The Wahkiakum County Eagle - Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891

Normally under state law, when a candidate for superior court judge receives over 50 percent of the vote in the primary, that candidate advances unopposed to the general election ballot.

However, rules are different when write in candidates are involved, and incumbent Judge Mike Sullivan faces a challenge from write in candidate Dennis Gordon. In the Wahkiakum County primary, Gordon drew 70 votes, while Sullivan drew 897. Under state law, Gordon had drawn enough votes to get on the general election ballot.

Gordon, a retired professor of nutrition, isn't an attorney and doesn't meet the qualification to be a judge; however, he has met the requirement to be a candidate.

Sullivan, however, had a long career in the law.

He was appointed to the superior court seat for Pacific and Wahkiakum counties seven years ago; he has successfully run for election since then.

Before that, he was a district court judge in Pacific county; he worked as prosecuting attorney for Pacific County, and briefly for Wahkiakum County; he has also served as city attorney or judge for Pacific County towns. He started his career as a teacher and coach and became the superintendent of the Willapa Valley School District before going into law practice.

"I've always been service oriented," he said in an interview this week.

"I hope I"ve done something positive for the community. I believe people should play by the rules and be fair. I've always tried to treat people with respect in the court."

While he believes in the rule of law, Sullivan said he has tried to make the court accessible to all. For instance, the court tries to accommodate last minute requests from lawyers. "Especially if it involves someone's liberty," he said.

Courts are changing, Sullivan said. They're becoming more and more digitally oriented with on line forms and explanations of process for the convenience of users.

Sullivan said he would like to see the development of a statewide data base of court records and forms for people who don't have access to computers or the internet.

He is also pleased with the adult drug court program that has been started in Pacific County. The court channels drug using defendants into treatment programs, with treatment being less expensive and more effective in keeping users off the streets than imprisonment has been.

"It has been very successful in Pacific County," he said. "We haven't had the funding or numbers of defendants to get it going in Wahkiakum County."

Editor's note: The Eagle ran a profile of Sullivan's opponent, Dennis Gordon, in early September.