High court candidates on stump

By By William F. West / community editor
Nov. 2, 2002
WAYNESBORO Chuck McRae appeared here not as an embattled state Supreme Court justice but as a calm, thoughtful figure.
McRae spoke Thursday night to a crowd of about 35 people at a gathering of the Wayne County Cattlemen's Association, held at the county's vocational center here.
McRae, who is up for re-election on Tuesday, openly referred to his past personal blunders, which have included being arrested for drunken driving.
McRae's stop here was one of many in a state Supreme Court district that includes Wayne, Clarke and Jasper counties. He's being challenged by Gulfport attorney Jess Dickinson and Chancery Court Judge Larry Buffington of Collins.
McRae is next in line to succeed Chief Justice Ed Pittman should he choose to retire creating hopes, and fears, of McRae presiding over the nine-member court.
Three-way race
Dickinson, campaigning in Quitman on Thursday, said many people in the district want a change in the judicial system.
Buffington, who bills himself as the quiet candidate, said he believes his campaign is connecting with the people.
But the race seems to be between McRae and Dickinson.
McRae, while in Waynesboro, made no apologies for his beliefs and values, which he said includes having a blue-collar background, standing up for those in need and being an independent thinker.
He also acknowledged such a position makes him the bullseye of big business in the tort reform debate and in the election campaign.
McRae said he believes the motive of big businesses and their allies is to get people to sign contracts shifting any possible disputes away from open courtrooms and into closed arbitration hearings.
Sordid pasts
Dickinson said he's not making McRae's past an issue in his campaign.
In 1995, McRae pleaded no contest to a charge of drunken driving; three years later, he was suspected of DUI but the case was dismissed for lack of evidence.
However, Dickinson's past hasn't been squeaky clean.
In the 1970s, Dickinson got into the disco business, where he encountered trouble. He's admitted hitting a patron in the head with a whiskey bottle, but in self-defense.
Dickinson, while in law school in the early 1980s, recommitted his life to Christ.
But he said the election campaign has caused him personal pain because of attempts to stir up the stories of his past. He said he copes through prayer and with the help of his wife, Janet, who was campaigning with him in Quitman.