Asheville attorneys Ward Scott and Ed Clontz were appointed by Gov. Bev Perdue on Friday to the two vacant 28th Judicial District Court judgeships in Buncombe County.
Scott, a general trial attorney, will replace Judge Shirley Brown, who was re-elected last November to a sixth term but officially retired shortly after beginning her new term in January. Scott is a former county attorney and child-support enforcement attorney who has served as a volunteer guardian ad litem and six-year member of the Board of Pisgah Legal Services.
Clontz will fill the vacancy left by Judge Sharon Barrett, who was appointed to a special Superior Court judgeship in early February. He has been the chief assistant clerk of Superior Court in Buncombe County since 2008, and prior to that was assistant clerk for four years and magistrate for 10. Barrett was unopposed in last fall’s District Court election and had served as a district court judge since 2005.
A third District Court appointment for Buncombe County was made in February, when Perdue named attorney Andrea Dray to replace Judge Marvin Pope, who was elected to Superior Court. Dray was a solo practitioner and mediator prior to her appointment.
by Nelda Holder, contributing editor
