Judge Kelly Looks to Keep His Seat in Court

Candidate: (Incumbent) Timothy W. Kelly

Position Sought: Municipal Judge

Personal Information

Florissant Patch: Could you tell us about your family?
Tim Kelly: Three grown children: Timmy, 40, Erin, 36, Patrick 26. All raised in Florissant. Six grandchildren: Darren, 12, Brennan, 7, Ryan, 7, Mairin, 5, Logan, 2, Maeve, 1.

Florissant Patch: What is your educational background?
Kelly: Grade school, Our Lady of Fatima, Florissant, MO; St. Thomas Aquinas, Florissant, MO; Missouri Valley College, B.S. in Economics (Cum Laude), 1970; St. Louis University School of Law, Juris Doctorage, 1973; Naval officer candidate school, Newport, RI

Florissant Patch: What is your experience as it relates to the office you seek?
Kelly: 32 years as municipal judge of Florissant, MO; 15 years as municipal judge of St. John, MO; 15 years as municipal judge of Ferguson, MO; a year and a half as provisional judge of Florissant, MO. I've also served 38 years on the Missouri Bar Association and 30 years of Missouri Municipal and Associate Circuit Judges Association, including president in 1985-86.

Candidacy Information

Florissant Patch: Why did you decide to run for this position?
Kelly: I became interested in the Florissant court and legal profession from my dad, John J. Kelly, Jr., who was Florissant judge in 1950.

Florissant Patch: What will be a top priority for you in the office of judge?
Kelly: I have created individual sentencing programs for young offenders requiring the defendant to complete high school and to attend drug and alcohol classes and other programs relevant to these offenses.

Florissant Patch: What sets you apart from the other candidate?
Kelly: I attempt to treat all defendants fairly but firmly to obtain the best result possible.

Florissant Patch: What qualifications will you bring to the office?
Kelly: With my overall experience of raising three children in Florissant and 32 years on the bench and continuing legal education on both state and national level, I have the experience to administer justice on a fair and impartial manner.

Florissant Patch: Why should residents vote for you?
Kelly: The big difference between me and my opponent is total overall legal and judicial experience, including my experience in the military justice system as a naval jag officer and representation of many clients in local and state court systems. My opponent suggests reducing the number of dockets, which is not possible due to the fact that we handled more than 10, 000 more court cases in 2010 over 2009.  We depend on the number of tickets filed by the police department.