Haynes Townsend, who has been a Whitfield County magistrate for 12 years, says Magistrate Court seems to have “gotten away from our common sense approach to the law.”

“We seem to look for every technicality we can find,” he said. “You are supposed to look at the big picture. We are supposed to look at substantial justice. It gives you a little leeway. I just don’t feel like it’s being done now.” Townsend did not have a specific example.

Townsend is challenging incumbent Barrett Whittemore for the chief magistrate position. Whittemore’s salary is $87,764 and he oversees a staff of 13. The budget for the office is $571,000. Duties of magistrates include civil disputes of less than $15,000, first appearance hearings for people who have been arrested and the signing of warrants.

Townsend, 53, said deciding to run against his boss was not easy.

“I feel a strong responsibility to the citizens of Whitfield County,” he said. “(This court) was not intended to be the ‘People’s Court’ like you see on TV, but the court of the people. This is where you can try your cases without an attorney.”

Townsend said if elected to the chief position he will work to improve customer service, including telephone etiquette and how customers are treated.

“We need to be more conscious of the fact that the people that use our courts are our customers,” Townsend said. “If someone is in the office there is no need for voice mail to answer the phone.”

And while magistrates are not supposed to give legal advice, Townsend believes they can do more to help the public.

“We can tell them how to fill out the paperwork,” Townsend said. “It has to be about the quality of service people don’t think they receive. I think you get out of employees what you expect of them.”

Townsend said he hopes to lead by example.

“That is the only way you can run an effective organization,” he said. “People can feel when they are being talked down to. They will respect a leader only if a leader respects them.”

Townsend is a 1973 graduate of Dalton High School and received a bachelor’s degree in organization management from Covenant College. He is past president and a current member of the Dalton Noon Lions Club, where he has been involved in activities on the state and local levels. He is also a past president of the Downtown Dalton Development Authority.

He is married to the former Donna Jayne Lord and the couple have two daughters, Morgan, 25, and Madison, 21.