Judge Candidates Forums

I've mulled things around for a few days, not wanting to write about the second (and last) forum right away.

One thing I should start with is this...many of the candidates stepped it up for the second forum. My congratulations to all of the candidates for putting themselves up to the scrutiny of the committee.

That being said, endorsing just 7 of the 17 candidates will not be an easy task. First of all, we all have become or have been friends with many of the candidates, through professional or political conduits. But, in politics, they say that you have to forget friendship and elect only the very best person for the job.

Define "very best"? Is it the most credentialed, the one who has tried the most civil cases, the most criminal cases, the most family law cases, etc.?

Not Unlike the "Blind men and the Elephant" parable, each of us will feel (out) the candidates and come to our own conclusion as to what we "see".

Let's say (hypothetically) that the absolutely best credentialed individual is not a very nice person, has certain character flaws, or, you just do not like them as a person? Can you possibly overlook that when making your choices? What if you really like someone personally, but they lack experience in certain areas? What then?

Balance. Balance is the key to picking the most effective team to run for judge, in my opinion.

You have to weigh out the options and choose according to the following criteria: Experience, ability to raise money, personality and electability (not necessarily in that order).

Most all of the candidates have the experience, most all can raise the money. It's going to probably come down to a personality contest, combined with who can really, truly get elected. Track records will come into play and eventually be scrutinized.

Will we field the best possible "Team" of candidates? Yes, we will. Will there be people on the ticket that don't deserve to be? I reserve judgment on that issue.

Let's suffice to say that I believe that this will first be a personality contest, and secondly, a contest of experiences. I don't think that most people will look past those two factors.

Do I have a short list of candidates? Of course I do. I have (x amount) on my short list with (3x) in the top tier. Does that mean that the other (y) weren't good candidates? No, my opinions are just that...mine. And yes, some of my choices aren't your choices. It all comes down to the popularity contest, I guess.

We'll have to wait and see. As always, your thoughts are welcome.