KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Four candidates are on Knoxville's ballot for Municipal Court Judge, and they gathered at the Kingston Pike Messiah Lutheran Church on Monday for a candidate forum hosted by the League of Women Voters.
The four candidates are Andrew Beamer, Tyler Caviness, John Rosson and Mary Ward. The candidate forum was moderated by Scott Barker from Compass Knox. The top two winners of the primary election in August will advance to the general election in November.
However, if one candidate gets at least 50% of the votes in the primary election, that person will win the election.
Municipal judges serve four-year terms. Rosson is the incumbent and has been a city judge for more than 36 years. The Knoxville Bar Association also released a survey asking its members to evaluate how well they thought each candidate would fit the role. Rosson received the highest marks in the survey.
During the candidate forum, participants answered questions about judicial duties, how they're funding their campaigns and what they would do to improve the court. They also answered questions about the effects of court costs on defendants.
