This fall, 47th District Court Judge James Brady is preparing for election season in a way he hasn’t experienced since 2002; he will be facing Matt Savich in the Farmington Hills local election, his first opponent in 18 years.
The incumbent
Brady has served as a judge at the 47th District Court since 2002, but in a recent interview, he talked about how he has been involved in the court for much longer.
“Before I was a judge, I was one of the magistrates here … and before that I was a prosecutor here,” said Brady. “I’ve been involved in the 47th District Court almost continuously since 1981.”
Brady also talked about his intentions as a judge and why he wanted to become a judge in the first place. When asked about what duties a judge should serve, he said that a judge’s main purpose should be to serve the people and to make fair decisions in accordance with the law.
“My job is to serve the citizens of Farmington and Farmington Hills, make fair decisions based on the law, sentence people fairly based on the law and settle disputes fairly based on the law,” said Brady. He continued by saying that during his campaigns, both in 2002 and today, his mantra was that he would, “listen to you and give you a fair decision consistent with the law.”
And in the other corner …
In this election, Brady will face Matt Savich, a local attorney who has served the community for 25 years, handling criminal cases, civil disputes and administrative law matters, among others. Unfortunately, Savich could not be reached for comment on the election.
Voter encouragement
Despite receiving less media coverage, local elections are often just as important to American citizens as federal elections, said Farmington Hills resident Alexis Furkioti who says exercising your right to vote is an incredibly important aspect of being an American citizen.
“Some countries don’t give citizens the right to impact the way things are run, and I think being an American allows you to have a voice in how your country proceeds in the future,” Furkioti said.
Farmington Hills resident Sofia Solis agrees that voting is an essential part of being a citizen.
“Every vote matters,” said Solis. She said judicial elections are important, talking about how judges preside over cases ranging from criminal cases to child custody cases, having a big effect on the day to day lives of ordinary citizens.
For more information on the candidates, Brady and Savich have campaign websites that can be found here and here, respectively.