Will step down as Winthrop mayor if elected in November
When he resigned as Okanogan County Superior Court judge in 2025 to run for Winthrop mayor, Methow Valley native Robert Grim cited family reasons.
Less than a year into his term as mayor, Grim is pivoting again. He is challenging Judge Byron Moore as he seeks to return to the county District Court bench, where he served from 2015 to 2022.
Grim will resign as Winthrop’s mayor if he defeats Moore in the Nov. 3 election. This time, Grim gave professional reasons for his change of plans.
“I always enjoyed being a judge,” Grim said. “It was and remains the greatest honor of my professional career.”
While he enjoyed the work, Grim found that the long hours required of a Superior Court judge weren’t compatible with his desire to spend quality time with his two daughters, now 7 and 9.
“It was not necessarily a lifelong ambition of mine to be mayor of Winthrop,” Grim said. He succeeded Sally Ranzau, who had announced that she would not seek reelection. Rather, he said, it was “just an opportunity that presented itself, that coincided with my desire to be more present with my kids.”
Grim noted that District Court judge is a part-time job, where he would hear cases four days a week at most.
“It’s rare for court to run past 3 o’clock, meaning that if my daughters have after-school activities … it’s easier to get back for those,” he said.
Grim confirmed that he would fulfill his four-year term as judge if elected.
“I understand that my recent career moves might cause someone to raise an eyebrow,” he said. “But I can pledge that I will serve the full term if elected.”
Recent appointment
Moore, who served as a pro tem, or substitute, District Court judge in Ferry County, was appointed one year ago to replace Chancey Crowell on the Okanogan District Court bench. Moore is running to retain his seat.
He has come into the courtroom from every angle over the past 15 years, as a criminal defense and civil attorney in private practice, as a public defender and as a deputy prosecutor.
“These multiple perspectives are invaluable, ensuring a judge who can see all sides of a case,” former Ferry County District Court Judge Hunter Abell wrote last year in a letter of recommendation for Moore’s appointment. (Abell is now a state representative for Legislative District 7, which includes the Methow Valley.)
Moore said his education — he has a doctorate in human services, with an emphasis on family studies and intervention strategies — is relevant to District Court, where he hears domestic violence cases, and sees defendants with mental health or substance use issues.
If elected, Moore said he would pursue adding a mental health court to the District Court’s existing therapeutic court program, which gives defendants the opportunity to have their charges dropped if they complete drug or alcohol treatment.
Moore recognized that a mental health court would create added costs for county government, which already faces a budget deficit. He said his academic experience has made him adept at grant writing.
“Money’s not coming through that front door, so the only way we get it is through grants,” he said.
Moore also wants to improve the public’s access to District Court during his first term by setting up computer terminals at town halls, enabling people to appear in the courtroom remotely — especially when the weather makes travel difficult, or if people don’t have a vehicle.
A ‘firm believer’
Grim describes himself as a “firm believer” in therapeutic court, and he said he would like to see it expanded at the District Court level.
“In Superior Court, when I started (in 2022), we had three people in drug court. By the time I left, we were up to 30, give or take,” Grim said. “I don’t see why we couldn’t accomplish something similar in District Court.”
Grim would also like to see the court’s probation department properly funded and staffed.
“Our probation department has constantly been on the chopping block,” he said, adding that probation plays an important role in holding offenders accountable “and by extension keeping the public safe, because you’re ensuring that people are following through with treatment obligations and the other orders of the court.”
Grim has attracted key endorsements in his race against Moore, including Twisp Police Chief Paul Budrow, retired Okanogan County sheriffs Frank Rogers and Tony Hawley, and Judge Charles Short, who holds the other seat on the District Court bench. He also got nods from both the Republican and Democratic party organizations in Okanogan County.
Moore doesn’t list any endorsements on his campaign website, but, ironically, Grim wrote Moore a letter of recommendation when he sought his current judicial appointment last year. Grim described Moore as “well-liked” and “well-respected,” as well as “professional, prepared and knowledgeable on the law and the issues.”
In a recent interview, Grim said he believed “at the time” that Moore “was a good fit for the court,” given his wide-ranging experience.
Moore declined to comment on Grim’s letter of recommendation or on Grim more generally, citing “judicial canons” that prohibit him from weighing in on his opponent during an election.
As for Grim, he said he sees himself as the better option despite his previous recommendation of Moore.
“My thought was that if appointed, he would really sink his teeth into the job and put forth his very best effort to serve the citizens of Okanagan County, and obviously there’s an implication by running against him that he has not put in the level of effort … that I believe the citizens of the county deserve,” Grim said.
“I am not trying to go negative in my case for my candidacy,” he added, “but I believe that if I was elected to serve, the citizens would be getting a more experienced judge with a stronger work ethic.”
