s shelter and private attorneys all need ready access to a Judge with an office and home in Moultrie. I also have been involved from the beginning with the pilot program Accountability Court (drug court) in Moultrie and wish to see it continued..”

What do you hope to accomplish in this office?

“To continue the same commitment to the fair and impartial administration of justice while looking for new and innovative ways to provide access to the Courts at a time when budget cuts have diminished the ability of parties to have rapid and speedy access to the system.”

What is your vision for the area?

“My vision for the area, as it pertains to the court system, would be to grow and expand the pilot program Accountability Court in Moultrie to the other four counties of the circuit. The Accountability Court can be set up to deal with not only drug users, but people with mental health issues and even veterans. The programs are not only cost effective to operate as compared to the cost of prison, but they also have the benefit of helping the individual break the cycle of being in jail.”

                                 

Where do you see Valdosta, Lowndes County, South Georgia in the next five years?

“Valdosta, and the surrounding areas are going to continue to grow in the coming years. This growth will continue to need the services of the court system and the officials operating it. It will be incumbent upon all of us to continue to work diligently to accommodate the growth in case filings. Not only are public safety and private cases (domestic, family law) important, but the area economy must have a court system ready to address the growing numbers of business litigation.”