Charles D. Hartzog (Monongalia County Magistrate Court, West Virginia, candidate 2024)
Charles Hartzog (Nonpartisan) ran for election to Monongalia County Magistrate Court in West Virginia.[1]
Elections
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Charles Hartzog completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Hartzog's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I am a 21-year-old 10th generation American, patriot and historian. I have lived in West Virginia since October of 2018 and plan to stay for a long time. I dislike career politics and have no interest in keeping the full salary for myself. I will most likely donate any major excess of the salary to charities and local business. It would be hypocritical of me not to donate to others whenever I have the means, in or out of office. I was born in Alabama and lived there until 2009, then I was raised in the Ohio River area as a result of having extended family in both areas. I fell in love with Morgantown after arriving for school in the summer of 2021 and I decided to make permanent residence here.
- I offer multiple perspectives as someone whos' childhood took place in the north and south, in democratic and republican cities, in a double wide trailer during the school year and a mansion during the summer.
- I seek to refute the idea that one needs professional experience or knowledge to be capable of handling responsibilities such as that which is found in a magistrate's position. Just because one doesn't have a degree or professional experience does not mean that one has neither knowledge or an equivalent amount of experience.
- I seek to preserve peace, freedom, and justice as I intend to run in the brand new seat in district 6 thereby bringing new ideas to the currently existing administration.
There aren't many related to Magistrate that I would say that I get excited about, but if I had to choose one I would say I'm most passionate about the general accounting policies and procedures policy because I have seen how much a small town can improve when any laundering is exposed. The town which I reference is Jacksonville, Ohio who's former mayor was caught laundering money after 33 years of office. The town was on a steep economic decline and has been since 1910 but it appears as if it had been left behind in the 1980s. For years, the entire town had only three stop signs and those were in poor condition. Ever since the town elected a new mayor, the town has improved utilities as well as roads. I seek to make sure that this county never goes the way that Jacksonville went. I will not obsess and get paranoid over trying to convict people who've done nothing, but should anybody be caught, I will most certainly treat it according to the law and damage done
None, thus far. However, that might change.
My very first job was with Jimmy John's in Parkersburg and it was a summer job that lasted 3 months.
The inauguration of Barack Obama. I was in kindergarten in Eufaula, Alabama when the teacher, Mrs. Orr, put on the news for the class. Some people today might say she had the intentions of political indoctrination, however because it was an elementary school, the children did not care about politics. All we saw was some guy smiling and waving in a place none of us had ever really cared about before and wouldn't care for a long time.
I look up to my two grandfathers for their seemingly endless talents, knowledge, wisdom, and resources that have allowed me to have multiple options in life and various cognitive skills.
My Dad's father in the Tampa Bay area in Florida is Julian Hartzog. He has been internationally recognized as an artist. It was from him I learned to appreciate hard labor, prioritize my education, and understand that while it's nice to have a little extra money, it's always better to work for it. He worked his whole life and even now in his mid-eighties, he is currently designing a monument dedicated to the healthcare professionals for a hospital in Clearwater, Florida. He has been recognized for winning many awards for his work in the art community.
My Mom's father, named Kenny Shank, taught me to better value extended family and family heritage, the love of toy trains, and the appreciation for both firemen and military veterans, and it was through him and his patience that I, an autistic boy, learned to (mostly) speak in ways which society won't frown upon. I don't remember what he taught me, but if every autistic child had a grandpa like him, there wouldn't be so much confusion with those they interact with.
I believe it should be made more known that it's more paperwork than court hearings. However, unlike attorneys, magistrates don't need a law degree to be a magistrate and are provided with training either way. And while the responsibilities of a West Virginia Magistrate can be found on the West Virginia judiciary website. They don't have a lot of work to take home but they are on call 24/7 for when a warrant is needed for domestic violence emergencies, which means reliable transportation and/or close-to-office residence is a must.
