With candidate pool narrowed, voters to choose Saginaw County judge in November

SAGINAW, MI — And then there were two.

Voters in the August primary election narrowed a field of five candidates down to two people vying for a Saginaw County Circuit Court seat: Megan Cottington-Heath and Brittany Dicken.

In the nonpartisan battle, the two will face each other again in the Tuesday, Nov. 8, general election.

Dicken received the most amount of constituent support in August, with 9,950 votes, while Cottington-Heath received 7,505 votes.

The 10th Circuit Court judge seat exclusively handles child custody, divorce, and family law-related files.

Cottington-Heath, a 38-year-old attorney with a history in family law, has said her parents’ acrimonious divorce while she was a child inspired her to join the legal profession. In the 12 years since becoming a lawyer, she has said she devoted her profession to family law and abuse and neglect cases. She served as a clerk for Ingham County Circuit Judge Janelle A. Lawless until 2012. She now operates her own firm, Cottington-Heath Law, in Saginaw.

For more information about Cottington-Heath, view the candidate’s campaign website at https://www.votecottington-heath.com/home.

Dicken, 34, threw her hat in the ring in late March — while nine months pregnant with her now-4-month-old daughter, Charlotte — but quickly jumped into a campaign that included endorsements from peers who worked with her when she served as the Saginaw County Friend of the Court director. Among Dicken’s endorsements was James T. Borchard, the circuit court judge whose planned retirement later this year created the need for the election.

For more information about Dicken, view the candidate’s campaign website at https://brittanyforjudge2022.com/.

MLive/The Saginaw News partnered with the nonpartisan League of Women Voters of Michigan to provide candidate information for readers. Each candidate was asked to outline their stances on a variety of public policy issues listed below.

Both candidates included their biographical information although neither answered an additional questionnaire.

All responses in the voter guide were submitted directly by the candidate and have not been edited by the League of Women Voters, except for necessary cuts if a reply exceeded character limitations. Spelling and grammar were not corrected. Publication of candidate statements and opinions is solely in the interest of public service and should not be considered as an endorsement. The League never supports or opposes any candidates or political parties.

Information on other state, county and local primary races can be found at Vote411.org.

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