From the resort community of Au Train, Michigan - some 12 miles out of Munising, I am blessed to have grown up in the Upper Peninsula, to have acquired a rich undergraduate education and law degree from Michigan State University, and to have returned to this community to help people resolve their legal issues. It is an honor to declare my candidacy for Alger and Schoolcraft County's District Court Judge to serve the people of these communities.

My primary objective - and the main reason that I am running for district court judge - is to do what I can as the District Judge to prevent people, young or old, from re-offending. I believe that the District Court, being the first Court adults deal with, can be the most important place to prevent people from becoming repeat offenders in their youth. That objective can be accomplished through appropriate sentencing that includes rehabilitation, monitoring and deterrence.

My legal career began in Munising, Michigan under the tutelage of Attorney William W. Carmody. When Attorney Carmody was appointed to Probate Judge, I opened my private law practice focusing on real estate, divorce and family law, estate planning, probate law, criminal law and personal injury.

As a trial attorney, I have been on both sides of the courtroom while arguing for the prosecution (plaintiff), as well as for the defense (respondent). In civil matters, I have extensive trial experience involving cases in many communities and representation of plaintiffs filing claims, as well as respondents defending against those claims.

Likewise, in criminal matters, I have represented both sides - prosecution and defense. For many of Alger County's townships, I have prosecuted misdemeanor cases involving ordinance violations. I have represented people charged with criminal offenses, won acquittals for people who were not guilty, dismissals for people who should not have been charged, and fair sentences for those who were found guilty.

In private practice, I have argued before more than 15 different judges, experienced their diverse legal theories, and witnessed legal interpretations in practice that rendered questionable as well as honorable judgment calls. Those experiences have repeatedly proven that a stagnated legal reasoning is as dangerous as an illogical legal reasoning - neither of which are qualities that "earn" their way to the bench. It is not the duty of a judge on the bench to create new law under which some are privileged while others are not; rather, it is the duty of a judge to enforce the written law, and to seek the best means through which society will be most benefited in the manner in which the court imposes punishment that will deter repeat offenders. Serving before so many judges has enabled me to bring the best of them, and to know and identify the lesser qualities that should not be brought to the bench.

I am privileged to practice law - it is the thread by which the fabric of our community is bound, it helps us understand our civilization, it keeps order. My years of experience in practicing on both sides of the courtroom has well prepared me to sit on the bench that oversees those cases - to truly seek justice from the arguments that both sides present - and to recognize and uphold a consistent judicial system. After all, the law is the people's voice, and it is the judge’s responsibility not to bias cases by his own personal convictions that depart from the law, but rather to ensure that the law is upheld so that the people's desires are met.

The successes that Harmon Law Offices has achieved over the years has resulted because of benefits to my clients; it has also brought a great deal of self-satisfaction. The resulting profits have afforded me the opportunity to continuously give back to the community and contribute to organizations and programs, such as the local Ducks Unlimited Chapter, Run for Shelter, Harbor House, Shrine Circus, U. P. Whitetail's, and Munising sports teams.

After many years of being a bachelor, I've been blessed with my beautiful wife, Rachel. We were married on February 14, 2008, and intend to start a family. We would like our children to be raised in a safe, orderly community. I know of no better way to make that happen than from the District Court Bench.