Judicial Candidates Vie for New Johnson County Court

Writer / Rick Ramirez

Due to rising legal cases, the state approved another court in Johnson County. Several judges currently balance criminal and civil matters. In January 2015, the new Superior Court 4 will take over civil cases, such as divorces, custody disputes and foreclosures. That will free up some of the other courts to hear strictly criminal litigation.

Johnson Circuit Court Judge Mark Loyd says he and other county officials pleaded with the State Commission of Courts for years to get a new court. The commission finally approved it, but Loyd says in the meantime the caseload has grown even more. “Even though we got the new court, which will bring us to seven judges, we’ll need 10 judges by the time the new court opens in 2015,” said Loyd, who cited statistics under Supreme Court guidelines. “While the population and caseload continue to grow, this new court should at least mean the wait time for dissolution cases should not increase for a while,” Loyd added.

No Democrats filed to run for Superior Court 4 judge in the primary. With the filing deadline past, that leaves two Republicans going head-to-head in May. Joe Villanueva, of Bargersville, is a trial attorney with more than a decade of experience handling civil and criminal cases. He is also deputy prosecutor of Johnson County. Marla Clark, of Greenwood, is a sitting circuit court magistrate over Johnson County’s juvenile and family division. She has held that post for nine years.

Surprisingly, the only two candidates in this countywide race attend the same church. Looking at their tremendous resumes, community contributions and similar backgrounds, the average voter might find it tough to choose. The race just might come down to which candidate gets out and shakes more hands. Each candidate has a website with more information about his or her experience, judicial views, and upcoming campaign events. For your convenience, Center Grove Community Newsletter conducted a question-and-answer session with both candidates.

RACE FOR JUDGE OF JOHNSON COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT 4
PRIMARY: MAY 6, 2014
CANDIDATE PROFILE/Q&A

MARLA CLARK (R)

ForWeb_MarlaClarkResidence: Grew up in Greenwood, Ind., and resides in White River Township
Education: Center Grove High School, 1989; University of Houston, 1992; IU School of Law, 1995
Current job: Johnson Circuit Court Magistrate, Juvenile/Family Division
Family: Single mother; two daughters, ages 17 and 16; two sons, ages 16 and 15
Church: Prince of Peace UCC
Campaign website: Clark4Judge.com

CG | You’ve served as the county’s juvenile court judge for nine years. What have you done to help make the juvenile justice system better?

MARLA | I got to a point where I wasn’t happy with anecdotal evidence. So I collaborated with my counterparts and we instituted a new case management system instead of only relying on our gut to make a judgment. We do a pretest and a post-test of juveniles. We can lower their risk of another delinquent act up to 80 percent.

CG | What’s the toughest custody case you’ve worked on?

MARLA | The hardest case is a family relocation case. Last fall, a mom wanted to relocate out of state, out West. But the father had a big part in the child’s life, so I told the mom no. It wasn’t in the child’s best interest to be taken away from her father.

CG | What can county government do better to protect children?

MARLA | I’d like to see more classroom space in the Juvenile Detention Center. We’ve also found lower-cost ways to improve public safety. We expanded electronic monitoring of juveniles. Deputies also check up on them. We treat them with safety and dignity because they are still children.

CG | What is your advice to parents in this day of social media and mixed messages from Hollywood?

MARLA | Talk to your children. If you aren’t talking, they aren’t getting your perspective. They are only getting views from Hollywood or from peers. When you look into the eyes of another person, you have to be more careful about what you say. Don’t do it on social media if you wouldn’t stand before them and say the same thing.

CG | What are some practical tips to keep homeowners out of foreclosure?

MARLA | There are lots of good assistance programs they can utilize. They should engage in conversations with their lenders.

CG | Who are your top campaign endorsements?

MARLA | Ray Skillman, Mark Myers, Suzanne Miller, Bob McGee and Eric Moore.

CG | Will you tell us about your family?

MARLA | I grew up in Center Grove (White River Township). My parents live right around the corner. My two brothers moved away. I’m a single mom with four teenagers. One just graduated from Center Grove and the others currently attend the high school.

