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There’s still hope for our county court Richard L. Connor Opinion

Sunday November 08, 2009 | 12:00 AM

Richard L. Connor rconnor@timesleader.com

A funny thing happened as I exited a polling place last Tuesday. I ran smack into Tina Polachek Gartley, now soon to be Judge Gartley.

There was a slight awkwardness as I said hello and kept moving. Suddenly I stopped and walked back to talk with her.

In last Sunday’s column I had failed to mention her as a candidate our editorial board had endorsed. The man who edits my column had caught the oversight but I failed to correct it.

“Sorry, I didn’t mention you in the column,” I said. “There was no slight intended. I just made a mistake.”

She smiled appreciatively.

“You’re going to win anyway,” I said.

It’s one of the few predictions I made correctly other than believing Walter Griffith would become the new county controller.

Gartley brings her intelligence, energy and youth to the bench. She has worked passionately for victims’ rights and that is an asset.

She was a victim herself in the election where rumors floated from time to time claiming she would be embarrassed just prior to Election Day. She toughed it out, persevered and won.

We liked her grit both times The Times Leader editorial board interviewed her, first in the primary and then for the general election.

One person could not escape the innuendo and character attacks. That was Judge Peter Paul Olszewski Jr. who lost in his bid for retention. Someone -- the most common theory is one of the defrocked judges, Conahan or Ciavarella -- sent a photograph to newspapers showing the judge at Conahan’s condominium.

Whoever sent the photo wanted to “use” the media and some of our colleagues in the business walked into the trap. The Times Leader did not. Our editors realized Olszewski had been open about his visit to the now infamous judges’ condo. The photo was not new information. It was not news.

The problem he faced was the proliferation of news stories that mentioned the photo even if it was not printed in the paper or shown on television.

And so even in a pathetically low voter turnout election he was not retained. Adding insult to injury, our headline describing his loss was severe.

Like Gartley, the judge is young and smart and hard-working. Virtually all of his colleagues praised his work ethic and diligence. In this case the tables were turned and the judge became a victim.

Had he been retained, Luzerne County would have had two young jurists and one of them would have provided the stability and consistency of having already served on the bench. Olszewski’s loss hurts our county and allowed the “bad guys” to continue to damage the infrastructure of our courts.

There is still hope.

As Kevin Blaum points out over there to the left of me, Governor Rendell can help this county progress out of its quagmire by nominating current sitting Judge Musto and Richard Hughes to fill the two positions that will be open on our court. Hughes finished third in the judicial election. He has the experience and the temperament to be an outstanding judge.

The turnout, as Blaum points out, was ridiculously low. If there is so much outrage in the county over the antics of Conahan and Ciavarella, where does it register? Right now, it looks like all the indignation is hot air. Otherwise, more people would have voted.

It’s a sad commentary on our voters.

Gartley brings her intelligence, energy and youth to the bench. She has worked passionately for victims’ rights and that is an asset.

About the Author

Richard L. Connor is Editor and Publisher of the Times Leader and president of Wilkes-Barre Publishing Company.

Richard L. Connor is Editor and Publisher of The Times Leader. Mr. Connor’s career in the newspaper business spans nearly 40 years in four states and in a variety of positions including editor, publisher and owner.

In June of 2006, Mr. Connor formed The Wilkes-Barre Publishing Company, purchased The Times Leader and returned to the post he previously held from 1978 to 1986.

He has worked for several media companies, including 25 years as an executive with Capital Cities Communications, later Cap Cities/ABC and then the Walt Disney Company. During that time he served for over 10 years as President and Publisher of The Fort Worth Star-Telegram in Fort Worth, TX.

His work to have his newspapers not only serve the community as a voice of needed change but also to build bridges among its leaders and diverse forces has been recognized constantly for its unique brand of media leadership. He has won numerous awards as a columnist and for his editorials and has received a number of awards for his newspaper and community leadership and achievement. He has served on numerous community and industry boards, including two times as a member of the Pulitzer Prize Nominating Committee.

He resides in the Back Mountain with his wife, Deborah, and daughter, Meredith. Mr. Connor also has two adult children.