Spells, an acting judge in Dayton, said Moorman shouldn’t assess such high fines on repeat offenders who don’t have the ability to pay or who need to drive to work for money to pay bills or child support.
“You end up in this rat race of trying to get out of this problem and it never ends,” Spells said. “If they’re not working, they could do community service. There’s some things they can do.”
Both candidates are University of Dayton law school graduates and both worked as city of Dayton prosecutors. While Moorman touts her traffic safety program — enabling defendants with valid driver’s licenses to pay for a two-hour class to avoid a conviction — Spells points out that she also has been a defense attorney.
“I’ve been in the trenches,” Spells said. “The best judges, in my opinion, come from being lawyers that have been in the trenches.”
Both candidates say they know the difference between a defendant who needs punishment and one that needs help.
“I really enjoy the challenge when there’s a person in front of me to determine whether or not they need to be dealt with harshly because they’re a danger to the community,” Moorman said. “But, we also have a lot of good programs at the court that I’m familiar with that we utilize.
“I’m really big on getting people to be productive citizens, which means if I find out they didn’t get their high school diploma, I order them to get their GED. I order them to get employment if they haven’t been working and can work.”
Spells would like to see more drug treatment and community service.
“What I would bring to the Dayton Municipal Court, I think, is a more rounded use of the probation department with some drug rehabilitation,” Spells said. “We have an opiate problem in the county and the city of Dayton and I think what we need are some comprehensive drug programs.
“The other thing is I’d like to make use of community service for people to clean up some of these alleys and clean some of these streets. And I’d like to see some of these people get education and get some work.”
Moorman said her endorsements include the Montgomery County Democratic Party, the Dayton Miami Valley Chapter of the AFL-CIO Regional Labor Council and other unions.
“I’m passionate and dedicated about serving the citizens of Dayton as I’ve done all these years,” Moorman said of her 24 years of public service. “I really believe that I’m the candidate that has the balance to (do the job).”
Spells said she’s endorsed by the Miami Valley Trial Lawyers Association and recommended by the Republican screening committee.
“I’m more than qualified and I believe that I have worked and volunteered in my community,” said Spells, pointing toward experience working on a zoning appeals board and with the NAACP, among others. “I think my work in this community speaks for itself.”
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