Michael Bunn was sworn in as probate judge early thanks to Wes Allen’s move to the Alabama House of Representatives, and Bunn isn’t wasting any time making his mark on the office.

One part of Bunn’s campaign platform was to establish satellite offices in Goshen and Banks and he says preparations are being made to have the offices open sooner rather than later.

“I’ve been excited to work with officials in both towns to begin making some of those preparations and, barring any unforeseen circumstances, we should have that rolled out by the end of the first quarter of 2019,” Bunn said.

Bunn defeated Alton Starling in the Republican primary back in June and, with no Democratic challenger, has been preparing to take on the new role since winning the race.

Bunn formerly served as an attorney in the area, but shuttered his law office to take on his new judicial position.

“I truly enjoyed my practice as a lawyer but I knew one of the requirements of becoming a judge would be putting that law practice aside,” Bunn said. “I’ve been making those arrangements between elections; I closed the walk-in business in October and have just tying up loose ends between then and the general election. We knew if Wes was elected to the House there would likely be a quick transition appointment. I appreciate all of my clients in the past and enjoyed helping the people of Pike County. Now I’ll be able to help them in a different capacity.”

Bunn said his first few weeks in office have been an easy transition.

“I don’t want to jinx it, but it’s been a very smooth transition,” Bunn said. “As I’ve said before, Wes Allen had a great staff at the probate office and they have been gracious to help me get my feet wet to make sure that we have a smooth transition. I couldn’t be happier right now … there will always be something you may not expect, but we’ve got  a great staff and the opportunity to work with Wes in transition giving me some guidance and guidance from judges in other counties, I’ve been blessed so far.”