Longtime Monroe County Judge William Reagan Ptomey Jr., who has run unopposed for the past 23 years, is facing a newcomer in the 2010 race for the bench in Tavernier.

Assistant State Attorney Demetrios Efstratiou, 35, on Monday filed for the Group 3 bench that has been held by Ptomey since 1987.

Efstratiou, a 2002 graduate of Georgetown University Law School, has been with the State Attorney's Office for the past seven years. He said he decided it was time to give residents a choice.

"I think people deserve a choice for a judge," Efstratiou said. "I've been thinking about it for the last couple of months. I think I'm known as a fair and balanced person and I want to bring that to the bench."

Ptomey, 60, said he was a little surprised that he had competition for the bench, but welcomed the opportunity to campaign.

"I would certainly like to think that the only reason I've never had opposition is that everyone is satisfied with the job I have done," Ptomey said Tuesday. "There's definitely a learning curve to being a judge. I certainly don't own this job and anyone is welcome to run."

Ptomey, a 1971 graduate of the University of Alabama and 1974 graduate of the Juris Doctor-Cumberland Law School, is a former faculty member of the Florida Judicial College and a former law instructor at Florida Keys Community College.

Efstratiou started off prosecuting misdemeanor cases for the State Attorney's Office and has been handling felony cases for the past five years. He acknowledged he does not have much experience in civil litigation, but said he is a quick study.

"I think I have the intellectual ability to learn that area of the law," Efstratiou said. "Being a judge is not a closed-book test. You have a variety of resources available to you. I feel confident I would be able to pick up the civil aspects in a relatively short period of time."

Ptomey chuckled at the question of whether he's considered retiring.

"The reality is I'm not through," he said. "This is an exciting time to be a judge and I enjoy the challenge."

Judges serve for six years and are paid $134,000 annually.

Judicial elections are nonpartisan and held during the Aug. 24 primary.

alinhardt@keysnews.com