Politicians line up for Ralph Van Pelt; Melissa Hise touts 'grassroots' campaign

Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit Superior Court Judge Ralph Van Pelt Jr.
Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit Superior Court Judge Ralph Van Pelt Jr.
photo Walker County Sheriff Steve Wilson

Almost every elected official in Northwest Georgia has endorsed Judge Ralph Van Pelt Jr. in his re-election campaign.

Van Pelt, a 22-year veteran on the bench, held a political fundraiser in Ringgold on Tuesday. The event was hosted by a committee that included two state senators, four state representatives, three sheriffs, 10 county commissioners and five mayors.

Since his appointment to the bench in 1996, Van Pelt has never faced an opponent. But after a letter 1 1/2 years ago from Summerville lawyer Bobby Lee Cook promising a "blood sport," the judge began ginning up support, months before Melissa Hise announced she would challenge him.

In particular, he asked for the endorsement of state Sen. Jeff Mullis, R-Chickamauga. Mullis told the Times Free Press that Van Pelt is conservative, fair and doesn't waste money.

"It is crucial that citizens have someone with experience, competence, and [who] does not legislate from the bench," he said in a statement. "Judge Van Pelt is precisely that someone."

Mullis and Van Pelt worked the phones, calling elected officials to join a "host committee" for Tuesday's fundraiser at Worley's Outback, a frequent stop for Republican fundraising in North Georgia. Van Pelt said donors gave about $27,000, and his overall war chest is at about $50,000.

"There was a good donation level," he said. "I was very pleased and humbled."

Hise, who announced her candidacy in mid-January, said she is not expecting a big rollout for her campaign. She has advertised events at the Mount Pleasant Community Center on Feb. 23, in the High Point Community on Feb. 24 and at the Turkey Run Homeowner's Association on Feb. 25.

"As someone who has spent my career helping others at the grassroots level, that's where my emphasis is and will continue to be for my campaign," she told the Times Free Press in a statement. "Having the endorsement of those for whom I've served is what matters most to me."

Hise founded Four Points, a supervised visitation center where parents in trouble for violence or substance abuse can see their children. She now works in private practice in Summerville, and most of her financial support comes from that community.

Cook and his law partner, Rex Abernathy, gave her a combined $5,200 the week she declared. Graham Gordon, a Chattanooga doctor and the husband of Cook's daughter, Judge Kristina Cook Graham, gave Hise an additional $2,600 the same day.

According to a campaign contribution report Hise filed Wednesday, those three donations account for 60 percent of the $12,900 she has. The reports were due Wednesday, but Van Pelt had not filed as of Friday. There is a five-day "grace period" to get the report in.

Walker County Sheriff Steve Wilson said he promised Van Pelt he would support him last fall. They've worked together since the 1980s, when Van Pelt was the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit's district attorney and Wilson was its drug task force commander. Though no one had stepped forward to run against him, Wilson understood why Van Pelt was already looking for support.

"That's the sign of a smart politician," he said. "That's what I would do. That's what I have done. That's how you run a smart race. You have to get support."

The Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit consists of Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade and Walker counties. In addition to Wilson, the sheriffs in Catoosa and Dade counties said they threw their support behind Van Pelt after getting calls over the last couple of weeks.

Chattooga County Sheriff Mark Schrader was the only one not on the "host committee" for Van Pelt's event. His office is located down the block from where both Hise and Cook work. He did not return multiple calls seeking comment last week.

Of the commissioners in the circuit, the only ones not on the host committee were Mitchell Smith, in Dade County, and Bobby Winters, in Catoosa County. Summerville Mayor Harry Harvey and Ringgold Mayor Nick Millwood also were absent.

Millwood said Van Pelt invited him to the fundraiser, but he was not a listed "host" like other mayors. He and Mullis butted heads over the last couple of years, after Mullis tweaked the city's charter to make it harder for the council to fire the city manager. Millwood said Mullis should have told him and the council he was making that change.

"Judge Van Pelt did call me and invited me to come," Millwood said last week. "I wasn't able to go. As far as my name not being on there, well, I'm just not going to say. There was no good reason."

Contact staff writer Tyler Jett at 423-757-6476 or tjett@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @LetsJett.

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