Westfield attorney: Barrows has both experience & integrity to serve as judge

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Dear Editor:

I am honored to have the opportunity to share my support for Christopher Barrows as the first Judge of Hamilton County Superior Court 9.

I had the privilege of working with Commissioner Barrows prior to his time on the bench in Title IV-D Court, and I have also practiced in front of him over the last four years. What I know that I can always count on when I am interacting with him is that he is going to treat my client and myself with respect, he is going to have sound judgment rendering, and he is going to be thoughtful and intentional with both.

As a practitioner whose majority caseload is representing clients in Hamilton County, it matters deeply to me who the judicial officer is going to be in Superior Court 9 because my client’s lives, their finances, and their children – and the children that I advocate for – will be directly impacted by who is in the black robe sitting approximately a foot higher than everyone else in the courtroom. For the sake of my clients, I want that person to have experience and integrity.

I truly believe that both of those qualities can be found in one candidate running for this seat, and that is Commissioner Barrows.

To give you a glimpse into why I am supporting him, I want to share with you a personal story. Early on when multiple individuals, including other judicial officers, announced their candidacy, I heard from a number of colleagues a feeling of anxiety about pledging support to any candidate out of concern that there may be a direct impact on their cases tried in a particular court if they supported a candidate that ultimately was not the one elected. When I shared this with Commissioner Barrows, his demeanor was tangible. I could see on his face and hear in the words that followed that he was genuinely disappointed at the idea that anyone would fear that a judicial officer would keep score or hold grudges toward those who opted to support someone else. That is integrity.

I urge voters to understand the impact and importance of their vote in the upcoming judicial races and to support Christopher Barrows for Hamilton County Superior Court 9.

Jessie Cobb-Dennard, Esq.
Westfield