In short, while moral law is popular, as Ned kelly, an infamous Australian gangster and Robinhood of Australia, once stated, "I do not pretend to have led a blameless life, or that one fault justifies another, but the public in judging a case like mine should remember that the darkest life, may have a bright side." This experience can be shared by the British soldiers who were on trial in 1770 after the Boston massacre. Their release was unpopular. But even though they shot and killed four men, their defense attorney, John Adams, proved by accounts of both victims and soldiers that it could not have been anything more than an accident caused by the fear and confusion, stated that "the law [of the British government] is clear: that any person who finds their own lives in jeopardy, they have the right to self-defense." As the man who writes this, I will acknowledge that this was another time, and the laws have changed significantly. I suppose what I'm trying to explain is that I will make sure everyone, even the most despised of men, will be treated with the chance to prove their innocence, because even the most despised of men, however they may behave, may have a good explanation for what happened. Even as despised men, they have the same inalienable rights as the most beloved of men. For all we know, they could only be despised men simply because they are different.
Samuel Leibowitz Is someone I admire. Also, more recently, Antonin Scalia.
Samuel was a former supreme court justice and attorney from New York. He won 89 consecutive cases in 33 years before famously losing at the scottsboro trial which, as some might say, was rigged by racism.
I first heard of Justice Scalia while watching supreme court hearings on C-SPAN. The specific trial was Schwarzenegger vs Entertainment Merchants Association and I was intrigued by his thought process in the matter. In fact, all of the justices were trying to ask the question which defined the decision: how do you apply the word violent into laws in ways that affect only video games and not other forms of media? Would you not agree that Grimm's fairy tales were pretty grimm?
I do, but with reservations, too much empathy may result in a criminal walking the streets once again.
I am not an attorney. I have minimal records of my own, so the people have little to go by except my own word when I emphasize that I do have experience. I know that's not a convincing argument, but the question was asked and I answered.
I do not. Many of the most successful attorneys out there today scored very low on their exams.
The most obvious issues that seem to plague West Virginia might just be its inability to effectively lower the smuggling and consumption of harmful substances, as well as the lack of resources necessary to deal with crime in general. My idea of how to deal with this problem is to not punish the drug abusers as much as the seller but at the same time, try to solve the problems most associated with why people do drugs and spread the awareness. Here since 2020 our prisons have been understaffed. It may just be the better option to get more drug abusers out of prison and into better treatment. I'm sure people have already tried that, but I'm also sure that I can help further advance that. As long as the drug abuser has committed no other crime other than drug abuse, and has agreed to treatment, then that should be fine.
I know it will be difficult to prove, but unlike many other politicians, I actually care about the well being of society. Other politicians may not care about the increasing inflation or environmental hazards that face us. but I do. I'm going to be on this planet a lot longer than most other politicians will be. I'd rather fix the problems of the present than face the consequences of the future. Every branch of government has a way they can help out but a different way of doing it. Since I cannot pass laws, I can at least help enforce those that are passed, and ensure that nobody's rights are infringed. A lot of people have been upset with the way the federal government has (allegedly) been compromising people's rights. While I do not believe this to be their intent, they certainly haven't been able to make peace.
I can agree agree with previous legal related experience, but it wouldn't necessarily need to be government or politics.
I'm not interested in career politics and I don't plan more than two terms. I might do three with enough reason and support, but we are a long ways away from deciding how we would determine that.
Honesty, integrity, humility, and ingenuity
I know it's not the best answer, but in short, whenever you're not in a hearing, you are filing paperwork related to the hearing or reviewing to better understand previous hearings. I provided a related link earlier in regards to the responsibilities of the magistrates (see "Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?)
Actually, how about an author or two? I often enjoy wisdom. one author named Edward Everett Hale was a non-partisan politician and pastor. His wisdom is difficult to retain because of quality and quantity. Also, the essays of Theodore Roosevelt and the speeches of Davy Crockett are some of the best I've read.
The qualities I believe that I possess necessary to be a successful officeholder are a large knowledge of legal history and history in general, my ability to adapt quickly to social changes, my youth which will allow me to get things done faster and more efficiently, and my ability to gain more knowledge and insight.
I want certainly don't want to be hated. A good name is better than riches. That alone will drive me to do great things for Monongalia County
Definitely disability discrimination. Even as people preach acceptance and tolerance, they sure are quick to assume that I am normal. I am not. I'm neither less than nor greater than you. I'm just different. I do not expect society to change for me, but I cannot change just because society says i should, even if I wanted to. I must simply adapt.
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External links
[1] ↑ Submitted to Ballotpedia's candidate survey in 2023.
