A personal message from Heather L. Karabeika

Have you ever taken over a job from someone who was beloved by the community and who had done the job well for over a decade? If so, then we have something in common. I am the new Municipal Court Judge in West Linn, appointed to replace former West Linn Judge Kathie Steele by the West Linn City Council after her much deserved elevation to the Clackamas County Circuit Court bench. I was fortunate enough to be trained by Judge Steele before her departure, having been her back-up judge since 2004. I am now seeking your vote on Election Day, March 11, 2008 so that I may continue serving as West Linn’s presiding judge.

I have the necessary experience and drive to continue successfully in this job long term. I have been practicing lawyer for 14 years. I was a deputy district attorney for Clackamas County for nearly eight years and a sole practitioner in private practice since 2004, specializing in criminal and juvenile law. I handle court-appointed cases for the state in Clackamas County and regularly practice in Lake Oswego, Oregon City and Gladstone Municipal Courts. I have had the opportunity to judge in West Linn as well the City of Canby. I have been presiding judge in West Linn since August, 2007. I am a resident of West Linn and have my office in Willamette. I have children in West Linn public schools and am a small business owner. I am committed to keeping our city livable and secure for your family as well as my own.

For those of you who have not had the opportunity to visit West Linn’s Municipal Court, it is located in City Hall and holds court sessions in the City Council chamber. Court is held every Thursday. We have jury trials during the evening so we can maximize the space and use of jurors’ time. The court staff works diligently with me to ensure that those who conduct business with West Linn Municipal Court in any capacity know when their case is to be heard and what to expect from the court process. It is my hope that the citizens of West Linn understand and respect this valuable system that is in place to keep the community safe and the laws followed.

West Linn Municipal Court is looking towards the future. Since being appointed, I adopted the state-wide Uniform Bail Schedule to bring the fines for traffic and other similar violations consistent with those imposed in most other jurisdictions around the state. We expect to become a “court of record” shortly. As it stands now, if someone is dissatisfied with a particular outcome in our court, that person may have their case retried in its entirety in Circuit Court. When the court makes the transition to being recorded, it will eliminate the time and expense of a having to retry cases, but my rulings will then be closely scrutinized by the appellate court. I am confident that my decisions will be upheld under this new, more cost-effective public appeals process. The court is also moving towards entering expedited judgments in matters where parties opt to not come to court when required. This will curtail a protracted court process and bring prompt and fiscally sound closure to such matters. We are also considering whether we can save money and ease the burden on our local police department by handling in-custody matters via video conferencing. This will prevent time consuming trips by West Linn officers to the Clackamas County Jail and back for prisoners who are incarcerated on West Linn charges. These modifications to the existing processes will hopefully allow the city to be more efficient and productive with its precious resources. If elected I will continue my examination of court operations and find other ways to save costs and to provide more efficient services to the city.

I am hopeful to continue in this exciting endeavor with the City of West Linn. My experience on both sides of the courtroom gives me a unique perspective and sincere appreciation for the process, in addition to an understanding of complex legal and evidentiary principles. Judges need to be fair, accountable, progressive and understanding, all traits I possess. I hope the voters of West Linn have the same confidence as Judge Steele and the City Council did in appointing me as the presiding judge and allow me to continue serving this community.

Please vote for Heather Karabeika on March 11, 2008.