Butler County Probate Judge Mack Russell announces his candidacy for District Judge of Butler County.

Mack is the son of Mack Russell, Sr. and Dr. Joy Hartley Russell, now residing in Birmingham, and grandson of late Butler Countians John Frank Russell and Lois Cauthen Russell Thompson and Mr. and Mrs. Paul D. Hartley.

Mack attended elementary and junior high school in the Tuscaloosa public school system while his parents attended college at the University of Alabama, and received his high school diploma from Fort Dale Academy in Butler County. He received a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Alabama in 1985 and his law degree from the University of Alabama School of Law in 1988.

Mack married the former Marianne McCraw, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Edward McCraw of Greenville in his third year of law school, and after graduation in 1988, he moved back home to Butler County. Mack and Marianne have three children, MacDonald, Rosemary and Patrick.

Russell passed the Alabama Bar Exam in July, 1988, and became an associate with the law firm of Hartley & Hickman. In January 1991, he became a partner in the firm Hartley, Hickman & Russell. From 1991 to 1993, Mack attended an Auburn University/W.K. Kellog Foundation two year course in Leadership for Economic Development and received a Leadership Certificate of Graduation.

Mack was elected probate judge in 1994 and again in 2000. He is currently vice-president of the Alabama Probate Judges Association.

Mack currently serves on the executive board of the Greenville Area YMCA and is on the Butler County Extension Service Advisory Board. He sits as one of Butler County's four board members on the South Central Alabama Development Commission, and is a member and past president of the Greenville Lions Club and the Butler County Alabama Alumni Association.

He is a past State Director and President of the Greenville Jaycees.

Mack is a past president of Greenville Main Street, and is an ex-officio member of the Greenville Area Chamber of Commerce, the Butler County Commission for Economic Development, the Butler County Manufacturer's Association, and the Butler County Homebuilders Association. Mack has Coached or assisted in coaching his sons and daughter in baseball and softball since 1995. He has served on the Vestry and as treasurer of St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Greenville and is currently a lay reader for the church.

&uot;I will work as hard as I can to give the citizens of Butler County fair and efficient justice. I believe that every person's case should be heard as quickly as possible. In a criminal matter, if a person is found guilty, he should be punished, and the punishment should be swift. In civil matters, the parties bring their dispute before the court for a decision by the judge, and I promise to do my best to listen to the evidence and make prompt, fair decisions. I will work to offer viable alternatives to our young people who begin on the path to crime, but will be tough when necessary. When a person gets a judgement in court, that person should be able to collect it.

I ask for and will sincerely appreciate your vote in the Democratic Primary on June 4, 2002.&uot;