By MATTHEW RALPH
Sellersburg Town Court Judge R. Thomas Lowe kept his seat in the general election Tuesday, but may have to justify a need for the position to a new Democrat Party-controlled Town Council.
Four years after he was elected as the town’s first judge, Lowe defeated Democrat Bruce A. Walker with 750 votes, or 53 percent of the votes, according to unofficial results.
Walker, who captured 660 votes, or 47 percent of the vote, had questioned the need for a town court in his campaign.
His fellow Democrats — who gained a 3-2 edge on council in Tuesday’s election —aim to review the court spending as part of a cost-cutting agenda.
Lowe, a 43-year-old Republican and licensed attorney, said the court has proven itself an asset. While initially the court required an investment, Lowe said it is getting to the point where it is beginning to pay for itself.
“We’re providing a valuable service,” Lowe said. “Having a judge that’s from the town, he’s going to care more about our town than if we were to send the cases to Jeffersonville.”
Walker — a lifelong Sellersburg resident who is a production supervisor at Sono Press in Louisville — said he was happy with the votes he was able to garner, even if it wasn’t enough to unseat the incumbent.
“I was more than pleased with the results,” Walker said, noting that he was happy with the showing of his fellow Democrats. “It would have been fun to win, but I didn’t win. I’m not going to be distraught or anything like that. I think I gave a good showing.”
Lowe said he looked forward to sitting down and talking with the three new council members — James LaMaster, Terry Langford and Brian Meyer.
“Hopefully we can find some kind of common ground,” Lowe said. “I have what I would consider guarded optimism about the future.”
Lowe’s term as judge will run from January through December 2011.
