Superior Court Judge Brown to retire

Grays Harbor County Superior Court Judge Stephen E. Brown has announced his retirement effective at the end of his current term in January of 2021.

“Throughout my judicial service I have sought to improve the administration of justice in Grays Harbor County,” he wrote to Geoff Arnold, president of the Grays Harbor County Bar Association, in a letter announcing his retirement. “I have had the opportunity to work with so many great people in our community, both in and out of government, who shared this goal.”

The open seat will be on the November ballot and two people — Grays Harbor Prosecuting Attorney Katie Svoboda and Hoquiam Municipal Court Judge Andrea Vingo — have already announced their intention to run.

Brown is the judge for the county’s therapeutic drug court, which started in April 2018. The court gives qualified offenders a chance to get clean and sober and get out of the cycle of drug-related crime and jail. The court had six participants when it began; there were 37 when it celebrated its one-year anniversary last April.

Brown also presided over National Adoption Day proceedings in Grays Harbor. In November 2019, seven children were adopted into six families in his courtroom. “This is one of the few things we get to celebrate,” he said that day.

Brown began his career on the bench as an Elma Municipal Court Judge, appointed in April 1984. He was elected District Court Judge in 1986, taking the bench in January 1987. He held that position until he was appointed Superior Court Judge in October 2014 by Gov. Jay Inslee, replacing Judge Gordon Godfrey, who had served for more than 22 years.

“I will be be proud to have served as a judge for our community continuously for over 36 years,” he wrote, adding, “I will continue to work to improve justice here through the end of the my term.”

Brown is a graduate of Elma High School, Stanford University, and earned his law degree at the University of Washington. He has volunteered with the Elma McCleary Lions Club and was president of the Elma McCleary Youth Soccer Association.

Svoboda and Vingo announced Tuesday they will run for the seat.

“This is something I’ve been considering for quite some time,” said Svoboda. “I’ve been humbled by the amount of support I’m getting from colleagues, family and friends and I’m excited to see where this goes.”

Svoboda was elected Prosecutor in 2014, taking office in November of that year. She has worked in the prosecutor’s office since 2004, holding positions that include Senior Deputy Prosecutor and Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor.

Vingo was appointed to the Hoquiam Municipal Court bench in December 2017 by then-Mayor Jasmine Dickhoff.

“I’ve served in a judicial capacity in Grays Harbor for well over a decade, including currently as a Superior Court Commissioner and as the Hoquiam Municipal Court judge,” said Vingo. “Serving as a Superior Court judge would allow me to continue and expand my service to this wonderful community.”

Vingo has served on non-profit boards, teaches students about the Constitution, and appears in community theater.

Louis Krauss | Grays Harbor News Group Brice Woods receives an award for 365 days sober in the Grays Harbor County drug court program.

FILE PHOTO Superior Court Judge Stephen E. Brown presides over the county’s therapeutic drug court. Brown has been presiding over the court since it began in April 2018 in the tiny courtroom at the Grays Harbor Juvenile Detention Center.