Published: April 30, 2007 11:42 pm            

Two Democrats vie for right to be Terre Haute’s next city judge

TERRE HAUTE — In the Democratic Party primary race for City Court judge, Mike Rader and John T. Roach seek the bench currently occupied by Chris Dailey.

No Republicans filed to run for the city judge position.

Dailey was appointed by Gov. Mitch Daniels to finish the term of former City Court Judge Michael Lewis, who at the end of last year resigned to become judge of Vigo County Superior Court Division 6.

The term of the City Court judge is four years. The court handles all city ordinance enforcement, traffic offenses and all misdemeanor filings. Penalties for offenders can be fines up to $5,000, community service, and up to one year in the Vigo County Jail for some misdemeanors. The 2007 salary for the city judge is $48,750.

Both candidates currently practice law in Terre Haute. Rader works in the Vigo County Public Defender’s office and Roach is a deputy prosecutor with the Vigo County Prosecutor’s office. Roach also practices with Mann Law Firm.

Roach, 45, served as a prosecutor for City Court last year. Since then, he has moved up to prosecuting felony cases in the Superior Court as a deputy prosecuting attorney.

He took a few years off after graduating from high school, working for several months as a deckhand on a river barge. He occupied several other jobs before going to college in Carbondale, Ill. Roach said he always knew he wanted to practice law. His father was a lawyer, which influenced him, he said.

Roach practiced with a St. Louis firm for six years after graduating from Southern Illinois University School of Law in 1988. His cases included various types of corporate law, including securities, product liability and employment disputes. In 1994, Roach relocated to Terre Haute to open a private practice focusing mainly on personal-injury cases.

Rader, 55, graduated from Indiana University School of Law, Indianapolis in 1995 and opened his private practice in 1997. Before joining the public defender’s office, Rader’s practice included family law, medical malpractice and personal-injury cases, he said. He joined the public defender’s office in 2000, where the majority of his work involves criminal law.

Rader, who grew up near Linton and later moved with his family to Indianapolis, went from college directly into medical school, earning his medical degree in 1976. Rader entered private practice in 1978 in Sullivan. He practiced medicine until 1991.

Rader decided to attend law school at age 40. He had been thinking of a career change, then took a continuing education course in legal medicine that he found fascinating, he said.

Both candidates said they think the transition from advocate to judge is a natural progression. Roach said one of the best ways to help a client is to try to understand both sides.

Both candidates agree with recent efforts to deal with the intersection of mental illness with the criminal justice system. Several years ago, the City Court in collaboration with the Vigo County Mental Health Association and the Hamilton Center established a referral program for individuals with mental illness who have had brushes with the law. The goal is to identify such individuals as soon as possible and facilitate their release into community-based treatment.

Rader said he has been active in helping to develop a similar program for the Superior courts – the Forensic Diversion Program – along with the prosecutor’s office, the county courts and others.

“It’s very easy to … ship them off to the [Department of Correction] and forget about it,” Rader said. “The problem is they come back out, and when they do, they’re even less prepared to live in society than when they went away … This is a very real problem in the community … What we’re really trying to do is more intelligently address those issues.”

As for changes he would make to the City Court, Rader said if he is elected, he intends to take stock of the court.

“Where are the bottlenecks, where are the problems, where can we make some changes to make the business of the court move more easily?” he said. Rader added that he would consider the concerns and suggestions of the prosecutor’s office and local law enforcement.

“I would like to look at the idea of having evening court once a week, or twice a month, or maybe even Saturday morning court,” he said, to make it easier for working people to get to court.

In addition to his work in helping develop the Forensic Diversion Program, Rader is a member of TREES Inc.

Roach served as treasurer of the District Seven Pro Bono Organization from 1999 until the end of 2006. The group is one branch of the Indiana Pro Bono Commission, an outreach program of the Indiana Supreme Court to fund free legal services for the poor in civil matters. Roach also serves as president of the board of CHANCES for Indiana Youth and is on the board of the Council on Domestic Abuse.

Rader said he thinks judges have an obligation to help educate their communities about the judicial system.

“It would be important for a judge to have a relationship with the schools,” he said. “I’d start with elementary-age kids, visit with them, and I’d be involved in teen courts in some of the high schools.” He said he also would speak to civic and social organizations to bring more public understanding to the role of the courts.

Roach said because of his work as managing partner of Mann Law Firm, he brings administrative experience to the role of City Court judge. Since 2001, he has managed the business side of the firm, he said, including employment matters.

When asked why he decided to run for City Court judge, Rader said, “There is a point where you feel like you want to participate in government and in your community, and there’s a time when you feel like [you’ve] accumulated enough common sense and a little bit of wisdom,” he said.

“It’s not the Supreme Court,” he added. “But it’s an important role and a leadership role. I think that’s what’s attractive about it.”

Rader also said it would allow him to meet more people in the community. If he is interested in running for a county Superior Court position in the future, he would be better prepared, he added.

“There’s no pretending that it’s not a stepping stone to the next level,” he said, “because it is.”

Roach said he is running because he thinks he has “a good temperament for it, a good reputation for fairness and good judgment.”

Rader said while he considers time management and organization ongoing challenges, his strength lies in his breadth of experience.

“I’ve spent most of my life dealing with problems and trying to solve them, whether they were medical issues or legal issues,” he said. “I think one of my real strengths is that I bring more than a legal perspective to the bench.”

When asked about his future plans, Roach said, “I’m really thinking about this election,” he said. “If I’m fortunate enough to win this election, then I’m going to focus on doing the job the best I can.”

Deb McKee can be reached at (812) 231-4254 or deb.mckee@tribstar.com.

Know the city judge candidates:

• John T. Roach

Born: October 1961, in Alton, Ill.

Education: high-school diploma from Marquette Catholic High School in Alton, Ill.; bachelor’s degree in political science from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Ill., 1985; J.D. from Southern Illinois University School of Law in 1988, magna cum laude.

Experience: Nooter Corp.; Mann Law Firm; Vigo County Prosecutor’s Office.

Family: wife, Tammy; two daughters, age 24 and 16; and one son, 19. Member St. Joseph University Parish Church.

• Mike Rader

Born: Oct. 5, 1951 in Switz City, in Greene County.

Education: high-school diploma from Northwest High School in Indianapolis; bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis; medical degree from Indiana University School of Medicine, 1976; J.D. from Indiana University School of Law, 1995.

Experience: Internal medicine internship, Ball Memorial Hospital; private medical practice; private law practice; part-time medical director for Pfizer Co.; Vigo County public defender’s office.

Family: wife, Cheryl; one adult son and an adult stepson; and one adult stepdaughter.

        

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