Veteran prosecutor Michael Tabarrok to seek Superior Court Judge position

ALBANY – After spending 25 years observing judges in his work as a prosecutor and attorney, Michael Tabarrok has seen the good and the bad.

The judges who have most inspired him are those who treat everyone, from the victims to the accused, with respect. And as a candidate for Dougherty County Superior Court, that is the demeanor he said he would set as his standard.

On Tuesday, the assistant district attorney, who has prosecuted numerous murder and gang cases, qualified to seek the position in the Dougherty Judicial Circuit that was opened with current Chief Superior Court Judge Willie Lockette’s decision not to seek another term.

Tabarrok will be on the May 31 General Primary/Nonpartisan Election ballot. The judge’s contest is a nonpartisan race.

“It’s exciting,” he said. “It’s an exciting day for me. I’ve never run for office, so this is all new to me. I’ve always been the guy behind the scenes.”

Prior to his current position as a regional supervisor for Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr’s statewide Gang Prosecution Unit, Tabarrok served as chief assistant district attorney in Dougherty County, where he won cases in murder, gang, drug, armed robbery and Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) trials, he said.

Currently, he is the lead prosecutor in a case involving 16 Outkast motorcycle gang members that alleges the gangsters stalked members of another gang for more than a year before attempting an armed robbery.

“(It involved) a shootout with 12 people who were in the line of fire,” Tabarrok said.

A 1999 Mercer University School of Law graduate, most of the candidate’s time in the legal field has been spent in prosecution. In three of those years, he mainly dealt with criminal law in a private practice.

During that time, Tabarrok said, he has seen a number of judges in action. He said Lockette is among those who display the traits that he would like to emulate behind the bench.

“Everybody who went to his courtroom was treated with respect and dignity,” Tabarrok said. “I’ve learned from every judge I’ve been in front of. I was in front of Judge Lockette a number of times on several cases. Every time I had to be with him, I learned something. I’d like for his legacy of respect and dignity to continue. I’m willing to give my all.”

Gang statistics are stark, according to the candidate, who said the average age at which gangs try to recruit new members is between 8 and 10.

“Gang activity is out of control in Albany,” he said. “We need judges who are going to address the gang problem.”

As a judge, Tabarrok, who is active in the community both professionally as a board member of the Lily Pad Sexual Abuse Nurse Examiners center and as a community volunteer in a variety of organizations and causes, said he would like to help develop programs to steer at-risk young people into working on a GED and getting a job.

“We need to add fresh approaches to address our gang problem (so they) can see there’s another route out of the gang,” he said. “The only way to do it effectively is as a judge.

“We need to reach for those 17-year-olds when they’re going into court” before they commit a serious offense.

As someone who accompanied police officers to the homes where victims of violent crimes were notified that their loved one was a victim, Tabarrok said he has seen how gang activity and violent crime affects the community.

“When you go to the scene and you see first-hand, when you hear when the mom finds out her son was killed and you hear that wail from her, that’s moving,” he said. “That impacts you. When you see that, when you see the impact on our community … that’s why I’m running.”

Tabarrok’s candidate website is available for viewing at http://justiceforalbany.com/.

Other candidates who have qualified during the first two days of the qualifying period in Dougherty County include four incumbent School Board members: James Bush, Geraldine Hudley, Velvet Poole and Robert Youngblood. Democratic candidates Terron Hayes has qualified to run for sheriff and incumbent Coroner Michael Fowler also has qualified.

Incumbent State Court Judge John M. Stephenson has qualified to seek another term in the nonpartisan election.

In Lee County, Republican incumbents who had qualified were Sheriff Reggie Rachals, District 4 County Commissioner Chris Guarnieri, District 5 Commissioner George Walls Sr. and Superior Court Clerk Sara Clark. Nonpartisan candidates included Probate Court Judge Melanie Gahring Rathel, Chief Magistrate Court Judge Jim Thurman and District 5 School Board member Fran Walls.

The qualifying period continues through Friday.

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