CG  | What are your hobbies?

MARLA | I love boating with my family. I tow my own boat to lakes like Cataract, Monroe and Dale Hollow. I just love to hang out with my kids.

 


 

JOE VILLANUEVA (R)

ForWeb_JoeVillanuevaResidence: Grew up in Schaumburg, Ill., and resides in Bargersville, Ind.
Education: Schaumburg High School, 1993; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1997;
IU School of Law, 2000
Current job: Deputy Prosecutor of Johnson County
Family: Wife, Carrie; son, age 7; daughter, age 6
Church: Prince of Peace UCC
Campaign website: JoeVforJudge.com

CG | What are your qualifications to be judge of Superior Court 4?

JOE | As a deputy prosecutor, my plea offers are the same whether I know the attorney on the other side or not. I have extensive trial experience with both juries and courts. To my knowledge, I am the only candidate to have not only this extensive experience, but also any experience trying cases to judges and juries as a lawyer. On the civil side, I have served as a pro tem judge in four of our six courts handling civil cases.

CG | What’s the toughest custody case you’ve worked on?

JOE | A dad who was seeking to get primary custody over his 11-year-old son. He was concerned his son was not getting the proper education based on his ex-wife’s choice to home-school. Mom worked full time as a local gas station clerk and took the boy with her. He spent his days in a back room studying from a workbook purchased online. Their conversations were often cut short because of customers. Dad wanted to enroll him in school and was even willing to utilize a tutor. I spoke with the son about his current situation as well as dad’s desires. He really didn’t like the gas station and wanted go to a real school and have friends. I had to decide whether it would be in the best interest of the child to allow him to continue being home-schooled or place him in a public school. Ultimately, I granted dad’s request. The sad part was that this mother was not a bad mother; she believed she was doing the best she could under the circumstances.

CG | What can county government do better to protect children?

JOE | Enhance communication. Take the case of Amanda Smith, a mother charged with allegedly drowning her son Jacob in her bathtub. There were apparently a number of police involvements with Smith leading up to Jacob’s death. However, none of those reports ever reached the court to be considered evidence in the argument of any of the parties. Police agencies and DCS did not have access to the other’s database. While nothing will bring Jacob back, the active collaboration of these types of groups and their sharing of information is a good first step in helping to ensure a tragedy like this does not happen again.

CG | What is your advice to parents in this day of social media and mixed messages from Hollywood?

JOE | Conduct yourself in a way that results in your children looking to you as their role model as opposed to someone else. Our children are inundated with examples of people of all ages behaving badly on television, movies and social media. If left without the proper parental guidance and influence, these children will learn to emulate those behaviors as they appear to be not only condoned, but applauded.

CG | What are some practical tips to keep homeowners out of foreclosure?

JOE | Banks want money, not houses. If there is a way to keep the money flowing their way, they are interested. Look into a possible modification as to your rate, term or payment schedule. A HUD counselor can also assist with these issues.

CG | Who are your top campaign endorsements?

JOE | Lanny Wilhelm, Bill Pfifer and Troy Dehart.

CG | With no family connections here, why did you settle down in Johnson County?

JOE | When I was finishing law school in Bloomington, my fiancee (now wife) got a job working for an ENT group in Franklin. We found a great little ranch in “downtown” Bargersville near Red’s. We only had our home a week or so before going on our honeymoon. When we came back, our entire yard had been cut and manicured by our neighbors, whom we didn’t even know. That’s when I realized how special this area is and why we chose to remain here ever since.

CG | What are your hobbies?

JOE | I am a fitness buff and enjoy working out, especially training for Tough Mudder competitions. I also enjoy playing golf and anything Elvis (and yes, that is why my daughter’s name is Presley). On the weekends, I like to take my son in our 1967 GTO and cruise the Suds in Greenwood.

 


Rick RamirezIn 2004, Rick launched Thomas Daniel Media. The company, named after his son, offers services in video production, marketing, advertising, public relations, and websites. Thomas Daniel Media currently produces the TV series Indiana Weekend, hosted by former Miss America Katie Stam.

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