The operations director of Chattanooga's family organization First Things First wants to change the way Hamilton County's Juvenile Court is run.
Gary Behler, a Republican, is trying to beat current Juvenile Court Clerk Ron Swafford in the Aug. 5 general election. It will be the first time Mr. Swafford, a Democrat, faces competition for his job in the 12 years since he first was elected.
In discussing Juvenile Court with the Chattanooga Times Free Press, Mr. Behler said he wants to replace antiquated equipment, squash what he called a culture of "fiscal irresponsibility" and revamp customer service so the public will have a positive relationship with the system.
PDF: Gary Behler announcement
All those issues, he said, live or die with the court clerk, whose traditional job is to keep accurate court records.
But Mr. Behler, who has a master's degree in criminal justice and spent 10 years in adult corrections for Hamilton County, said he wants also to focus on the issue of juvenile crime. He said it is a "real problem in our community" and that the children being funneled through court deserve better attention.
Mr. Behler said the court clerk should take a leadership role in improving the lives of juveniles who are in serious trouble with the law.
"My opponent says that's not the clerk's job, but I think elected officials have an obligation to look at the bigger picture," he said.
Mr. Swafford said he feels he has done the job effectively and that a clerk's first responsibility is to be an effective administrator.
"I have 36 employees," he said. "(A court clerk) doesn't have time to tackle other issues (during a regular work day) besides running this office."
Former state legislator and former local Republican Party chairman Bobby Wood said the Juvenile Court clerk's office "doesn't get noticed," partly because of state laws that keep it protected from public scrutiny.
As one of Mr. Behler's supporters, Mr. Wood said Mr. Behler has a huge interest in children and families of this community and will work to "make improvements in their lives rather than just assign case numbers."