Tight justice of the peace race in Phoenix between incumbent Teresa Lopez and state Rep. Robert Meza

Metro Phoenix had four competitive justice of the peace races and one competitive constable race in Tuesday's election.

Justices of the peace preside over limited-jurisdiction justice courts and hear cases such as small claims, evictions, orders of protection, misdemeanor crimes and some traffic infractions.

Constables are the law enforcement side of the court, serving paperwork such as eviction notices and protection orders.

Each of Maricopa County's 26 justice courts has a justice of the peace and constable elected to four-year terms.

Justices of the peace do not need to be attorneys. Neither position requires any specific education. The elected justice of the peace positions come with salaries of about $100,000 annually.

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Here's where the competitive races stood Thursday as the vote count continues.

Tight race for West McDowell justice of the peace

Democrats Teresa Lopez and state Rep. Robert Meza are in a tight race for justice of the peace in the West McDowell Justice Court. Meza held a slight lead Thursday as the ballot count continues.

Lopez is seeking a second term. Before becoming a JP, she was a hearing officer in and around the Maricopa County Justice Courts. She also worked in communications and government relations, according to her bio on the county's website. She has an associate’s degree in legal arts and a bachelor’s degree in management, according to the site. "I believe in fairness as the foundation to an honorable justice court," she says on her campaign website.

Meza is a University of Notre Dame graduate, according to his campaign website, and a 19-year lawmaker who has served in the state House and Senate. His campaign site highlights his work to get money to seniors in affordable housing and to raise teacher pay. The site also mentions fairness, saying he would "make objective decisions through a fair application of the laws."

East Mesa has most competitive justice of the peace race

Justice of the Peace Fred Arnett was leading in the Republican primary race for East Mesa JP.

Arnett was appointed as East Mesa's justice of the peace in February after Keith Russell retired. He also has served as JP in West Mesa and was a constable for 17 years.

Attorney Aaron Burroughs wasn't too far behind Arnett in early results on Tuesday. A third candidate, East Mesa constable Ken Allen, trailed further behind.

Longtime North Valley JP easily fending off challenge

Gerald Williams carried a significant lead over challenger Aimee Cvancara.

Williams is an 18-year justice of the peace in the North Valley Justice Court that covers parts of north Phoenix, north Glendale and Anthem.

Williams was appointed in 2004 and has been elected ever since. Before that, he was a staff attorney for the Arizona Commission on Judicial Conduct, according to the county's website.

He earned his degree from University of Oklahoma College of Law and served as a judge advocate general, or JAG, in the U.S. Air Force. Williams received the Justice Michael D. Ryan Award for Judicial Excellence from the State Bar of Arizona in 2019, according to the county site.

"A judge cannot apply the law if he or she does not know the law, and Judge Williams helped develop the procedures followed statewide for lawsuits, jury trials, residential evictions, constables and DUI case processing," according to his campaign website.

Cvancara is a small business owner whose run for justice of the peace came after she was sued by her HOA in the North Valley Justice Court in 2019 and ordered to pay more than $12,000. "He didn't even look at the evidence, but simply awarded the HOA and its attorneys everything they asked for," according to her campaign site.

The justice court ruling against Cvancara was overturned on appeal, Maricopa County Superior Court documents show. The filings show the case was transferred to another justice court in May 2020, and the Cvancaras and the HOA reached a settlement about three months later. The court documents don't detail the settlement, but Cvancara's campaign site says the HOA ended up paying her $1,000.

Cvancara's campaign website criticizes the court's filing fees, awarding of attorneys' fees and its physical location in Surprise, which is miles away from the residents it serves.  

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State senator challenges South Mountain justice of the peace

Results on Thursday show State Sen. Rebecca Rios, D-Phoenix, edging out Cody Williams in the Democratic primary for South Mountain justice of the peace.

Williams has served as JP in the South Mountain Justice Court since 2007. He previously served two terms on the Phoenix City Council and is the longest serving African American elected official in the state, according to his bio on the county website. He is married to retiring Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams.

Rios is a familiar figure at the state Capitol as she has served for years in both chambers of the Legislature. She was elected to the state Senate again in 2018, where she currently serves as minority leader. She opted not to run again for the state Legislature as she pursued the justice of the peace post.

The South Mountain Justice Court covers roughly 48th Street to 83rd Avenue between South Mountain and the Salt River.

1 competitive constable race in Hassayampa

Scott Blake, constable for the Hassayampa Justice Court, held a large lead over challenger Mitch Friedlander in the Republican primary.

The court serves the far northwest Valley, including Surprise, Sun City, Sun City West and parts of Buckeye, Peoria and El Mirage.

Blake, who was first elected to the post in 2014, is an Eagle Scout and a merit badge counselor for the Boy Scouts of America. He earned an electrical degree and has owned his own carpet cleaning business for more than 20 years, according to his bio on the county's website. "I am a Republican. However, constables can’t set any policy and serve all political parties with equality," he says on is campaign website. He highlights his belief in "justice" and "mercy" by noting that sometimes his job requires him to serve eviction papers: Justice requires that the tenant leave the house and the locks be changed, but mercy is at times providing longer than 15 minutes to gather up their items.

Friedlander is active in the GOP and highlights Donald Trump rally photos and other items on his campaign website, including a reference to Trump having won the 2020 election. The campaign site says he has a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and lists his background as a probation officer in New Jersey, a retired officer for the Port Authority Police Department and a police lieutenant at National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

2 other courts will see new justices of the peace

While there are four competitive justice of the peace races in Tuesday's election, two other justice courts will get new judges.

One is Chandler's San Marcos Justice Court, where Democrat Jennifer Jermaine is running to replace former Chandler Mayor Jay Tibschraeny, who did not run again for justice of the peace.

And in the Downtown Justice Court in Phoenix, Democrat Jennifer Sama is running to replace the outgoing Enrique Medina Ochoa. Sama's father, Jimmie Hernandez, previously served as justice of the peace in the same precinct.

Reach the reporter Carrie Watters at 602-316-9261.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Maricopa County election results: Justice of the peace, constable