FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRESS@RONBANE.COM
304-290-4601
WRITTEN BY WES NUGENT
(Morgantown, W.Va.) When Amy White is sworn in again on December 29, 2020, approximately 117 working business days will have passed since she and Ron Bane were invested in the Monongalia County Division 1 Magistrate Office on July 9, 2020. His first day on the job was July 13. Bane has now heard hundreds of cases, including 21 cases on his first day, and worked through a backlog of case files.
Of his time with the court Bane ceded credit saying, “Amy White has been a gift to me in my short time with our court, and she’s served our county well for a number of years. I’m fortunate the Honorable Magistrate Hershel Mullins hired her and she wanted to continue her service.” Bane was appointed to office prior to the anticipated start of his term, after the passing of Judge Mullins in June.
Ms. White says her assistance is just her being helpful in doing her job. “Magistrate Bane has really taken to his new role and made a difference in a short amount of time, I’m blessed to have someone who supports me in my work and makes coming to work enjoyable, especially given the difficult circumstances that come with the nature of the court,” said White.
According to Bane, the biggest challenge has been learning various facets of a newly elected role. “As an outsider who’s not an attorney by profession but someone who’s familiar with laws and regulations as a former municipal legislator, I knew there would be nuances. The law is written in black and white, but life is lived in shades of gray. I try to make the best of what are often challenging situations,” said Bane.
Since being elected, Bane has exchanged thoughts and ideas with elected officials and stakeholders on a number of issues, like jail costs and the number of magistrates. Bane recently collaborated with officials from the WV Supreme Court of Appeals on educational training for new magistrates. In addition, Bane was recently appointed to the Monongalia Teen Court Board of Directors. Of the teen court appointment Bane says, “working with others and creating a team environment has been my goal, and I’m excited to work with defense and prosecution attorneys to help revamp teen court in the coming new year.”
In the process, Bane has continued to work with the Vote Bane Committee to meld campaign priority goals and information from our local courts, beyond what’s tracked via official systems, to use as a basis for drafting an outreach and educational plan as well as metrics. “The Vote Bane team is working on some exciting concepts to keep the public aware and informed about our courts in the coming term. More information will be released as it’s finalized during this coming quarter,” Bane says.
The Honorable Cindy Scott, Chief Judge of the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit, will invest Bane and White again on Tuesday, December 29, at 2 p.m., in Courtroom 3, of the Monongalia County Judicial Center.
For more information about Vote Bane and Ron Bane for Magistrate visit https://ronbane.com/.
