Judge Anthony Dies, Replacement Sought

The staff of Gov. James Douglas is studying a list of four possible replacements for Orange County Assistant Judge Joe Anthony, who died July 10 in Chelsea following a heart attack.

Anthony's death came as a sudden surprise. He had been elected only last November, had attended court that morning and had had lunch with his co-judge, Prudence Pease, at noon, returning for more work until about 2 p.m. He had told Court Clerk Emily Newman that he didn't feel well.

Then he repaired to his quarters at the Brookhaven Transition Home, where he lived with several Brookhaven clients. Newman said that concerns were raised when he failed to make telephone calls as scheduled, to Tracy Lombardi, who he had been dating since February and was virtually engaged to.

Lombardi asked a staff member at the nearby Brookhaven Home to check, and Anthony was found dead about 10 p.m.

(An obituary may be found elsewhere in The Herald.)

"I was completely shocked," said Assistant Judge Pease. "He is terribly missed. We had developed a very good working relationship."

Both Newman and Pease said the work at the county courthouse has not been affected. Anthony had not yet been certified to handle any cases by himself, so no cases had to be postponed.

Since Anthony had been elected as a Republican, the Orange County Republican Committee was asked to select candidates for appointment as his replacement. The committee forwarded four names: Stewart Skrill and Brian Kenyoj of Randolph, and Russ Hotchkiss and Maurice Brown of Chelsea.

Hotchkiss, a former police officer, already has served one term in the position, serving alongside Pease for four years before giving up the job last year.

Judge Pease said this week she has not been part of the selection process at all and did not even know what names had been submitted.

The position of assistant judge is unique to Vermont. The two judges, often called "side judges" are permitted to sit alongside the regular, legally qualified judge, in Superior Court and to participate in certain aspects of the decision. With additional training, they are allowed to preside by themselves over certain matters, including small claims cases.

Perhaps a more important role for assistant judges is that they are the chief administrative officers for county business. They prepare the annual budget and make key decisions involving expansion and renovation of facilities, and assignment of space in the Orange County Courthouse.

Pease and Anthony, in fact, had been studying the need for another expansion of the courthouse.