Matt Mills (Kittitas County Superior Court Position 1, Washington, candidate 2024)

Matt Mills

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Nonpartisan

Candidate, Kittitas County Superior Court Position 1

Elections and appointments

Last election

August 6, 2024

Education

Law

Seattle University School of Law, 2008

Personal

Birthplace

Madison, Wis.

Religion

Lutheran

Profession

Prosecutor

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Matt Mills ran for election to the Kittitas County Superior Court Position 1 in Washington. He was on the ballot in the general election on November 5, 2024.^[source]

Mills completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Matt Mills provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on July 8, 2024:

• Birth date: January 29, 1975
• Birth place: Madison, Wisconsin
• High school: Sheboygan North High School, Sheboygan, Wisconsin
• Bachelor's: University of Wisconsin - Madison, 1997
• J.D.: Seattle University School of Law, 2008
• Gender: Male
• Religion: Lutheran
• Profession: Prosecutor
• Incumbent officeholder: No
• Campaign website
• Campaign endorsements
• Campaign Facebook

Elections

General election

General election for Kittitas County Superior Court Position 1

Chris Herion and Matt Mills ran in the general election for Kittitas County Superior Court Position 1 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate
		Chris Herion (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Matt Mills (Nonpartisan)

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	Incumbency information for this election was not available.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Kittitas County Superior Court Position 1

Margie Alumbaugh, Chris Herion, and Matt Mills ran in the primary for Kittitas County Superior Court Position 1 on August 6, 2024.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Margie Alumbaugh (Nonpartisan)
		Chris Herion (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Matt Mills (Nonpartisan)

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	Incumbency information for this election was not available.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Endorsements

To view Mills's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Mills in this election.

Campaign themes

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Matt Mills completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Mills' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I grew up in rural Wisconsin, the son of a dairy farm veterinarian and a nurse. My wife and I met at the University of Wisconsin- Madison and we have been married since 2000. After we graduated college, my wife's work as an engineer for the US Navy brought us to Western Washington.

While working full time in technical positions in the biotech industry, I earned my law degree by attending Seattle University School of Law in the evenings. When my wife and I had the opportunity to relocate to Kittitas County to raise our four children we were excited to move to a community more like the ones we grew up in. A former Boy Scout, I have been involved with the local Cub Scout Packs in various positions for the last decade and am currently the Cubmaster of the Ellensburg Pack. I have served as youth sports coach for Ellensburg baseball and Ellensburg youth basketball. I have a son who was born with spina bifida who has opened my eyes to the world of special needs children and adults. Because of that, I served on the board of directors of Holly Ridge Center in Bremerton, assisted with the building of a special needs playground in Bremerton, and are in the fledgling stages of putting together a retreat center for families with special needs members at a property in rural Klickitat County.

I also volunteered at Bremerton's legal clinic and the state bar's Moderate Means Program to help people with civil or family legal issues who could not afford a lawyer.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• I have the breadth of legal experience required to "hit the ground running" as a superior court judge. I have practiced in diverse areas of law over my fifteen-year law career.

  My practice started in an office that focused on civil law, particularly real estate law, business entities and partnership disputes, wills and probate, creditor-debtor law, and personal injury. When I opened my own solo practice, I expanded my practice to include family law, bankruptcy, and criminal defense. For the last five years I have been prosecuting crimes in Kittitas County.

  Additionally, in both my private practice and current position I have been responsible for briefing and arguing appeals in the Washington State Court of Appeals.
• I have appeared in front of dozens of judges in many jurisdictions in the state and federal courts of Washington and Oregon and have been able to observe what qualities make a judge effective. First, a judge must listen to the parties. Not only to their legal arguments, but to understand the context of what is happening in the legal dispute in front of them. A successful judge must also have judicial temperament: the ability to be open minded and patient, yet decisive and fair while applying the law. A reason I have decided to run for judge is I believe I have those qualities, and, more importantly, others who work with me as colleagues and opposing parties agree that I have the right temperament to be an effective judge.
• Kittitas County will have new superior court judges in both seats in 2025. While this will be a challenge for the newly elected judges, it will also be an opportunity to update processes and procedures to run a more efficient court. Some ideas that I believe need to be explored are: - Expanding e-filing and electronic order generation and signatures. - Expanding remote appearances of parties and attorneys. - Working with the local bar to review the current court schedule to determine where inefficiencies can be eliminated. - An Upper County docket calendar for Superior Court. - A careful review of local court rules to determine if adding or amending rules - including deadlines - would make for a more fair and efficient court.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

As a prosecutor I often see offenders that commit crime because they have mental health issues and/or substance abuse issues. I was proud to be the prosecutor's representative when the Kittitas District Courts set up the Behavioral Health Court to deal with these issues at the misdemeanor level.

Kittitas County needs a felony level mental health court to complement its successful drug court, and if elected I would pursue setting one up.

These therapeutic courts are smart public policy. They save the public money in the long run by helping offenders, who would otherwise be imprisoned at taxpayer expense, to transition to productive members of society. They also have secondary effects such as breaking family cycles of addiction.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

My hero from history is Theodore Roosevelt. My wife and I even named our first son after him. He was an incredible dynamo who molded the world around him to make it better for his fellow Americans.
Growing up I looked up to my dad who was an incredibly hard worker, my mom who was an incredibly selfless person, and my grandfather who was a World War II combat vet who was able to move on from his war time experiences and went on to have a great family and a successful legal career.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

For a judge, the principle that all people are equal under the law is the bedrock upon which the judicial branch rests. Without that principle it is not possible to fairly apply the law.

