Municipal Court: Clerk Vivian Creighton Bishop, Judge Steve Smith win re-election

Longtime Muscogee County Municipal Court Clerk Vivian Creighton Bishop has turned back a challenge from one of her former employees, while Municipal Court Judge Steve Smith also has won re-election on Tuesday.

Bishop had more than 56 percent of the vote, according to unofficial returns. Bishop had 6,068 votes to Sylvia Hudson’s 4,649.

Smith’s race was tighter, but the result was the same — an incumbent win. Smith took more than 53 percent of the vote. He had 5,410 votes to challenger Cynthia Maisano’s 4,689, according to unofficial returns.

For Bishop, it marks her seventh election win for the Municipal Court clerk’s office. She has served for 24 years.

“I am relieved,” Bishop said of the win. “I feel like the voters are convinced that I was the better person for the job.”

Hudson resigned in December to run against her old boss. The challenge came as Bishop is one of four elected officials suing the city of Columbus over budget issues. Bishop’s lawsuit, filed jointly with Marshal Greg Countryman, who also won re-election on Tuesday, ultimately could determine how millions of taxpayer dollars are spent.

Hudson tried to use the litigation against her, Bishop said.

“I knew she would use it, and she really did,” Bishop said. “I had to convince the voters that she could not dismiss the lawsuit, even if she was elected. Unfortunately, many people did not understand the lawsuit.”

There is no Republican challenger for the office.

Municipal Court judge

It was the second time in as many elections that Smith had turned back a challenge from Maisano.

“She is persistent,” Smith said Tuesday night. “I think she was a little better financed this time and she ran a really hard race.”

In 2012, Smith, who has been in office about six years, defeated Maisano and attorney Robert D. Wilson.

At 62, Smith, a former Aflac attorney, has won another four-year term which could take him to retirement.

“This win says I have some really loyal folks who know what I do,” Smith said. “And I they told other folks who don’t know what I do that I do it well.”

This story was originally published May 24, 2016 at 9:08 PM with the headline "Municipal Court: Clerk Vivian Creighton Bishop, Judge Steve Smith win re-election."