ELECT: Luzerne County Judge

BILL O ’ BOYLE

boboyle@timesleader.com

WILKES-BARRE – Three candidates, two open seats, one electorate.

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William Amesbury, Tina Polachek Gartley and Richard Hughes are the candidates for the two open seats on the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas, and the electorate – Democrat and Republican voters – will be the ones to decide the election on Nov. 3.

All three have been campaigning throughout the county, trying to convince voters why they should be elected judge.

William Amesbury, 61, of Wilkes-Barre, (Candidate interview video) was the high vote-getter in the May primaries, garnering nominations on both the Democratic and Republican tickets. Gartley won the other Democratic slot and Hughes received the most Republican votes to earn his nomination.

But as Amesbury pointed out early in the campaign, 85 percent of the votes cast in the primaries were for candidates other than him.

“I’m pleased to have received the support of both Republicans and Democrats in the primary,” Amesbury said.

Amesbury said “the diversity of his background and the breadth of his experience” – having worked as a laborer, teacher, social worker, attorney and magisterial district judge – make him the most qualified candidate in the race.

As a social worker he worked in an in-patient mental health institution and he has experience in drug and alcohol and crisis intervention at a state correctional facility.

“I’ve seen good people and bad people,” Amesbury said. “A judge needs judgment; I have that judgment.”

Amesbury said he is prepared to “hit the ground running” in the county court. He said he can help with the “significant backlog in civil cases,” having handled hundreds of cases, such as auto accidents, slip and fall, medical malpractice and product liability.

“I’m like a utility player on a baseball team,” he said. “I’ll go where I’m needed and do the job.”

Polachek Gartley, 43, of Plains Township, (Candidate interview video) said she decided to run in January when she reached a crossroads in her life.

“It came from the circumstances of Luzerne County and the corruption probe,” she said. “Like most people, I was disgusted. I realized that I had two choices: Sit back and hope for the best, or step up and try to be part of the solution.”

Polachek Gartley said she consulted with her family and decided to try to become “part of the solution.” She said her life and her campaign have never been about politics, privilege or power.

“I come from a working class family with working class values,” she said. “Words like honesty, integrity and hard work were not campaign slogans in my home; they were expectations taught to me by my family. I learned early on that with hard work and dedication you could make a difference.”

Polachek Gartley said she has stayed on point with her message from the beginning: “I am the change we need and I can deliver the justice we deserve. As the primary progressed, I realized that I represent a new voice for justice,” she said.

Polachek Gartley said her legal experience is broad and deep: 18 years as a practicing attorney; responsibilities that require strong analytical abilities and skills in communicating complex law to a wide audience of law enforcement, legal and social service professionals and community organizations. After nearly two decades practicing law, she said she has “unique insights into the challenges facing victims of unimaginable abuse, the poor and disenfranchised.”

Polachek Gartley said the county court needs diversity, and she said she brings legal and life experiences that separate her from the others.

“Instead of making a small fortune, I have opted to make a big difference,” she said.

Hughes, 48, of Fairview Township, (Candidate interview video) said he is excited about the election and confident he can attract voters of both parties. Democrats hold a decided edge in registered voters over Republicans.

“I hope there will be a good turnout for election because I think it’s very important as a step in restoring public trust in the county judiciary,” Hughes said. “We need to elect two qualified candidates based upon their experience.”

Hughes has been practicing law for 23 years and said his career has prepared him well for the position of judge. He said he has broad-based civil experience and he has been a member of the district attorney’s office for more than six years. He has tried more than 30 civil and criminal jury trials to verdict – three of them homicides where all defendants were found guilty and are serving life sentences.

“I really believe that if people look at my entire experience throughout my career that they will find I am the most qualified for the position,” Hughes said. “I’m told by my peers that I have the temperament for the position. When people come into my courtroom, they will know at all times that there will be a level playing field.”

Hughes said the judicial scandal in Luzerne County has damaged the people’s trust in the judiciary. But he sees a silver lining to it all.

“I believe the system is working,” he said. “We will continue to flush out the bad; and, ultimately, Luzerne County will be a better place for it.”

What the experts say

Tom Baldino, political science professor at Wilkes University, said despite the scandal and despite outrage among voters, he doesn’t expect a large turnout on Nov. 3.

In short, the judicial race this year will likely produce a low turnout – probably no more than 40 percent,” Baldino said. “Unless there is another round of judicial indictments or some event that captures the public’s attention immediately prior to the election, those who will turn out are likely to be those voters who routinely go to the polls. In this county, such voters are likely Democrats.”

Baldino predicts Amesbury will win handily.

“He has name recognition, and the vote in the primary suggests that he is well-regarded by voters in both parties,” Baldino said. “The real ‘race’ will come down to Gartley and Hughes. If those voting are really hoping to make a change in the courthouse, they’ll support the woman candidate since there currently is no woman on the bench as Judge Ann Lokuta was removed.”

Terry Madonna, political pollster and professor of political science at Franklin & Marshall College, said he is not aware of a single case in state history where a candidate nominated on both party tickets has lost.

Bill O’Boyle, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 829-7218.