After volunteering thousands of hours to Tri-City organizations, Bruce Spanner said there's no question that his gift is for service.
Now the Richland native wants to meld his passion for serving the community with his 24 years of legal experience by becoming Benton-Franklin Superior Court's next judge.
Spanner was joined by about 75 people Tuesday in front of Kennewick's Benton County Justice Center, where he made his announcement.
He is the third person to announce he will run for the seat held by Judge Dennis Yule.
"My experience, expertise and passion for law, combined with my passion for community service gives me a strong foundation to be a judge," Spanner said. "This has been a long-time goal for me. I plan to work very hard on this campaign to achieve it and intend to be a dedicated, hard-working judge."
Yule announced last month that he has decided not to seek a sixth term after 22 years on the bench. He will retire at the end of the year.
Spanner, 52, joins lawyer Sal Mendoza Jr. and Court Commissioner Jerri Potts in the pool of candidates. The primary election is Aug. 19.
Spanner is a partner in the Kennewick law firm of Miller, Mertens, Spanner and Comfort. He said he has worked with Ken Miller and Chris Mertens for 24 years, with Joel Comfort joining the practice in more recent years.
"Win, lose or draw, this is going to be disruptive to that law practice. They're behind me 100 percent," he said to cheers.
The firm specializes in civil and administrative law matters, like real estate, employment, personal injury, insurance defense and product liability.
Spanner said he first knew in high school that he wanted to be an attorney, and the reason was to help and serve people.
A 1973 graduate of Columbia High School in Richland, Spanner went on to graduate cum laude from Washington State University with a chemical engineering degree. He received a law degree in 1984 from Gonzaga University, finishing second in his class.
Spanner and Mary, his wife of 30 years, live in Richland. Their daughter, Meghan, lives in Portland and son, Patrick, attends Eastern Washington University.
Spanner is a board member of the Tri-Cities Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Mid-Columbia Division of March of Dimes and Innkeepers Ministries. He is past president of the Richland Chamber of Commerce, Richland Kiwanis and the Tri-Cities Water Follies, and has served on the board of advisers for other organizations.
Spanner has worked as a judge pro tem in Superior Court and Benton County District Court. He said judges need to treat people who come before them with dignity and respect, and to consider their cases important.
He sought appointment to the Benton County District Court bench in 1995, but after seeing the other candidates, realized he needed more experience.
Fast forward 13 years, and Spanner says, "I know I'm ready."
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