Floyd County Probate Court Judge Steven R. Burkhalter is unopposed for re-election. He released the following state-ment:

Judge Burkhalter received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Georgia in 1976. He also completed studies at the Will Menninger Center for Applied Behavioral Sciences in Topeka, Kan.

While attending law school at Woodrow Wilson College of Law, Judge Burkhalter served as the community development director for the city of Rome.

After graduating with his Juris Doctor in 1979, Burkhalter served in various positions for the city of Rome, and was ultimately responsible for the management of over 300 personnel and a budget in excess of 10 million dollars. During his tenure at the city of Rome, he served as the personnel director, the general services division director, and the public safety director.

Burkhalter was elected by the voters of Floyd County to serve as the Probate Court judge in 1996, and he began serv-ing his first term in January of 1997.

As the Probate Court judge, he is the governing authority with jurisdiction over estate and guardianship matters and settling contested estate litigation. His decisions have been consistently upheld by the Georgia Court of Appeals and the Georgia Supreme Court.

To date, urkhalter has improved the Probate Court by completely computerizing the operation, streamlining the application process for both marriage licenses and concealed weapons carrying permits, and efficiently running Traffic Court for Floyd County.

Additionally, Judge Burkhalter serves as the Municipal Court judge for the City of Cave Spring. Judge Burkhalter is a licensed attorney and member of the State Bar of Georgia.

He has been married to his wife, Angela, for 39 years, and has two children, Crystal and Zach, who are both practicing attorneys in Rome, Georgia.

When Judge Burkhalter is not serving the public from the bench, he enjoys reading and outside activities, such as hunting, fishing, and pursuing agricultural activities.