Two seek 38th District Court judicial seat
Two candidates are vying to fill a vacancy on the 38th District Court bench in Eastpointe when Judge Carl Gerds retires at the end of the year.
Kathleen Galen, a 31-year attorney, and Mike Kline felt, an assistant Wayne County prosecutor, will meet in the Nov. 4 election in the nonpartisan judicial race.
It is the only contested district court race in Macomb County this year.
A district court judge in Michigan earns about $152,649 a year.
Galen, 56, for the past two years has worked as an assistant city attorney in Warren, prosecuting misdemeanor cases and traffic violations. She began working in 1989 at Berman, Brand & Goodman, and went in private practice in 1993 and has concentrated on family law, civil law, traffic, landlord-tenant, small business, bankruptcy and probate.
She served as an Eastpointe Civil Service commissioner and has worked for several civil organizations, including Legal Aid and Defense Association and has served as a volunteer attorney at the Warren and Clinton Township district courts, and other courts and entities.
Galen unsuccessfully ran for 38th District Court in 2008.
She is endorsed by nine Macomb County Circuit judges and 12 district court judges in Macomb County.
She studied international lawat Regents College London, England, and graduated from University of Detroit-Mercy School of Law.
Galen statement: “I have been an attorney for 31 years. Prior to that I worked in the legal profession in many capacities. I star ted working at a law office when I was 15 years old and still in high school. During college I continued to work for a law firm while attending school full time. I worked for two Circuit Court Judges while attending Law School full time. I have learned the practice of law from the ground up and fromvarious different vantage points. In my many years working in the law business I have learned valuable skills and have gained wisdom that I would be able to bring to the bench if elected Judge. I am strong enough to make hard decisions and fair enough to make the right decisions. It is my desire to be tough when appropriate and bring fairness and compassion in furtherance of treatment, rehabilitation and programming where possible. I have the experie n ce necessary to be a good judge and to run one of the busiest courts in Macomb County.”
Klinefelt, 33, has been an attorney since 2014 and has worked nearly three years for the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, where he has prosecuted felony cases for assaultive, theft, drug and gun crimes. He worked as a legislative aide at the state level in his first year out of law school and became an associate attorney at Varjabedian Attorneys. His prior experience includes family, elder, nofault auto and criminal law.
Klinefelt served on the Eastpointe City Council from 2015 to 2019. He gave up his council seat to run for mayor and lost last year by a narrow margin to Monique Owens. On the council, he served on several committees and commissions, and on the board of directors of the Free Legal Aid Clinic as a litigation supervisor where he oversaw student attorneys.
He has the endorsement of several union organizations.
His law degree is from Wayne State University Law School.
He was convicted of impaired driving while in college, he said.
Klinefelt statement: “It’s time to bring a fresh perspective to Eastpointe’s court. My years of volunteerism and service in our community has given me the opportunity to learn and understand Eastpointe’s local needs. I appreciate the challenges we face and I have new ideas that would benefit the city and guide offenders toward rehabilitation. For one, I often spend time cleaning up the community and I would like to invite probationers to participate as a form of community service to show them I’m truly interested in helping them get their life on track. It is also my priority to address the backlog of cases due to COVID19. I look forward to implementing policies that will aid with electronic access and ensure safe and fair proceedings. Above all, I want to create a connection with the community and build trust that the justice system in our city is working for the residents.”
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Registered voters can request an absentee ballot online before Oct. 30 and can track their ballots by looking up their information on the Michigan Voter Information Center at michigan.gov/vote. Officials have recommended that absentee voters drop their ballots off in person.