A judge must also be able to closely listen and process what is happening with parties in a court proceeding, even if it is outside of his or her frame of experiences.
Empathy is an important characteristic in a judge, but it has to be tempered with fairness to all parties and the correct and just application of the law.
Compassion tempered with firmness is another quality I have admired in judges.

When acting as a fact finder, a judge must also be able to determine a person's credibility and have a nose for truth.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The Superior Court has exclusive subject matter jurisdiction for felony crimes, real property rights, domestic relations, estate, mental illness, juvenile, and civil cases over $50,000.
It is the responsibility of a judge to fairly, effectively, and efficiently shepherd those matters to resolution by deciding on matters of law and questions of fact when factual questions are not decided by a jury.

What legacy would you like to leave?

My first legacy will be my sons and daughters and hopefully someday their sons and daughters. I hope that teaching them right from wrong and being honest with them about mistakes I have made will trickle down through the generations and positively influence the world.
Second, I hope the work I am doing as a prosecutor and as a volunteer will have positive effects through the years.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The eruption of Mt. St. Helens when I was five years old was the first historical event I remember. Living in Wisconsin, Washington, 2,000 miles away with an erupting volcano, seemed like a very exotic place.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My very first job was an "unofficial" job as my dad's veterinary assistant as he traveled farm to farm. Some of my first memories are helping him hold instruments he would need, holding tied off ropes, and otherwise doing what I could to be helpful. I helped my dad on and off in different capacities through high school.

I had a paper route for several years in my pre-teen and early teen years.

My first W-2 job was working at Menard's Lumber Yard the summer before I started college. I moved lumber around in the summer heat for $5 an hour in the summer of 1993.

What is your favorite book? Why?

The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris. This biography covers Roosevelt's pre-presidential life. In particular the transformation of Roosevelt from a sickly boy to the force of nature he became was inspirational.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I won't classify it as a "struggle" but when my wife and I found out that our son was to be born with spina bifida it was a challenging time. I was in my second year of law school, we were both working full time, we had a toddler daughter and we had a crash course in parenting a child with a special needs added to our lives. It was stressful at the time, and there have been emergencies since, but he has been a rewarding addition to our family

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

Superior court judges hear appeals from district court. If there is an appeal on an issue of law in a gross misdemeanor case being handled in district court - such as a driving under the influence or assault in the fourth degree - that will be heard by a superior court judge prior to being appealed to the Washington Court of Appeals.
This is an important duty of superior court judges that should be considered when evaluating judicial candidates.

How would you describe your legal philosophy?

I believe the US Constitution, along with the Bill of Rights, is the greatest national governing documents ever written. It enshrines rights that I deal with every day in my job as a prosecutor that I make sure are being protected, even for the criminal offenders I am seeking to convict: Protections from illegal searches and seizures, the right to counsel, the right not to incriminate yourself, and the right to a jury trial.

In many cases the Washington state constitution expands these rights within the state.

However, a superior court judge also deals with issues that are less dependent on constitutional rights and more dependent on state law: family law, real estate law, and personal injury law, for example. The law in these matters must be applied as fairly and judiciously as constitutional matters, because those matters can be the most important thing happening in a party's life at the time they are before the court.

Is there a particular judge, past or present, whom you admire?

I have come to admire retiring Judge Sparks in my time working in Kittitas County. Judge Sparks, from my point of view, is very serious about his job, but does not come off as self-important.
In the times I was able to see him with juvenile offenders, he was firm but compassionate and was always looking for ways for them to improve their lives as they journeyed towards adulthood.

Do you believe that empathy is an important quality for a judge?

Yes, it is important to understand where individuals are coming from, but it has to be tempered with fairness to all parties and just correct application of the law.

For instance, I can empathize with someone who has been laid off and cannot pay rent, but that does not mean I can ignore the legal rights of a landlord to the property he or she owns.

I may however, within the bounds of rules of judicial conduct encourage the parties to explore if a settlement is possible in a situation like that.

Have you ever been rated by a Bar Association? If so, what was the rating?

No, not at this time.

Why are you running for this particular court seat?

With both superior court judges retiring in this county, I believe that with my experience, knowledge, and demeanor, I can be an asset to the citizens of Kittitas County as we reset the court.

What is your primary concern about today's legal system in your state?

In rural areas like Kittitas County, there is a shortage of attorneys working as prosecutors and public defenders. The public defender shortage will only likely increase because of new caseload rules for public defenders in the state.
It is everyone's constitutional right to have competent legal representation in criminal matters. The court system, the state and county governments, and the office of public defense are going to need to come up with solutions for how this right will be guaranteed with the financial and human resources available.

Would you be interested in serving on a higher court in the future? If so, which court appeals to you?

I don't believe in ever saying "never" to possibilities, but I do not foresee that for me. In my legal career I tend to favor the trial court level of the system rather than the appellate level, and I do not believe that will change if I am elected.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Kittitas Upper District Court Judge Craig Juris

Cle Elum Mayor Matthew Lundh
Ed Wolfe, Former US Ambassador
Attorney Ken Beckley
Kim (Kukes) Funston
Henry Johnston
Erin Ricketson
Vernon Ahlf
Angela Juris
Chad Kirkpatrick
Jason Knirck

Ryan & Haley Rinehart

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Government in this country is supposed to be by the people and for the people. It cannot be that without transparency and accountability.
Washington has robust public disclosure laws which assists the public in keeping government accountable. Allegations of government not following the disclosure laws could end up in a superior court lawsuit so it is important for a superior court judge to understand the importance of these laws to maintaining an accountable government.

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