Here comes the Judge, Here Comes the Judge and then theres the DA and Chairman too.

I am not sure about these debates that don't allow interaction between the candidates but last nights was a start.

First the two candidates for Cobb County District Attorney, Vic Reynolds and Cindi Yeager squared off. They didn't really square off because the format was designed to allow both candidates an introduction speech and then were asked two questions regarding the office they were seeking and why they were in fact the best candidate for the people of Cobb county to select.

Jim Galloway (AJC) was the moderator and as always did a masterful job of keeping the program moving along. Diane Webb, State Court Clerk was in charge of time and kept everyone honest.

Next up were the two candidates for Superior Court Judge, a position currently held by Reuben Greene. He is being challenged by Nathan Wade and the two using the same format gave plenty for the voters of Cobb County to think about between now and July 31st. At the same time the other Superior Court Judgeship ( created by retiring Superior Court Judge Dorothy Robinson) was another exchange of ideas but no really exciting exchanges or activity between the candidates. Three qualified individuals,Roland Castellanos, Van Pearlberg and Greg Poole;  some with experience on the bench and all with public service in their background.

Last up was the Candidates for Cobb County Commission Chairman. Now we got to see some action. No matter what the question was it seemed that Bill Byrne, Mike Boyce and Larry Savage all had the current administration in their crosshairs. Increased taxes, another splost on top of another one and then another one. Increased water bills, express bus fare increases and support for the Tsplost "that wont improve traffic conditions one bit" were other problems and programs that were credited to the current administration. Tim Lee, Cobb Chairman, was the target of most of the discussions and in turn defended his two years as Chairman and his previous years as a district commissioner.

There was no time for rebutals and if the candidates wished to challenge others it would of been deducted from their allotted time on the next question. Larry Savage shared recent reports from several agencys' that refuted any good the proposed tax increase might do for Cobb. He attempted to show a visual with proof but was quickly reminded that no visuals were allowed.

The candidates for Chairman each got the intro, three questions and then a closing statement. Jim Galloway spent some time with several of the candidates after the program concluded and shared his thoughts in his AJC column on Wednesday.

Photographs give a pretty good idea of the diverse crowd and the mild tone of this third and final debate.