Assistance and treatment for people with mental illnesses were among the issues discussed last night by candidates running for the Toledo municipal court bench and clerk of municipal court.
About 25 people attended the forum sponsored by the Mental Health Voter Empowerment Coalition in the Sanger branch library, 3030 West Central Ave.
Maggie Thurber, incumbent clerk of courts, is running against State Sen. Linda Furney (D., Toledo). The only contested municipal court race is between Judge Amy Berling and attorney John Mattimoe.
Municipal Judge Arlene Singer, who is running unopposed, also participated in the forum. Candidates were given five minutes to give an opening statement and were asked questions by the audience.
Ms. Thurber, who is endorsed by the Republican Party, said that she has the managerial, administrative, budgeting, and accounting skills needed for the clerk's position as well as an understanding of the criminal and civil court systems.
She said she has introduced new technology to the office since first being elected in 1993, including an Internet web site and integrated criminal computer system that ties together information systems in the Lucas County jail, the courts, and law enforcement agencies.
Miss Furney, a state senator since 1986, said she has the ‘‘ability to work with people and develop a strategy to make things happen.” She said the clerk of courts is the heart of the municipal court system, pumping information instead of blood. She said the court system doesn't operate efficiently if the information is in the wrong place or not recorded correctly.
‘‘Making sure that the information in the court is accurate, timely, and accessible is my goal in running for clerk of courts,'' said Miss Furney, who cannot seek another term as senator after her term expires next year.
Mr. Mattimoe, a lawyer in private practice since 1989, was a bailiff for two Lucas County Common Pleas judges while attending the University of Toledo College of Law at night. He is a former member of the Toledo board of education.
‘‘I think judges should be there first and foremost to help people,'' said Mr. Mattimoe, who is endorsed by the Democratic Party. ‘‘If I am elected, I will treat people with dignity and respect.'' He said that he would take a leadership role in determining the need for special-interest courts for domestic violence, mental illness, and alcohol and drug abuse cases.
A municipal court judge since 1995, Judge Berling said more than 250,000 people with mental illnesses are in prison. She said more psychological treatment should be available in the prison system. She is endorsed by the Republican Party.
She said judges are impartial decision makers who must act cautiously in cases involving people with mental illness. “We must be very careful in not crossing the constitutional rights of mental health patients in making decisions for them,'' she said.
First Published September 26, 2001, 10:38 a.m.
