A DeKalb County judge, re-elected by voters just last year, announced her retirement two days into her new term, a move critics complain will give the job to a hand-picked successor and effectively shut out other candidates.
There will be no election to replace DeKalb Probate Judge Jeryl Debra Rosh. Under Georgia law, the probate court’s associate judge takes over for the remainder of the four-year term when the job becomes vacant.
Rosh, who didn't face an opponent in last May's election, said in a statement she's retiring because of a family medical issue that arose in November. In December, Rosh hired Associate Probate Judge Bedelia Hargrove. There was no associate probate judge before Rosh appointed Hargrove to the job, which pays $92,241.
Rosh gave notice of her retirement Jan. 3. Hargrove will take office when Rosh departs March 1.
Rosh has served as the county's probate judge since 2003, responsible for overseeing probate of wills, administration of estates, appointing guardians and issuing marriage licenses and weapons carry license.
Several candidates would have jumped at the opportunity to run in an open race for the $162,330-a-year Probate Court judgeship if Rosh hadn’t run for re-election, said Tunde Akinyele, a Decatur-area defense attorney. Instead, no one challenged her.
“A lot of us shy away from running against an incumbent judge,” Akinyele said. “If I were in the shoes of the associate judge, I wouldn’t be complaining. But is it unfair to the rest of us? Yes, it is. But we deal with the laws the way they are.”
Rosh didn’t respond to messages seeking an interview but wrote in an email that she was grateful to have been elected four times.
“I am confident that Judge Bedelia Hargrove will serve DeKalb County with the same commitment to justice and fairness that residents expect and deserve,” Rosh wrote.
Hargrove, who previously worked as an Atlanta attorney and hearing officer for DeKalb Probate Court, didn’t grant an interview.
But, in an emailed statement, she said, “I’m honored to become the next probate judge. … My goals are to handle the job with legal prowess and judicial efficiency, and to provide quality customer service.”
When Rosh asked the DeKalb Board of Commissioners to approve Hargrove’s appointment as an associate judge Dec. 6, she didn’t mention her intention to retire .
“It was not something we were aware of at all,” said Commissioner Kathie Gannon on Wednesday. “It was a surprise. … She’s done a great job over the years.”
The probate judge isn’t alone in being able to line up their successors. Chief deputy sheriffs and tax commissioners in Georgia also take over the positions when their superiors resign.
That happened just last year in DeKalb County, when Irvin Johnson replaced Claudia Lawson,who was retiring as the county's tax commissioner. However, in that case, Lawson had only one year left in her term. Johnson won election last summer against two opponents.
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