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Incumbent Cody Grizzle (left) is challenged by Crystal Buffington Nelms (center) and Bo Cornwell (right) for Chief Magistrate Judge.
The Franklin County Citizen Leader submitted a list of questions for candidates qualified to run in the May 21 primary. The answers to those questions were used to write a profile of the candidate. The questions were:
1. What experience (professional, personal or service) do you feel best qualifies you and will serve you best in the position you seek?
2. What is the number one challenge facing Franklin County Magistrate Court? What is the best way to deal with that challenge?
3. What will be your top short-term goal to get accomplished within the first year of your term? How will you get it done?
4. Give four longer-term goals that you would like to see the magistrate court accomplish by the end of your term.
5. If you had a chance to speak one-on-one with each registered voter in the county, what would you say to secure his or her vote?
Candidates were also asked to provide information about background, education, past service in government or with community organizations, church and family.
Cody Grizzle
By Shane Scoggins
Publisher
LAVONIA – Cody Grizzle uses the following words to describe his time as Franklin County Chief Magistrate Judge: Knowledge, experience, fair, committed, reachable/available, budget minded, fiscal conservation, community oriented, family focused and serve the entire county.
After graduating from Franklin County High School, he earned a bachelor’s of science degree from the University of North Georgia.
“The opportunity arose for me to become a probation officer with the Northern Judicial Circuit Probation Office,” Grizzle said. “ While there, I became a state certified peace officer, which I did for almost five years. In 2012, I ran for Chief Magistrate and I was elected and took office Jan. 1, 2013. The last two terms, I have run unopposed and over the past 11 years, I have gained a wealth of knowledge with countless hours of training. Not only have I received training, I have also taught classes for magistrates and mentored six other magistrates that were either elected or appointed across Northeast Georgia. I promised, when originally elected, I would work in conjunction with constitutional offices especially law enforcement to ensure the laws of Franklin County are upheld. I have kept that promise and will continue to work with all offices to improve Franklin County.”
Grizzle is married to Taylor Grizzle and the couple has three children, Brantley, Elleigh and Bennett. The family attends Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Lavonia.
Grizzle is also a member of the Franklin County Young Famers for many years and spends most of his spare time “investing in the youth” through coaching at the recreation department, Little League and travel teams.
Grizzle said the number one challenge for the county is growth, which will mean the county government and magistrate office will also have to grow.
“More specifically, we have seen about a 15 percent increase in volume of cases over the past several years,” he said. “More concerning is the continuation of apartments/housing currently being built or planned to be built in the near future which will only add more potential cases to the docket. Current citizens are concerned about this growth, which is even evident with as many individuals that have became interested in running for the current vacant commissioner seats. As your current chief magistrate, I have always stood strong on valuing positive growth for the county. I was raised in this county and have chosen to raise my children in this county so the future is extremely important. It will be my honor, if reelected, to work alongside the newly elected and existing board of commissioners to help keep Franklin County heading in the right direction.”
Grizzle said his top short-term goal is to continue to leverage technology to enhance services to officers, litigants and to save tax dollars.
“I am continuously searching for better ways to improve individuals experience with the court,” he said. “I do this by discussing with judges, representatives, landlords, litigants, officers and stake holders regularly to improve the process all while making sure the court stays in compliance with state law.”
Longer-term, Grizzle said his goals are centered on managing his case load and educating his staff and others about the office.
“ I’ll start with continuing to move cases for the citizen to gain justice as quickly as possible all while abiding by the law. While in office, I have always kept cases moving even though the court caseload has grown over the years,” he said. “Second, I will continue to ensure the staff will development through training as provided by the state. Next, I will further continue to mentor new judges and teach classes.As we all know, when you help others grow so does the teacher. Lastly, we will have a newly elected sheriff for the first time in 20 years, and I plan to work alongside and cooperate with the new sheriff and his officers for the betterment of Franklin County. I work everyday with law enforcement doing warrants, search warrants and bond hearings, and I know that a positive relationship needs to continue with the new administration.”
Grizzle said he is running on his years of experience and knowledge through proven methods he has brought to the job.
“I served as a probation officer of the court to prepare myself to become chief magistrate years ago,” he said. “I have stayed diligent in my efforts to ensure cases are moving thru the court appropriately all while providing justice. When I ran the first time, I promised availability and I have kept that promise to the people of Franklin County, many or most of you have my cell phone number and if you don’t it is 706-491-0249. I care deeply for this county and its people; I want what’s best for the future generations and I want to continue on the path I am on, which is keeping Franklin County Magistrate Court something everyone can be proud of.”
Crystal Buffington Nelms
By Shane Scoggins
Publisher
SANDY CROSS – Crystal Buffington Nelms spent 12 years of her childhood and teenage years watching her father, David Buffington, serve as Franklin County Chief Magistrate Judge.
She is now seeking the same office.
