Save the Rockford Courthouse

The saga of the Rockford (63rd District) courthouse has so many facets it is becoming hard to keep them straight.

The core issue is that the Kent County Commission wants to consolidate three judges into a new, $6 million building located in Grand Rapids Township. The County plans to issue bonds to pay for the building on the grounds that it will be less costly to run than separate courthouses. As such, this is essentially a business decision: borrow money for a long term investment that will yield enough operating savings to pay back the loan.

The County plan only attracted attention because Steven Servaas (the judge sitting in Rockford) said he didn't want to move. This lead to what appears to have been a political hit job, where Chief Judge Sara Smolenski tried to engineer Sarvaas's "retirement" based on trumped up charges.

The Servaas story is a lot of fun because it is so obviously a second rate smear campaign on a well-liked and well-respected judge. Unfortunately this distracts from the real issue, which is whether government "efficiency" is more important than government service.

The overwhelmingly Republican County Commission thinks keeping costs down is more important than having a local courthouse in Rockford that is easily accessible and staffed by local people who know the town - and are known by the town. The District Court is the most basic of the various judicial branches. It handles small civil suits, traffic offenses, adult misdemeanors (e.g. DWI), landlord/tenant issues, - the small stuff that is quintessentially local in character.

The City of Rockford has sued the 63 District Court to keep the courthouse, and has strong local support. The County is digging in its heals, has joined the suit, and has approved the bond sale.

So why do I care? I guess it's because I used to work with guys who had lost their licenses on DWIs and rode bicycles to work. To people like this, and many other who can't afford a car and have to beg rides from friends and relatives, having a local courthouse means a lot more than saving some money on efficiency.