Missoula Peace Justice Alex Bill is running for re-election

First Division current magistrate Alex Beer appeared on KGVO Talk Back on Thursday to answer audience questions about his bid for a second four-year term.
Beal discussed the tumultuous condition of the Justice Court system when he was elected four years ago and his efforts to ‘right the ship’ with fellow Justice of the Peace Landee Holloway.
“The first month we were there, we found all the staff,” Judge Beer began.”We have a new independent administrator for the staff, and that’s something we work with with the county commissioner’s office. The judge should be in charge of the courtroom and be in charge of making things happen. No one has chosen us to be a group of administrators.”
Bill acknowledged that judicial courts are often the public’s first exposure to the criminal justice system.
“I tried to treat the court in a professional manner,” he said.”We ran it cleanly, but in a friendly way, which can be a scary process. I want you to come in, it doesn’t get any scarier than that. We’ll explain the process. I’ll let you know about you What is the choice, we’ll go from there. People have consequences for their actions. Deal with those consequences. We’ll give sentences, fines, jail time, whatever is appropriate, but I’m trying to explain to people ‘That’s why we do it’.”
“I think it’s important to understand what the judicial courts do and don’t do,” he said.”So we’re not going to do the whole case for the felony. The guy who’s drunk driving for the 13th time, the only time we see him is if they were arrested, the first hearing, what kind of connection should there be, and then the rest, but As the case goes on, like the prison, it’s all up to the district court. We don’t deal with that.”
Criminal cases tend to draw attention, Beale said, but that’s only a small part of what happens in courts every day.
“We talk a lot today about violent crime, felonies and stuff like that, but it’s only five percent of our day-to-day work,” he said.”The other 49% is half misdemeanor. 50% is civil. No one thinks about us from a civil (case) perspective, but half of our work is about people who are indicted. People who are deported, all these little things, just being able to It makes me happy to provide a fair and reasonable experience for people to come in and resolve their disputes.”
Bill was opposed in the primary by Bill Burt and Daniel Kaneff, both of whom have extensive military and law enforcement experience.