“If elected, I will always be fair and honest,” she said. “I will be dedicated to being available and serving my community full time with my dad’s legacy in mind. I would appreciate your vote on May 21.”
Nelms was born and raised in Franklin County. She graduated from the University of Georgia with a bachelor’s degree in general business and also has an associate’s degree from Athens Technical College.
She worked in Carnesville for more than a decade and has three years of experience at Whitworth Women’s Facility working directly with inmates.
Nelms said that she saw her father, who passed away in January 2022, successfully work for the community in the magistrate office.
Nelms and her husband married in November 2022 and built a home in Sandy Cross in 2023.
If elected, Nelms said her top priority will be to educate herself by completing all training and classes needed for the position as soon as possible.
The number one challenge for the office is managing heavy caseloads efficiently while ensuring fair and timely resolutions for all parties involved, she said.
Nelms said that it is important to be “available during all work hours, after work hours, and weekends ensuring all caseloads are handled appropriately.”
Several things can be done longer-term to improve the office, she said.
Her ideas are:
“1. Enhancing the efficiency of the court proceedings to reduce case backlog and ensure timely resolution of cases.
“2. Improving access to justice by implementing programs or services to assist self-represented litigants and underserved communities.
“3. Strengthening community engagements to address local legal needs and promote public trust and confidence in the judicial system.
“4. Implementing technology solutions to streamline court operations, increase transparency, and improve access to court services for both litigants and legal professionals.”
Bo Cornwell
By Shane Scoggins
Publisher
PLAINVIEW – To convince voters to cast their ballots for him to be Franklin County Chief Magistrate Judge, Larry “Bo” Cornwell said he would listen to each voter to hear expectations of the court and make note of any concerns they have.
“Then I would express to them my heartfelt desire to be the next chief magistrate judge,” Cornwell said. “The Magistrate Court is the people’s court. I would also tell them to stay in touch with me, when elected, with any concerns that arise when I am their new chief magistrate judge.”
Cornwell was born and raised in Franklin County and graduated in 1996.
He attended North Georgia Tech to study air conditioning technology. He is state licensed in the field of conditioned air and participates in continuing educaton programs to qualify to continue to hold that license.
“I worked for 29 years for Plainview Heating/AC and Electrical, he said. “I did electrical and HVAC design/installation. I was job site manager and safety manager, working alongside [Occupational Safety and Health Administration] and code enforcement. Keeping job sites safe and legal was a major concern with new laws and codes changing often.”
Later, he worked on the administrative side of the business, which involved hiring and dismissal of personnel, quoting jobs, planning and scheduling jobs and working with new and old customers on warranty items.
That part of the job dealt with “any problems that would need a good ear to listen and help resolve problems,” he said.
As of January, Cornwell has been self-employed and taken on a partner that will be the active contact in his new buiness.
“This career move was done so that when elected as your chief magistrate judge, I will be a full time working judge for Franklin County,” he said.
In preparation for chief magistrate duties, Cornwell has shadowed Jackson County Chief Magistrate Judge Ben Green and his associate judges “to obtain knowledge of the workings of the magistrate court.”
Cornwell is a single father of three daughters, Emalee 20, Anna 17 and Kenslee 9.
The all live in Franklin County and have been Franklin County school students and active in the recreation department.
“I have been on several mission trips with community churches, worked with several charitable efforts for people in our community,” he said. “I am a member of Tate’s Creek Baptist Church. I and my three children have been saved by the blood of Jesus Christ. I live in the west end of Franklin County in the Plainview Community and have resided there my entire life. I will lead with courage and integrity.”
Cornwell said that the chief magistrate needs to be present and approachable.
“Our county is growing and with growth comes more criminal and civil cases,” he said. “One challenge I see facing the Magistrate Court is the amount of cases that come before the court that are not given a clear and concise ruling, resulting in forcing the people to achieve ruling at the State or Superior Court.”
Short-term, Cornwell said he will work with the court’s competent staff to control the case level that comes with growth and to achieve justice as the county goes through growing pains.
“Being present and willing to listen, I will be able to make rulings final at the Magistrate Court level,” he said.
Longer term, Cornwell said he wants to provide a “firm but fair court,” be approachable to people and earn their trust with fair rulings, adhere to rulings with less extensions, have no pre-set bail but rather fit bail to each offense and to work with all elected officials for a “unified voice” for the county.
Cornwell said his business experience and preparation qualify him for the job of chief magistrate judge.
“I have worked in a family owned business for 29 years, in the administrative level as well as hands on, with the public and on corporate level. It’s not been an 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. job,” he said. “My work has been to serve the people and problem solve which will transition to the position as Chief Magistrate. I have developed strong leadership skills in my service to the community. I have wanted to be involved with the magistrate court system for many years. For some time, I have shadowed the Chief Magistrate Judge in Jackson County along with his associate judges. My entire working life has been serving the people and I am here to work for you, the people of Franklin County. I am not afraid of putting in the work needed to achieve success.”