(APN) ATLANTA — In the upcoming May 24, 2016 Primary Election and Non-partisan General Election, Duvwon Robinson is challenging incumbent Fulton County Superior Court Clerk, Cathelene “Tina” Robinson, for the Democratic nomination.
Duvwon Robinson [no relation with Cathelene] is a career counselor with the Atlanta Workforce Development Agency.
There is one Republican candidate running for the Clerk position, Lewis Pittman.
Robinson was born at Grady Hospital and was raised in the now-former Bowen Homes public housing community, he told Atlanta Progressive News.
He is running to bring progressive change to the Fulton County Superior Court Clerk’s Office, and says that the position–whose primary job is to process court documents that are filed–is one of importance and consequence to working families of Fulton County.
“I saw injustice in the court system,” Robinson said, when asked why he wanted to challenge the incumbent Robinson, who has a forty year public service record including her terms as Clerk and other positions.
“Judge Louis Levenson, a part-time Magistrate Court Judge in Fulton County, had a one hundred percent eviction record. He evicted every single person that was brought before him in Fulton County,” Robinson said.
The Fulton County Superior Court took over the duties of the Fulton County Magistrate Court in January 2016.
Mr. Robinson alleges that the current Clerk is steering appeals of Levenson’s decisions to Fulton County Superior Court Judge Christopher Brasher, so that they will be less likely to be overturned.
“They get it in front of Judge Brasher, because that’s his [Levenson’s] friend,” Robinson said.
Levenson “also has a private law practice that specializes in cases around evicting tenants. Something just didn’t smell right,” Robinson said.
Previously, APN reported that Judge Levenson attempted to represent PFS, the current title-holder of the building where the Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless is located, in an eviction attempt. When the Task Force’s attorney, Steve Hall, objected to the representation on the basis the Judge Levenson had already heard the same matter in his capacity as a judge. Levenson withdrew as attorney for PFS before Fulton County Superior Court Judge ruled on the issue.
“The other very troubling discovery was that the Superior Clerk office of Ms. Robinson was raided by federal authorities three years ago. What they discovered was that staffers in the Clerk’s office were selling Social Security Numbers to tax cheats in Houston, Texas. How did Clerk Robinson not know that was going on?” Robinson asked.
“The corruption… is very discouraging, that is why I am asking for people to vote for a leader, a leader that will serve the whole person, not just the part that votes. I am that leader, and I want the Clerk’s office to actually serve the people and not just the interests of the well-connected,” Robinson said.
“I also want to reopen the northern annex of the Fulton County Courts to serve those who may have a hard time getting downtown,” Robinson said.
“If I am elected, I will serve the whole Fulton County and not just Atlanta. All that I ask is that you, the voter, give me a fair chance. She (Robinson) has been around for forty years, if she were really going to change things, she would have done it already,” Robinson said.
(END/2016)