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Second time around for seasoned judge
Bill Sutton helps to organize Tusayan's law enforcement system after 20 years of service as Williams Justice of the Peace

TUSAYAN, Ariz. - As Tusayan continues to slowly develop a town infrastructure, many people are contributing hours of time in order to create a flourishing community, one of which is Tusayan Magistrate Bill Sutton.

The Tusayan Town Council hired Sutton in January to establish Tusayan's first court system and organize law enforcement after Sutton retired from 20 years of service in Williams.

Sutton worked as Justice of the Peace and the Magistrate, as well as acting as the county's presiding lower court judge for four of those 20 years. Prior to that, he taught PE at Williams Elementary and Middle School (WEMS) for nine years.

Sutton said his immediate goal for Tusayan is to develop a law enforcement system and court at a lower cost than what is currently being paid by the town.

"That is my goal," Sutton said. "And then, any money that the court brings in would be a bonus for the town. It has to be looked at through more of a public safety aspect, because of the way people drive through there, but a natural offshoot of that would be the money."

While working in Williams, he found the human element of his job the most memorable.

"You can help change people for the better," Sutton said. "If you let people know that you believe in them, you can send someone to jail in a respectful way and hopefully it changes their lives."

Not only does Sutton consider changing people's lives rewarding, he said he grew through the 20 years he worked as judge, which has helped shape him as a person.

"I found that you do get your bad folks coming through court, but most people are just people that have made a mistake and most people are fairly self-correcting," he said.

Sutton is enjoying the challenge of setting up a new court system in Tusayan, even though the process, for him and the town council, is unprecedented.

"It is new for all of us, you don't set up a town and court everyday. Every community is different so there is no pattern," he said. "There are a lot of good people that are working hard together, and I hope that I can fit in with those people that are trying to do what is best for that little town. It is a challenge though."

Sutton went on to say how important having a court in Tusayan would be for the morale of the community. He said that it would become the identity of the town.

"I fully believe that Tusayan can support it's own court," he said. "Tusayan could be a model community, and a court would be an center part of that."

According to Sutton there are similarities between Tusayan and Williams, from their tourist-based revenue to the unique highway situation, which no longer applies to Williams, but in part shaped the community.

"Route 66 used to go right through Williams. Tusayan is that way as well,because you have a highway going right through your downtown area," he said.


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