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July 19, 2012

Candidate profile: Dwayne Hooper eyes chief magistrate post

Charles Oliver charlesoliver@daltoncitizen.com

— Dwayne Hooper said he didn’t set out on a career as a judge. But when a part-time post as a Murray County Magistrate judge opened up 22 years ago he decided to apply.

The person who had held that post got a job outside Murray County and had to step down with two years remaining on his term.

“The Superior Court judges chose me for the job, and I have been re-elected ever since,” he said. “I’m glad that the people have put their faith in me and allowed me to serve that long.”

Hooper said he has amassed 480 hours of Judicial Qualification Commission training through the University of Georgia.

Hooper, 52, decided not to run for re-election this year but instead challenge incumbent Bryant Cochran for the post of chief magistrate in the July 31 general primary. They are the only candidates for the position, so the winner of the primary will essentially be the chief magistrate.

“I’m just not happy with the direction the court has gone over the past few years,” he said. “I think people are ready for a change.”

The court charges fees for some services, such as serving eviction notices and other papers. But the court can waive those fees if those applying for the services are indigent. Hooper said he will make sure that no one is getting free services if they can afford it.

He also pledges to keep regular office hours and to be available to the public, law enforcement and others who need him

A native of Murray County, Hooper graduated from Murray County High School. He and his wife Tracy have four children ages 20, 18, 12 and 8.

In addition to working as a part-time magistrate, Hooper is a building contractor.

“But for the last 22 years, I have planned my whole life around this job. I’m on call every other weekend. I think I’ve always been there for law enforcement,” he said.

He said the most rewarding part of serving as a magistrate judge is being able to help people.

“People come into court with all kinds of problems, and they often don’t believe anyone can help them. And sometimes they can’t be helped. But we can at least listen to them and treat them with some respect,” he said. “And when we can help them, that’s a really good feeling.”

Magistrate Court handles civil claims of $15,000 or less, some misdemeanor criminal offenses, county ordinance violations and some deposit account fraud cases. It also handles preliminary hearings and summonses, and judges can issue arrest and search warrants.

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