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February 7, 2012

Candy Phillips Thomas seeking probate judge seat

By Trent Moore The Cullman Times

CULLMAN — Longtime public school teacher Candy Phillips Thomas has announced she will seek the Republican nomination for Cullman County probate judge in the March 13 primary election.

Thomas is one of five Republican candidates seeking the office, which is currently held by Democratic incumbent Leah Patterson-Lust.

After spending her entire professional career teaching at Fairview Elementary School, Thomas said she is looking for a new challenge once she retires.

“I’m retiring after 28 years of teaching, and I really want to do something completely different, but something that is still a service position,” she said. “I want to serve in a different way.”

Though her formal education came as a bachelor’s degree in education from Samford University, Thomas said she also has years of legal experience, having worked as a legal assistant during summers for the past 18 years.

“I’ve helped with every office the probate judge handles, not only in Cullman County but also Morgan County,” she said. “I’ve been able to see how things work, and the takeaway from that has been invaluable. I feel like I’m applying for the job, and I really need the voters to decide.”

If elected, Thomas said she would also draw from her own personal experiences when making decisions.

“I’ve had so many different life experiences that are so like all the people who come through needing the probate judge’s help,” she said. I’ve gone through nearly all those situations, either with a friend, family member or myself. I believe I would come into this having an empathy for them. God says what you do to the least you do also unto me, and I try to live by that.”

When asked what might be different under her administration, Thomas said she’s smart enough to know that, right now, she doesn’t know the complete inner-workings of the office. But, one thing she thinks she can affect is the mood around the office.

“I want the probate judge’s office to be a place all the Cullman County resident can be proud of,” she said. “When you talk about things you would change, until you get in there and see the ins-and-outs, that is just a guess. I’d really like to add a sense of camaraderie, that’s what I’d like to bring to the office. I believe citizens will pick up on that and feel comfortable there, because it is the people’s office. A sense of humor goes a long way in a lot of situations. If I didn’t feel like I could do it better than anyone else, I wouldn’t apply.”

Thomas said she was most inspired by a comment she credited to former probate Judge Betty Brewer, addressing what the office is truly about.

“As Betty Brewer said when she announced her retirement in 2006, ‘This office is so much more than licenses and boat tags, it is about the underprivileged, the elderly and the mentally ill. It is about real people with real problems,’” Thomas said. “God has blessed me with a keen intellect and a Mother’s heart. I really believe that with those I can make wise and caring decisions for the people of Cullman County. “



* Trent Moore can be reached by e-mail at trentm@cullmantimes.com, or by telephone at 734-2131, ext. 220.

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