Howard, Stephanson Leonard vie for seat on Everett court

EVERETT — A former public defender says his experience as the county’s district court commissioner gives him the edge in the race for the open seat on the Everett District Court bench.

His opponent, a former deputy prosecutor, says her Everett roots and ties to the community give her invaluable insight into the people here and where the court needs to go in the future.

Anthony Howard and Remy Stephanson Leonard are pitted against each other in one of two contested races in Snohomish County’s district courts.

The seat is now held by longtime Everett District Court Judge Roger Fisher, who plans to retire this year.

Yearly more than 70,000 filings flow through the county’s four district courts, including misdemeanor criminal cases, traffic infractions, small claims and protection orders.

The position pays $148,881 a year. It is a four-year term.

Howard was the favorite in the Snohomish County Bar Association’s poll, with less than 20 percent of the association’s members casting a vote.

Howard, 40, grew up in the Vancouver area and is the first in his family to graduate from high school. He earned his law degree from Seattle University.

Stephanson Leonard, 42, is an Everett native. She is the daughter of the city’s mayor, Ray Stephanson. Her law degree is from the University of Oregon.

Howard came to Snohomish County after getting a job in 2002 as a public defender with the City of Everett. About a year later, he was hired by the Snohomish County Public Defender Association, handling misdemeanor and felony cases. He and another lawyer opened a private practice three years later in Mill Creek. Howard began to fill in for district court judges in 2007. He also was a pro-tem judge in Everett Municipal Court.

Howard was hired as the district court commissioner in 2011, serving in Cascade District Court in Arlington. As a commissioner Howard presides over jury trials , hears motions and reviews search warrant applications.

“I can start the job on day one with no learning curve,” Howard said. “I’ve been in the courtroom honing my skills as a judge.”

Howard said he’s vying for an elected position on the bench because he wants to take a more policy-shaping role in the court. He would like to see more robust therapeutic courts offered to non-violent offenders with addictions or mental health issues. He is in favor of expanding the county’s mental health court and providing similar programs in the other district courts.

“The goal is to get to the nonviolent offenders before they become a serious public safety threat,” Howard said.

Howard also said he’d like to see more intense probation for people with convictions for domestic violence and drunken driving.

Howard is married to a nurse. They live in Marysville with their two children.

Stephanson Leonard was a Snohomish County deputy prosecutor between 1997 and 2003, working in the district courts, juvenile court and later in the office’s felony domestic violence unit. The mother of two needed a more flexible schedule so she left the office and did contract work for a private Seattle law firm.

She left that office after about a year. She has been teaching law and justice classes at Everett Community College since 2004. She is an adjunct professor at Columbia College and an affiliate professor at Trinity Lutheran College.

Stephanson Leonard said she was encouraged by local lawyers to run for the position. Last year, she began working as a pro-tem judge in Evergreen District Court in Monroe and the municipal courts in Edmonds, Marysville and Bothell.

“I’ve always wanted to be a judge,” she said. “I don’t want to be a judge some place. I was born and raised here. I know where we’ve been, where we’re at and where I’d love to see us go.”

Stephanson Leonard said homelessness and the influx in heroin use are concerns and she’d like to see the mental health court continue.

“It’s cost intensive. I have a lot of support from elected officials. They hold the purse strings. We need them to listen to us on the bench. I have those relationships in place,” she said.

She said her experience as a prosecutor and a college instructor gives her a well-rounded background. She is used to explaining the law to people.

“I think that is one of my strengths because of teaching,” Stephanson Leonard said. “I think people just want to be heard.”

Stephanson Leonard is a single mom of two and lives in Everett.

Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @dianahefley

Everett District Court candidates

Name: Anthony Howard

Age: 40

Experience: Snohomish County district court commissioner, pro-tem judge, private attorney and public defender

Website: www.howardforjudge.org

Name: Remy Stephanson Leonard

Age: 42

Experience: Snohomish County deputy prosecutor, private attorney, adjunct college professor and pro-tem judge