Voters in Oneida County will be selecting a new Oneida County Circuit Court Judge for Branch Two.
Judge Michael Bloom is not seeking re-election.
Mike Fugle and Mary Sowinski are both running for the position. You can learn more about Sowinski here.
For more than 15 years, Mike Fugle has represented Oneida County as Corporation Counsel.
Before that, he worked for a private practice in Milwaukee.
Fugle says his broad exposure to both civil and criminal cases give him the experience needed to be a judge.
“I have the leadership capabilities that are required for a position like this. Being a judge, it's important to be able to manage your courtroom, to have the ability to discern what's happening, and the ability to make good decisions. Throughout my life, I've had to make a lot of important decisions and big decisions. I certainly consider them, but I'm not afraid to make the tough decision when the time comes,” said Fugle.
Beyond the courtroom, Fugle says his experiences being a general manager at a hotel near a ski area in Colorado to volunteering as coach for the high school football team to raising a family with his wife have helped develop those leadership skills.
“We moved up here in 2008. This is where we chose to raise our family. This is where we chose to have our home. I see it as, you know, I have a responsibility to the community, to keep giving back and improving and that's what I've done since even before I got here,” said Fugle.
Fugle says consideration of each person and case in front of them is one of the most important qualities a judge can have. He recognizes that it’s often the worst day of a person’s life when they’re appearing before a judge.
“I think an important thing for a judge to recognize is where the people are who are coming before you and being able to make a decision, make the right decision, but also be able to recognize the impact your decision is going to have on the people appearing before you,” he said.
Both Fugle and the other candidate for judge, Mary Sowinski, say the lack of any kind of treatment court in Oneida County should be addressed.
Fugle would like to see a family treatment court. He says that comes from his experience with Children in Need of Protection Services.
Fugle says “a vast majority of those cases involve families struggling with addiction.”
“Nobody wakes up one day and says, ‘Oh, I want to be addicted to methamphetamine.’ But that doesn't mean that there aren't consequences for that action,” said Fugle. “I think that, for the justice system, you need to find a way that people will be motivated to break free of that addiction cycle. I think a treatment court would go a long way to providing that component.”
The race for Oneida County Circuit Court Judge is on the April 2nd ballot.
You can learn what’s on your ballot, how to register, and where to vote with the WXPR Spring Election 2024 Voter Guide.
