Letter: Quinn will be dedicated and qualified Superior Court Judge
I, like many others, received a mailing this week and had the same thoughts as Mr. Brian Lucchi in yesterday’s letter to the editor for Prosecutor Quinn. Along with echoing everything Brian said, because it was a great read and perfectly worded, I have noticed something rather important in researching for this election.
There have been many opportunities during this election for the candidates to speak about their platform and actions intended for the position they are running are, such as the Q and A in the Free Press and, most recently, the Chamber of Commerce hosted Forum last week. After reading through the Q and A and watching the forum, one thing was very clear to me, John Birk has not told us at all what he intends to do if elected to Superior Court Judge. In fact, much of his time has been spent talking about his personal background with little about his professional background or sending mailers trying to discredit his opponent. His only major points this entire election have been about his personal background, his Family Law experience (which is only 0.9% of Superior Court cases according to the state trial court statistics) or talking about his interpretation of his opponent’s party affiliation.
Anthony Quinn has used his platform every time to explain to us exactly what he currently sees go through his office and what relates to Superior Court, actions on items that can be implemented or improved, what his plans are for the office when elected, and training on things that are becoming more important every day, such as mental health services in the judicial system. Anthony has provided facts, statistics, and references every time he has been given the opportunity to share his platform with us. He has wasted no time in showing us how dedicated and educated he is for this county and its judicial system every time he has been given the chance.
It is a clear choice on who is the best fit to be our next Superior Court Judge in Dubois County, but I urge you, if you have not, to please take the time to research for yourself before making your decision. I am happy to say that I have done my research, and I will be proud to vote for Anthony Quinn next Tuesday, November 8.
Dubois County would be extremely lucky to have someone as dedicated as he as our next Superior Court Judge.
Amanda Steckler, Celestine
During the Forum on October 25th, Mr. Birk talked about his intent to be a judge of honesty and integrity. His statements were about his intentions and were not disparaging of the other candidate. His campaign material focuses on his personal background and experience, which is not disparaging to the other candidate. Mr. Birk is an attorney and the other candidate is an attorney, both have experience in the courts, and both have talked about their background, that’s just campaigning that is part of politics.
There has been nothing offensive in either campaign, so the voters can decide who they feel would be the best judge. To claim that talking about background and experience is discrediting someone else is just wrong. You can support whomever you want, but please don’t imply that Mr. Birk’s campaign has been anything but honest, straight forward and to the point.
Our opinions can vary based on interpretation and that’s fine. From my time watching the forum the only intent he had was about how he would be a judge that would not take money of any form as he felt that leads to the “mistrust” in our judicial system. Which has no evidence to back it up for anyone currently and also provides no insight, again, on what he will actually do action-wise in the position.
I never said he was running his campaign in a dishonest way at any point. Background information is good to an extent to provide details on the candidate, but that’s all we have heard each time he speaks. Actions and discussion on the position at hand is what people need to see the most of to decide on their candidate. Also, talking about background is not discrediting, but comparing it in a side by side chart while undermining his opponent is and is evident in the mailer that you obviously did not receive this week. If you would like, I can mail you mine as I do not need it.
I did receive Mr. Birks campaign material, so you can give yours to someone else if you’d like. A judge cannot speak about an issue, state an opinion on an issue, so Mr. Birk has focused on his background as a lawyer and a life-long resident of Dubois County. The only action a judge can take in court is to preside over the court, abide by the rule of law and apply their decisions based on law, so a “platform” is not part of a judge candidate’s campaign.
I researched this race and was really leaning towards Mr. Birk. I am grateful for his service and this election won’t change that, but I was pretty disappointed when I read that mailer. There was no reason for it. Just seemed kind of unbecoming of a potential judge.