Geoffrey Bradley said the best way to learn about someone is to talk to people who watch them when no one else is looking.
For him, these people are the court clerks, bailiffs and others who see him each day when he works as a Monroe County deputy prosecutor.
Talking to these people, he said, will give a clearer idea of who he is.
“Everyone who’s worked with me, from a custodian to the people in the legal system, they’re going to point to my dedication to the position and desire to put in the work,” he said.
Bradley is running for judge in the Monroe County Seat 8 race.
Three judicial seats in Monroe County — Seat 2, Seat 3 and Seat 8 — are up for grabs in the midterm election Nov. 6.
Seven Democrats have announced intentions to run in the primary. Two are running for Seat 2, two are running for Seat 3 and three are running for Seat 8: Bradley, Darcie Fawcett and Alphonso Manns.
A primary on May 8 will shrink the pool to one Democrat per seat. No Republicans have announced plans to run for a judicial seat, and, if none do the winning Democrat will also, by default, win the general election.
Bradley said one of his goals would be to make sure court proceedings are efficient and to make sure people feel heard. He said this is especially important because most people who walk into a courtroom have never been inside one before.
“What people want is for you to carefully consider and make decisions in a timely manner,” he said. “You want people to feel when they walk into that room that you’re listening.”
Although he has experience as a civil law clerk and as a prosecutor dealing with juvenile delinquency, adult felonies and bankruptcy claims, Bradley said he still doesn’t know everything. He said what is important, though, is that he has a willingness to keep learning.
“It doesn’t mean we’re going to have the answers all the time, but you’re going to take the time to educate yourself,” Bradley said.
Prior to working as a deputy prosecutor in Monroe County, Bradley worked as an assistant prosecutor in Ohio and as an administrator for the University of Kentucky’s student conduct division.
He currently sits on the Lotus World Music and Arts Festival's board of directors, and he was previously on a YMCA board in Ohio.
He also volunteered with Hot Hoops, a program in Ohio that provided positive role models for at-risk, predominantly black students through sports.
“If you look at what I’ve done, the whole package, hopefully you’ll be able to identify to yourself, ‘this is the type of person I want as judge,’” Bradley said.
Bradley said he hopes IU students pay attention to local judge races as much as every other race happening in 2018. He said students often end up in court over landlord-tenant disputes, intoxication charges and for other reasons, which makes this election just as relevant as others.
Judges are also elected for six years, so neglecting to vote will affect not only current students, but also the students who follow them.
“You’re an adult,” he said. “You can vote. You’re part of the community.”
To read about the other candidates, see our Monroe County judicial election page here.
