A judgeship race is taking shape in Stanislaus County and an expected contest for auditor-controller may be fizzling. Defense attorney Martha Carlton- Magaña on Friday pulled papers to run for a bench seat being vacated by retiring Judge Donald Shaver. She could face Superior Court Commissioner Nancy Williamsen on the June ballot if no one else enters the race by Tuesday's filing deadline. Six other Superior Court judges will run unopposed. Filing periods closed Wednesday for those races; the period for Shaver's successor was extended because he did not file. Meanwhile, Assistant Auditor-Controller Stephen F. Smith decided to retire rather than face Lauren Klein, chief deputy auditor-controller. Smith, second-in-command to retiring Auditor-Controller Larry Haugh, has worked for the county nearly 29 years and may launch a private accounting practice, he said. Klein has been Haugh's third-in-command since Jan. 1 and is a four-year county employee. The filing period for nonjudge races is March 12. The auditor-controller post has not generated a competitive race in 28 years, and it's been eight years since two candidates have vied for a judgeship.
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