Kent Mayor Dana Ralph swore in new Municipal Court Judge Anthony Gipe at Tuesday’s City Council meeting.

Ralph appointed Gipe in September to fill the seat of Judge Glenn Phillips, who retired at the end of 2019 after 25 years with the court. Gipe will serve the remaining two years of Phillips’ term. Voters re-elected Phillips to a four-year term in 2017 when he ran unopposed.

“It’s my pleasure to accept the trust and confidence of the council and mayor,” Gipe said after the swearing-in ceremony. “I look forward to serving. We have a great staff, court administrator Margaret Yetter and my colleague Michael Frans, the other judge.”

Former Kent Police Chief Steve Strachan and his wife Sue Strachan attended the ceremony. Gipe said he met Chief Strachan through Sue Strachan in her work as a staff attorney when he served as president of the Washington State Bar Association. Strachan was chief of police in Kent from 2006 to 2010. He left to become deputy chief of the King County Sheriff’s Office. He now works in Lacey as executive director of the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs.

A Navy veteran and a graduate of the University of Washington, Gipe has been an attorney for almost 20 years and has experience in both civil and criminal law. He is a member of the King County Bar Association, Washington Supreme Court Minority & Justice Commission, Center for Children & Youth Justice, Washington State Bar Association, LGBT Bar Association of Washington and the Washington State Association for Justice.

“I chose to apply for this position because Kent is one of the fastest growing and most diverse communities in King County,” Gipe said after his appointment by Ralph. “I hope that I can help the court meet the challenges of being a growing community with an inclusive court where everyone who comes before us is heard and respected. I look forward to serving the court and the people of Kent.”