DEARBORN — Attorney Candyce Abbatt announced on Tuesday, Feb. 8 that she plans to seek eelction as District Judge in the 19th District Court of Dearborn in the upcoming 2012 election.

Candyce Abbatt

Abbatt is a lifelong Dearborn resident and graduate of Fordson High School, The University of Michigan-Dearborn as well as Wayne State University Law School, and has been a partner in private practice for 29 years, specializing in family law. She narrowly lost to current judge Mark Somers in 2008. 

“My countless experiences with families in crisis, and decades spent in the courtroom have provided mewith the outlook, experience, and temperament needed to properly fill the honorable position of local judge,” she said in a press release. 

“My lifetime spent in Dearborn, and the growing concern for the safety of my loved ones, friends, and neighbors motivates me to run at this time.”

Abbatt was reappointed to the Dearborn Library Commission by Mayor John B. O’Reilly in May 2009 and has served on the Commission since 1997, including four years as Chairperson. She was the first woman President of the Wayne State University Law Alumni Association and serves on the Executive Committee of the Law School’s Board of Visitors. She has been a trustee of the Henry Ford Hospital Western Regional Board, and in 2011, was appointed by Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette to the Detroit Medical Center (DMC) Legacy Board, where she serves on the Health and Wellness Committee. Candyce and her husband Bill, a patent attorney, were co-chairs of the Oakwood Hospital Foundation Sanctuary Project Committee which helped to raise funds for the newly renovated multicultural hospital chapel dedicated in 2011. 

Abbatt is a member of the State Bar of Michigan Foundation. She is also a writer, having been recently published in the Michigan Bar Journal, as well as, regularly contributing to the Dearborn Press and Guide, Dearborn Patch, and the Huffington Post-Detroit.

Abbatt cites the exorbitant costs to the city including jury fees, verdicts, and costs stemming from cases against Somers, including one pending, as part of her decision to run again. She did not mention Somers by name in the release.

Somers is also running for Wayne County Circuit Judge in 2012. 

Abbatt will face incumbent Richard Wygonik and possibly former 19th District Court Magistrate Sam Salamey,

“I hope the voters are ready for change at the local level. It’s time to move forward in a positive, dignified and respectful manner—I’m ready.”

The primary will be held on Aug. 7, 2012 and the general election will be held on November 6.