Two councilors want to be judges

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Two Tulsa councilors to seek special judgeships

Councilors John Eagleton and Rick Westcott said Monday they will apply to be Tulsa County District Court special judges and, if they are hired, would have to resign from their City Council seats. "Ask anyone who really knows me and they'd tell you I've always wanted to be a judge," said Eagleton, 51, a self-employed attorney. Westcott, 55, who is now serving as the council's chairman, also is a self-employed attorney. "Being a judge is the ultimate career opportunity for an attorney," he said. 'I can't think of anything that would be more honorable."

The court has two vacancies for special judges, who will be hired by the elected Tulsa County district judges. One of the judge posts will be filled April 5 and the other June 1. Applications are due by Friday. Special judges, for the most part, handle preliminary hearings, misdemeanor dockets and smaller-valued civil cases. They make $105,053 annually.

The councilors would have to make sacrifices to take a judgeship. That would include closing their law practices, giving up their council seats and memberships in political groups. "That's the downside of being a judge," Eagleton said. Judicial ethics require one to "engage in no activity that could be inconsistent with your service on the bench," he explained. Westcott said being hired as a special judge, would "mean giving up my political career."

"Even just applying is not a decision I make lightly. But this is a potential career opportunity."

Eagleton represents Council District 7 and Westcott serves Council District 2. Both Republicans, they were first elected in 2006. If a council post becomes vacant with more than a year remaining in the term, the council must follow the City Charter and set an election to fill the seat as soon as possible. Because it would be a special election, there would be no primaries. The top-vote-getter would capture the seat for the rest of the term, which ends in the fall of 2011.

Eagleton faced no opposition when he ran for reelection in last year's elections, while Westcott prevailed against his challenger. Eagleton earned his law degree in 1986 from Oral Roberts University. He served as a Tulsa County assistant district attorney from 1986 to 1989 before opening his own law practice.

Westcott, a former Tulsa police officer, got his law degree in 1993 from the University of Tulsa and worked for several firms before going out on his own.

Read more from this Tulsa World article at http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20100301_11_0_Counci816990&allcom=1