A GOP candidate is challenging Hamilton County Juvenile Court Clerk Ron Swafford for the first time since Swafford first was elected 12 years ago.
Gary Behler, the current operations director for Chattanooga's family organization First Things First, wants to improve customer service in the court, upgrade technology, help solve Chattanooga's juvenile crime problem and fix what he said is a culture of "fiscal irresponsibility."
A 2009 audit report of the Juvenile Court indicated the county erroneously paid more than $40,000 in utility bills for a building the court quit using in 2001, but county officials have said it was a central accounting mistake.
Swafford has defended his job vigorously, calling the clerk's duties first and foremost "administrative." He said that while focusing on juvenile crime should be a priority, it's not something the clerk has time to tackle on a daily basis.
Swafford is running for his fourth term.
Thursday's winner will be sworn in Sept. 1 along with other locally elected county officials.
The Juvenile Court clerk, according to state law, is responsible for overseeing certain administrative functions of the court and its division of child support services. The clerk receives official court documents and filings from attorneys and makes those documents legal by stamping them with the court's official seal.
The Juvenile Court clerk makes a yearly salary of $100,772 and has a term four years.
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