From left: Washtenaw County commissioners Dan Smith (R-District 2), Kristin Judge (D-District 7), and Wes Prater (D-District 4), attending a meeting earlier this year of the county reapportionment commission. Judge announced her resignation from the county board on Friday.

Judge has accepted a job with the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC), which could put her in conflict with her elected role.

“My new position will focus on outreach efforts and will involve working with local governments across the nation,” Judge said in a written statement. “In my current role as county commissioner, I have been involved in cyber security initiatives at the local, state and federal level. To avoid an appearance of conflict between my role as commissioner and my new position, it is best served that I resign from elected office before beginning work with local governments across the country.” [.pdf of press release] [.pdf of resignation letter]

At a county board retreat earlier this year, Judge cited issues of public safety, and her activism against Walmart – because of safety issues the store in Pittsfield Township posed – as reasons prompting her to run for office in 2008. She’s been active in public safety issues on the local, state and national levels, and more recently in efforts related specifically to cyber security.

Judge currently serves on the executive committee for MS-ISAC. According to the organization’s website, its mission is ”to improve the overall cyber security posture of state, local, territorial and tribal governments.” Established in 2003, it is now a division of the nonprofit Center for Internet Security.

In addition to her work as county commissioner, Judge serves on the judiciary and public safety committee for the Michigan Association of Counties (MAC), and is a member of the justice and public safety steering committee for the National Association of Counties (NACo). She was instrumental establishing the Washtenaw County Cyber Citizenship Coalition, and in organizing the Oct. 7 Michigan Cyber Summit, a day-long event that will serve as the kickoff for National Cyber Security Awareness Month. Keynote speakers include Janet Napolitano, secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, and U.S. Congressman John Dingell.

Although MS-ISAC is based in a suburb of Albany, N.Y., Judge plans to remain in Pittsfield Township. Her blog – “All Politics Is Local” – has focused on issues related to local and state government.

Judge is one of eight Democrats on the 11-member county board. The board is responsible for appointing a replacement within 30 days of the resignation. Between Oct. 9 and Nov. 9, the board has two regular meeting scheduled: On Wednesday, Oct. 19 and Wednesday, Nov. 2. The next board meeting is on Wednesday, Oct. 5.

Responding to a Chronicle query via email, county clerk Larry Kestenbaum stated that when a vacancy on the board occurs during an odd-numbered year, a special primary and special general election are required. A resignation at this point will likely result in a February 28, 2012 primary (along with the presidential primary) and a May 2012 special general election.

A special election costs essentially nothing, according to Kestenbaum, if there is already an election scheduled. A standalone special election would cost about $1,200 per precinct, including ballot printing, election worker wages, required advertising, etc., but not counting the time of regular staff.

County commissioners are elected to two-year terms. The next general election for their seats is in November 2012. Redistricting that was approved earlier this year will be implemented for the next election cycle. For background, see Chronicle coverage: “County Board Loses 2 Seats in Redistricting.”

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