Times Leader says Gartley is Ready for Robes

The following article is copied verbatim from the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader (10/24/09)

OUR TOP PICKS for the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas mirror the recommendations we made before the primary election in May, when 17 candidates were vying for the two available seats.

Richard Hughes and Tina Polachek Gartley emerge as top-tier candidates now that the field has been thinned to three, displaying the professional experience, polish and energy desired in the county’s next jurists.

The eventual winners of November’s election are expected to serve 10-year terms. Each will play a key role in helping to restore the public confidence that has been so badly tattered in the wake of this year’s courthouse corruption scandal. Two former county judges have been charged with racketeering and await their trials. Innuendo of yet-to-be-exposed wrongdoing continues to swirl under the courthouse dome and even on the campaign trail.

Under these conditions, all three judge candidates have conducted themselves well. They have emphasized character, withstood criticism and answered pointed questions (from the news media and the public).

It should be emphasized that The Times Leader’s editorial board believes all three candidates are well-equipped to do the job, and we won’t be disappointed no matter which two garner the most votes. But, in a situation identical to the one voters will face on Nov. 3, we had to pick only two.

Hughes, 48, is a graduate of Virginia’s Washington and Lee University School of Law. He formerly worked as an assistant district attorney in Luzerne County and, more recently, returned to the DA’s office on a part-time basis.

The Fairview Township resident, a Republican, runs a practice focusing in areas such as estate planning, real estate and civil litigation. We were impressed by, among other things, his judicial demeanor.

Polachek Gartley, 43, is a graduate of Syracuse University College of Law. She is the senior attorney at the Barbara J. Hart Justice Center in Scranton. She advocates on behalf of survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, which involves a broad range of civil law. She backs that experience with savvy in criminal law, having formerly worked in the Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office.

The Plains Township resident, a Democrat, strikes us as someone who would be a straight-talking judge with plenty of moxie. She has suggested that a watchdog group be created to regularly evaluate the county court using statistical reviews.

No matter the victors, this year’s judge candidates performed a service by concentrating public attention on, posing solutions for and critiquing the performance of our county court.

News | Tina for Judge | October 30, 2009 11:12 pm