Austinites: Watch your judicial candidates before you vote for them!
Submitted by Ann del Llano on Wed, 2010-01-13 12:57
Authored by Ann del Llano
The East Austin Leadership Development Program by Southwest Key hosted Travis County Judicial Candidate Forums last month just before the filing deadline. The first forum featured every contested criminal court candidate, and the second forum featured every contested civil court candidate. It was a wonderful opportunity for the public to meet the candidates in person during the Meet & Greet and to learn how they will decide cases on the bench in an informal relaxed setting.
Take a look at our short video featuring each contested race. Many people think of judges as stuffy or out of touch - these candidates might surprise you!
The first contested race featured Karen Sage, Mindy Montford and Eve Schatelowitz vying for the open felony court position in Travis County. Watch the candidates discuss alternatives to incarceration and why they each feel they are the best candidate for your vote.
The second contested race featured candidates for County Court at Law 3 - this is a misdemeanor court. Learn about Olga Seelig and John Lipscombe's background and how they decide whether to incarcerate young people or offer them community alternatives.
Our third contested race featured candidates for civil district court, this is a trial court that will hear divorces, child support and custody cases, business cases, administrative appeals from state agencies, and many other types of cases. Get to know Tim Sulak & Amy Clark Meachum. Hear them talk about whether, as a judge, they would follow the law or their heart if the two were in conflict. (This race has changed, see below.)
The fourth contested race in Travis County is for Justice of the Peace, Precinct 1, which is in East Austin. This court will decide landlord/tenant disputes, juvenile curfew and other lower level civil and criminal cases. Watch Daniel Bradford and Yvonne Williams tell us why we should vote for them, talk about the work their campaigns have done on the East side of Austin, and point out the differences between them - which may not be the differences you had in mind.
Since the forums in December, the filing deadline has passed and there have been a couple of changes in the judicial races. Tim Sulak is now unopposed for civil district court, and Amy Clark Meachum has changed races and is running against appellate justice Jan Patterson for another civil district court.
The East Austin Leadership Development Program will put out a Travis County Judicial Candidate report card next month which will highlight information about all contested and uncontested judicial candidates in Travis County.
Since we are in Travis County and the county is Democratic, the judicial races will be decided in the primary elections in March.
Early voting starts on February 16 and the primary election day is March 2, 2010, so there is not much time left to make up your mind!
