Ron Bradsher for Clerk of Court

Ron Bradsher provided the following responses to questions about his campaign to serve as Caswell County's Clerk of Superior Court.

Please describe your educational background, including any relevant credentials or specialized training.

I am fortunate to have lived in Caswell County from the day I was born through the sixth grade.  I went to both Murphy and New Dotmond elementary schools.  My father worked for Liggett & Meyers Tobacco Company.  When he was transferred to Rocky Mount, NC, we moved there.  I attended Rocky Mount City Schools from the seventh grade until I graduated from Rocky Mount Senior High School in 1976.  In 1980, I graduated from Western Carolina University with a degree in business administration and a minor in economics.  In 1983 I earned a law degree from the Wake Forest University School of Law.  After law school I returned home to Caswell County to practice law.

Please describe your professional background, highlighting specific roles or responsibilities that have prepared you to be successful in the position you are seeking.

Since September 1984, I've practiced law in Caswell County.  For the first 10 years I practiced law with W. Osmond Smith, III.  In March 1994, Osmond became a Superior Court Judge, and I continued to practice law.  I have represented people in civil matters ranging from adoptions to zoning.  I have tried civil matters before the Clerk of Superior Court and before Judges in District and Superior Court.  I have tried criminal matters in both District Court and Superior Court.  Additionally, I have handled appellate cases before the North Carolina Court of Appeals.

As an attorney I owe a duty to every person I represent, and I take that duty very seriously.  Every question I answer and everything I help anyone with has a consequence that I’m responsible for.  If I give the wrong answer or if I lead anyone down the wrong path with what I say or do, then I risk doing that person real harm.  As the Clerk of Superior Court, I will continue taking my duties to people seriously.

Over the years, as an attorney, I've dealt closely with the Clerk's office thousands of times.  I know the Clerk’s staff, and they know me, and I know and understand their procedures.  I know the law and I know how to interpret and apply the law.

The Clerk's Office has become more and more complicated over the years and with John Satterfield having decided to retire after more than two decades as the Clerk, only a person with a true working knowledge of what that office does and is responsible for can fill the vacancy that John leaves.  With my years of experience as an attorney in Caswell County, and because I know and understand the duties and responsibilities of the Clerk’s office, I am confident that I am the right person to hold the office.  I can and will meet the needs of the people of Caswell County, and of the court system, as the Clerk of Superior Court.

Please describe any current or previous military experience.

I have not served in the military.

Please describe your connection to, and vision for, Caswell County.

I grew up in the Milton area of the County, and both sides of my family go back generations here. Caswell County has a great deal to offer, and that’s just in terms of the quality of life. I don’t think we need to try to directly compete with the counties around us. I believe that we need to position ourselves to be able to take advantage of what we have here and of the growth that other counties have experienced. Caswell County is a unique place, not just because of where it is, what it has, and what’s nearby. We do need to see growth, but we need growth that doesn’t erase who and what we are. We all need to keep that in mind, and we all need to work together to see that Caswell grows without losing what makes it such a good place to be, to work, and to live. Caswell can and has attracted industry, but I think it has better potential to attract people who want to make this County their home.  And I believe that electing good people who can and will live up to the duties and responsibilities of their elected offices is big part of that.

Please describe your involvement, whether volunteer service or membership, with community, non-profit, or service-based organizations, noting the difference between current and past involvement.

I volunteered as a coach for youth basketball and baseball for several years in Caswell County, and I also served as a member of a group seeking to improve recreation for kids in Caswell County.

Please describe any board service or committee assignments, noting the difference between current and past service.

I was one of the original members of the Caswell County Economic Development Board.  I was actively involved with the Boy Scouts as a District Board of Directors member for several years.  I was a member of the Caswell County Youth Services Bureau Board of Directors for many years.  I served as the attorney for the Caswell Family Medical Center for several years.  For more than thirty years I was fortunate enough to serve as the attorney for The Caswell County Board of Education, and I am currently helping the Town of Milton as its attorney. 

I am not nearly as involved today as I was when I was younger (and this pertains to my previous response as well).  That’s not due to my age or health; it’s mainly because what I do has become more demanding over time.  I enjoy what I do and I believe that I have managed to do good things for many people in many ways.  I do still have ideas and abilities that I believe are worthwhile and can benefit this County.

While they want to learn more about your professional background, residents are particularly interested in developing a better understanding of who you are as an individual. They want to better understand the factors that influence your decision-making. What are the values, priorities, or beliefs shaping your judgement? Who are the individuals or groups that you look to for guidance? How would those influences and your experience shape the performance of your duties as clerk? Bearing those questions in mind, please take this opportunity to share more about why you have chosen to run for Clerk of Superior Court in Caswell County and what you envision for the Clerk’s office under your leadership.

I grew up in the Milton area of the County, and both sides of my family go back generations here.  My mother was Nancy Moorefield Bradsher and she was one of ten children of James Franklin Moorefield (he was a lawyer and an engineer who also did surveying here in Caswell County) and his wife Evelyn Bradner Moorefield.  Many may remember my mother’s brother, Conway Moorefield, he was a surveyor like his father and he also served as one of our County Commissioners.  Jimmy Moorefield, who has always lived here in the County, is my first cousin (his father was my uncle Frank Moorefield).  My father was Ronnie Bradsher, and he was one of seven children of Jacob Thompson Bradsher and Emily Jones Bradsher.  Many may remember Jean Bradsher Scott, she was my father’s sister and the Postmaster at the Milton Post Office for many years.  I have two younger brothers, and my youngest brother, Preston Bradsher and his wife, Nancy Vernon Bradsher, and their two children, Jacob and Taylor, are here in Caswell County.  I have one son, Tristan.  He graduated from BY in 2008, and he lives with his wife (and my granddaughter) in Farmville, Virginia.

I am pretty much the same type of person as anybody else that grew up here or in just about any other rural community.  The Milton Presbyterian Church and the people in and around Milton were all influential.  I’m old-fashioned in a lot of ways.  I’ve been fortunate enough to know people of the two previous generations and I’ve always listened to what they had to say – about life and about this County.  And when I mention the two previous generations, I include family members, friends and their families, just everyday people, people I’ve represented, judges I’ve appeared before, as well as other attorneys.  Professionally and otherwise, Osmond Smith was and he still is someone I turn to for advice and guidance.  I’ve met so many very good people here, old and young, and I’ve learned so much from all of them.  I’ve also been fortunate to be involved in things that have taught me a great deal about this County and the people here. 

So why do I want to be the next Clerk of Court?  Because I know how important that office is, and I know I have the ability to ensure that it does not take a single step backwards with John Satterfield’s retirement.  This is not a career decision for me; this is a decision I made because I want to protect and preserve what that office has to be and to at the same time do something more for the people of Caswell County.

When John Satterfield made the decision to retire, I spoke with people who worked in that office, and then I made the decision to file.  There is no other candidate with the working knowledge, with the experience, or with the ability to be the Clerk of Superior Court.  There is no other candidate who can step into that Office and be able to instantly do what is required of the Clerk of Superior Court.  The Clerk’s office is the very heart of the court system, and the people of this county deserve and need to be able to continue to have faith in that office and they need to be able to continue to rely on it.

Contact

🗣️ Ron Bradsher will be available at the September 19 Bright Leaf Hoedown to speak with residents.

📞 You can reach Ron Bradsher via telephone at (336) 694-4040.

📲 You can find Ron Bradsher's campaign page on Facebook.

📧 You can also contact Ron Bradsher via email at ronbradsher@hotmail.com.