WHEELING – John Powell has a military and law enforcement background he said has honed his ability to make correct judicial decisions.

Powell is seeking the District 4 magistrate seat in Ohio County on the May 14 primary election ballot.

Powell, 64, said he has had to make many decisions as a leader during his lifetime, and the result is that he has “exceptional leadership experience.”

“There’s a lot of people who want to lead, but very few can,” he explained. “I have always had the ability to do that.

“To be an effective leader you have to be able to make the tough decisions. Throughout my life I have been (that person).”

Powell’s background includes a career in the U.S. Navy, serving as commander of the U.S. Naval Academy’s police department, and working detail for a White House cabinet secretary’s security team.

Powell said he first became a supervisor back in 1981, and since then has always been in a leadership position – either while serving in the military, in a civilian job or doing volunteer work.

Powell presently serves as president of the American Post 1 Home Corporation, where he is overseeing the renovation of the Post home in Elm Grove. He also is a past state American Legion commander.

“To be a magistrate, you have to be willing to make tough decisions,” he continued. “You have to be willing to put your big boy pants on, and be the one who breaks bad news to people sometimes.”

Powell’s top priority as magistrate is to make certain those appearing before him have their voices heard, and that their court experience is as fair as possible to them.

“For the majority of people, their first interaction with the court – actually with the legal system – is the magistrate’s court,” he explained. “My top priority is to make sure everyone is treated fairly.

“Whenever somebody has a confrontation, they want to be heard. I’ll make sure they are heard. We’re going to make decisions consistently, fairly and in an unbiased way.”

Powell said he has heard current Magistrate Joe Roxby compare magistrate court to emergency room “triage.”

“You have to get people in, and people out,” Powell continued. “People want their case heard. They want to get it in and get it over with. It comes down to treating everybody fairly.”

He noted one of the biggest challenges to the legal system is that across the nation courts are being forced to release criminals from incarceration until their trial date because prisons are overcrowded.

“We are telling people we’ll release you, and you come back to court,” Powell said. “I hope we don’t have that problem, but it appears we’re going to have that problem. We have to find a balance to hold people accountable and make sure they come back.”

One of the things magistrates can have an effect on is jail overcrowding in West Virginia, he continued.

“The more people you lock up to stay overnight – who don’t make bail or bond in time – that drives the jail bill up, and that’s tax dollars,” Powell explained. “You need to be available as a magistrate. If someone can get bonded out, let them get bonded out so they can go home and save the county money.”

He pointed out he is the only established Republican running in the nonpartisan race. He faces current Sheriff Tom Howard in the election, and the winner between the two takes office in January.

“People need to know what your values are, and I’m a conservative values candidate – and the only one who can say I’m a Republican running,” Powell said.