SKOWHEGAN — Somerset County Probate Judge Robert Washburn is seeking a return to office Nov. 8 and he is unopposed on the election ballot.

Washburn, 61, worked as an attorney in Skowhegan for 34 years, including 13 years as a mediator for the state court system. He was elected in 2014, the result of the resignation of Judge John Alsop, who was hired as an assistant state attorney. Alsop was probate judge for the county for 17 years.

Washburn, of Skowhegan, is the former chairman of the Budget and Finance Committee in Skowhegan and Recreation Department Advisory Committee. He is the current Coburn Committee chairman, serves on the board of trustees for Bloomfield Academy, coaches two football teams and a girls softball team.

He said he has been working to cut down on delays in the court system, having reduced the case backlog and added court days for a more efficient system.

Also on the ballot unopposed for re-election Nov. 8 is Victoria Hatch, the register of probate.

Hatch, 41, of Skowhegan, has been register since 2001. She performs work on probate wills, adoptions, name changes and guardianships. She prepares court documents for Washburn and sits in as the clerk of the Probate Court during hearings.

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Hatch is a saxophone player in the Skowhegan Community Band, the Sunday Project jazz band and Kennebec Performing Arts Company ensemble.

Probate courts, established in the Maine Constitution in 1820, are courts with jurisdiction over specialized subject matter, such as estates and trusts, adoptions and name changes, guardianship, and protective proceedings. They also sit without a jury.

There are 16 probate courts and judges in Maine, one for each county. The judges, who work part-time, are elected.

Doug Harlow — 612-2367

dharlow@centralmaine.com

Twitter:@Doug_Harlow

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